Functional Ecology
@funecology.bsky.social
A @britishecologicalsociety.org journal, publishing papers that significantly advance the field of ecology, including physiological, behavioural and evolutionary ecology.
💦 Work on aquatic ecosystems and fancy a late summer conference? Join us for the BES Aquatic Ecology SIG annual meeting! 📅 3–4 Sept 2026 📍 ZSL London Hear the latest research, present your work, network, and attend workshops 💦 Registration & abstract submission are OPEN: tinyurl.com/2rv3dzpw
👀Behind the Paper!👀 Author Thayara S. Carrasco discusses the ecological functions of species across different time periods in the Brazilian Pampa, the challenges of working across the fossil record, and the importance of maintaining constant exchange🦴 Read it here👇️ buff.ly/1NjHPm3 🧪🌍️
Thayara S. Carrasco | What do fossils teach us about conservation and ecological restoration?
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 div…
functionalecologists.com
📰Published📰Which seedlings beat early stress?🌱 buff.ly/gqiPiFO 🧪🌍️
Which seedlings beat early stress?
Julie E. Larson, Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson, Dylan F. Neuhaus, Stella M. Copeland This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. When…
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📰Published📰How Grassland Management Changes Phosphorus Dynamics Inside Soil Aggregates🌱 buff.ly/23LSwzE 🧪🌍️
How Grassland Management Changes Phosphorus Dynamics Inside Soil Aggregates
Xiuping Li, Haiying Cui, Wei Sun, Shanling Wang, Huiliang Zhai, Muhammad Shakir, Jiaxin Hu, Xia Peng, Kees Jan van Groenigen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research articl…
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📰Published📰Acute heat tolerance of two invasive parasitic copepods differs across species, life cycle stages, and acclimation temperatures🌡️ buff.ly/1hgONep 🧪🌍️
Acute heat tolerance of two invasive parasitic copepods differs across species, life cycle stages, and acclimation temperatures
E. Rosa Jolma, Antoine Grenier-Journe, Ana Born-Torrijos, David W. Thieltges This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Climate change causes…
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📰Published📰Turning up the heat: How alpine plants rewire their survival strategies in a warmer world🏔️ buff.ly/zzZbUdy 🧪🌍️
Turning up the heat: How alpine plants rewire their survival strategies in a warmer world
Zhiwei Yan, Feipeng Ren, Haocun Zhao, Baoyang Sun, Hao Li, Jinquan Huang, Jigen Liu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. As global temp…
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👀Behind the Paper!👀 Author Meixu Han discusses how grassland ecosystems respond to aridity, the hours of intricate work spent behind a microscope, and the power of persistence in both research and life🔬 Read it here👇️ buff.ly/02y8cy9 🧪🌍️
Meixu Han | Aridity-dependent regulation of water-use efficiency by leaf vein traits across grassland communities
In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Meixu Han – a PhD student at Northwest A&F University – shares insights into the paper “Aridity-dependent regulation o…
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📰Published📰 Twenty-one Questions Shaping the Future of Plant Phenology Research in the 21st Century💡 buff.ly/mOjuFEw 🧪🌍️
Twenty-one Questions Shaping the Future of Plant Phenology Research in the 21st Century
Barbara Templ, Johanna Kauffert, José A. Oteros, Sebastian Lehner, Eike Lüdeling, Ester Prat, Victor Van der Meersch, Anton Vrieling, Jorad de Vries, Emma Izquierdo-Verdiguier, Inaki García de Cort…
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👀Behind the Paper!👀 Author Miki Jahn shares the implications of warming on reproductive investment in zebrafish, unexpected outcomes, and the importance of a strong support network🐟️ Read it here👇️ buff.ly/rCmQWQX 🧪🌍️
Miki Jahn | Allocation trade-off: increased energetic cost of movement reduces reproductive output in zebrafish
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 reduce…
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📰Published📰Zinc addition and mowing alter the timing and duration of reproductive phenology in dominant plants of a meadow steppe🌷 buff.ly/yo5x2mQ 🧪🌍️
Zinc addition and mowing alter the timing and duration of reproductive phenology in dominant plants of a meadow steppe
Qiuhua Li, Lixin Yu, Xiaotian Fan, Jiaqiang Wang, Bin Wang, Ying Zhang, Yuxue Zhang, Ruzhen Wang, Osbert Jianxin Sun, Yong Jiang, Heyong Liu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology…
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There are only three days left to apply for our Commissioning Editor role! ⏰ Join our global Editorial Board & play a crucial role in inviting innovative ideas via commissioning Reviews, Perspectives, Practitioner's Perspectives & Policy Directions 📖 Apply here 👇 apply.workable.com/britishecolo...
