Author: curtislubbe

Caiyue Yang and Shaopeng Li, from East China Normal University, and Scott J. Meiners, from Eastern Illinois University, discuss their article: Compensatory and statistical-averaging effects jointly explain the decrease in species asynchrony over 60 years of succession The arch at the entrance to the William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forest Center where the Buell–Small Succession Study […]

Christian Ammer, University of Göttingen, discusses his article: Get out of the starting block quickly—Small initial differences in seed and seedling size affect tree survival and growth over 25 years Four-year-old saplings on a subplot where beech seeds were sown. Slight differences in seedling height in the year of germination have led to increasingly high […]

Yong-Jiao Zhou, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Trait networks and the whole-plant economics spectrum: Uncovering key determinants of growth rate across 33 temperate tree species Why do some trees grow fast, while others always seem to lag behind? For decades, ecologists have strived to answer this question. Past research […]

Xinmin Lu, Huazhong Agricultural University, Joshua Lynn, Manchester University, and Evan Siemann, Rice University, discuss their article: Latitudinal patterns in growth and defense against multiple enemies of an invasive species and its native congener Why are some plant species more successful invaders than others? A long-standing hypothesis is that invasive plants differ from native species […]

Lauren Jenkins, Duke University, discusses her article: Fecundity and terrain-climate interactions that shape tree niche differences across North America and Europe Terrain shapes tree reproduction When you think about climate change threatening forests, you may picture species migrating miles northward or upslope. But what if refuge is just around the hillside? In forests of the […]

Heng Ge, Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses her article: Autumn nutrient resorption and twig storage shape spring phenology in woody species When we think about spring phenology, we usually notice the visible signs first: buds swelling, leaves unfolding, and flowers opening. Spring phenology is often discussed as a response to […]

Curtis Lubbe, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Trade-offs and bet-hedging in clonal offspring allocation What about clones? Most angiosperms reproduce clonally in addition to the production of seeds. That is, they form new units of their bodies (rooting units, or ramets): vegetative clonal reproduction, using rhizomes (horizontal belowground stems) […]

Ylva Lekberg, from MPG Ranch, discusses her article: Eco-evolutionary shifts in interactions between a globally invasive plant and belowground putative pathogens coincide with shifts in plant performance Some plant species become invasive in non-native ranges and outcompete native plants, reduce biodiversity, and alter ecosystem functions. Altogether, invasive species cost billions of dollars to manage. We […]

Inge Althuizen, Norwegian Research Center AS (NORCE), discusses her article: Climate-induced shifts in plant investment strategies regulate ecosystem carbon cycling across alpine grasslands Alpine ecosystems provide a diversity of ecosystem services, including carbon storage. These cold ecosystems and carbon stored in them are particularly sensitive to climate change. But what are the mechanisms underlying carbon […]

Benjamin Roux, University of Bordeaux in France, discusses his article: Tree canopy shapes the survival of oak and beech saplings during the regeneration stage along an elevation-driven temperature gradient The challenges of heatwaves for forest ecosystems As western Europe experiences yet another heatwave, most of the public discussion focuses on how human societies can adapt […]