Functional Ecologists

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Hannah Carle – a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University – discusses the article “Trait variation driven by tree size more than environment and shows limited translation to species vital rates“, which was published in Functional Ecology in August 2026. H…

In our latest ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Analisa Lazaro-Côté – a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Manitoba – discusses the article “Transcriptional breakpoints as predictors of thermal thresholds in a climate-impacted stenothermal fish“, which was published in Functional Ecology in August 2026. Analisa shares how bull trout may avoid temperatu…

In this blog post, author Bálint Üveges discusses the paper “No gain from pain: Lack of nociceptor activation suggests no adaptation for defence in the evolution of European viper venoms“, which was published in Functional Ecology in August 2026. Bálint discusses the intensive fieldwork behind this research, testing if the venoms of Eurasian vipers evolved for a predatory or a defensi…

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ post, author Edith Singini – a plant ecophysiologist in the Department of Botany at Rhodes University, South Africa – discusses the paper “Savanna soil carbon accrual occurs through particulate organic matter from grass rather than tree biomass, regardless of atmospheric CO2 levels“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology.…

In this Behind the Paper blog post, author Julia Bebout – a PhD student at UC San Diego – delves into the article “Trait responses to competition are mostly parallel among competitor plants but can cause convergence or divergence in key traits”, which was recently published in Functional Ecology! Julia shares how competing annual plants shift traits in parallel, dealing wi…

In this Behind the Paper blog post, author Rosa Jolma – a PhD candidate at Utrecht University – discusses the paper “Acute heat tolerance (CTmax) of two invasive parasitic copepods differs across species, life cycle stages and acclimation temperatures“, which was published in Functional Ecology in August 2026. Rosa discusses how parasites tolerate heatwaves, working with t…

In this blog post, author Evan Perkowski – a postdoctoral research associate at Texas Tech University – delves into his research article “The negative effects of an allelopathic invader on native plant photosynthesis are amplified after tree canopy closure“, which was published in Functional Ecology in July 2026. Evan shares how garlic mustard “sows the seeds” …

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Libin Zhou – an Associate Professor at the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology – discusses the paper “Nutrient enrichment destabilizes aquatic food webs through synchronization within and across trophic levels“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Libin Zhou explains how nutrient enrichment d…

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post author Thayara S. Carrasco – a a postdoc at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, explores the paper “Long-term changes in functional diversity and its implications for mammalian conservation and ecological restoration in a grassland ecosystem”, published in Functional Ecology. Thayara discusses the ecological characteristics and f…

In this blog post, author Miki Jahn – an Associate Lecturer in Biology and Ecology at the University of Sydney – discusses the article “Increased energetic cost of movement reduces reproductive output in zebrafish at different temperatures and water flow rates“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Miki shares the implications of warming on reproductive inve…

In this week’s blog post, we’re trying (and failing) to escape the heat this summer! Read about the fascinating findings from Erick González-Medina’s paper “Cumulative heatwave stress disrupts thermal homeostasis and plumage structure in a Mediterranean passerine”. In his blog post, Erick shares insights into the delicate physiological balance that birds must maintain to stay cool, and the oxidat…

In this week’s blog post, we’re working together to beat the cold! Discussing their paper: “Endogenous colony dormancy shapes seasonal cold tolerance in temperate ants” author Quentin Willot – a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoc at Namur University, Belgium – guides us through how these social insects anticipate and adapt to the cold season. Quentin explains how two biological levels of …

In this ‘Behind the Paper blog post, author Elena Tello-García – a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Innsbruck – discusses “Shrub encroachment influences root traits and mycorrhization in subalpine grasslands“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Elena discusses how shrub encroachment reshapes root traits and mycorrhizal partnerships in mou…

Following or latest open call, we are excited to announce that we have welcomed 47 new Associate Editors to Functional Ecology’s editorial board! Our new editors join us from 18 different countries and bring with them an incredible range of expertise and experiences in functional ecology. Read on to find out more about them! Alexandre de Menezes (he/him/his) University of Galway, Ireland Al…

In this blog post, we’re getting stung with knowledge on the fascinating responses to temperature shifts in the Map butterfly (Araschnia levana). From their new paper: “High Nitrogen loading impacts the temperature-size rule and heat tolerance in a nettle-feeding butterfly”, author Berber Meulepas shares insights behind their project work with the Map butterfly and its associations with the commo…

In this behind the Paper blog post, author Jonas Trepel – a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University – delves into the world of ecosystems engineers and discusses his paper “Wild large herbivores promote plant diversity and functional redundancy by reducing dominance“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Jonas shares the role of large herbivores as key …

In this week’s blog post, fall into a web of knowledge with Collins Ogbeide, as he discusses his research article: “Artificial light at night and invasive signal crayfish alter aquatic-terrestrial food webs”. Collins explores predator-prey dynamics within riparian streams in a clever and unique way: artificial light! Collins also reflects on a crucial piece of advice: Adaptability matters more th…

In this ‘Behind the paper’ blog post, author Rafael Cabral Borges – a postdoctoral fellow at the Vale Institute of Technology in Belém, Brazil – discusses his paper “Bee community assembly is regulated by functional traits in pristine tropical forest environments“. Rafael explores whether bee communities organise themselves differently in forests and in canga a…