📰Published📰Targeted behavioural and microclimate data collection substantially improves biophysical model predictions of energy expenditure in wild birds🐦️ buff.ly/X3dhqVp 🧪🌍️
Targeted behavioural and microclimate data collection substantially improves biophysical model predictions of energy expenditure in wild birds
Shannon. R. Conradie, Amanda. R. Bourne, Ryno. Kemp, Barry. van Jaarsveld, Zenon. J. Czenze, Amanda. R. Ridley, Andrew. E. McKechnie, Susie. J. Cunningham This is a plain language summary of a Func…
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📰Published📰How bird extinctions reshaped pollination trait matching in Hawaiʻi🐦️ buff.ly/TmUS5zI 🧪🌍️
How bird extinctions reshaped pollination trait matching in Hawaiʻi
Samuel B. Case, Molly Hagemann, Donald R. Drake, Katherine Postelli, Richard J. Pender, Pryce W. Millikin, Alejandro Rico-Guevara This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research a…
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👀Behind the Paper!👀 Erick González-Medina shares insights into the delicate physiological balance that birds must maintain to stay cool, and the oxidative and morphological costs thermal regulations can have🐦️ Read it here👇️ buff.ly/z0E5KOe
Erick González-Medina | When heatwaves keep coming: the hidden physiological cost for small birds
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 ther…
functionalecologists.com
⏰️1 day left to apply! Applications close 24 July @ 9am BST. 📊 join us in improving the clarity, transparency, & accessibility of ecological research. 🌳 more information on the role and how to apply can be found here 👉️ buff.ly/R8z4TLe
New paper out! 🦏💩🌿 Stop thinking the carbon cycle is just a plant thing. Megaherbivores actively reshape C-N-P, by eating, pooping, and trampling. So why are they stil invisible in most vegetation models? 🤔 We reviewed the evidence and propose a way to bring animals into DGVM👇
Functional Ecology@funecology.bsky.social · 2w ago📰Published📰Why animals matter for Earth system models: Including large mammalian herbivores🌍️ buff.ly/JBlh0Rj 🧪
What does it mean to be an ecologist? 🔎🔬📸 The Ecologists in Action category of our Capturing Ecology competition celebrates the people behind ecology, working to understand and protect our natural world. Submit your photos by 31 August 👇 BES members enter for free.
Ecology Photo Competition | Capturing Ecology 2026 | BES
Enter the BES 2026 annual ecology photo competition and submit pictures of ecology that showcase nature, wildlife and research for a chance to win prizes.
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👀Behind the Paper!👀 Author Quentin Willot explains how two biological levels of organisation, the individual and the colony, interact to shape the seasonal acquisition of cold-tolerance in temperate ants🐜 Read it here👇️ buff.ly/7x3l6Jv 🧪🌍️
Quentin Willot | Endogenous colony dormancy shapes seasonal cold tolerance in temperate ants
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 guides…
functionalecologists.com
We’re very excited to confirm that Rosemary Grant will be giving our inaugural online webinar in September. It’s free to all, so please look out for details of how to sign up for tickets.
Registration and call for abstracts for the BES Annual Meeting 2026 are now open 🔥 Our sold-out and Europe's largest ecology conference is returning this year to Birmingham's ICC on 14–17 December, and we can't wait to see you there. Find out more here 👇 https://tinyurl.com/2s3nupvu
Seminar 📅 Join us on Tuesday the 18th of August 13:00–14:00 BST for our seminar in collaboration with the British Society of Soil Science on mycorrhiza! Featuring exciting talks from Rose Gooda (Imperial College London) and Katie Field (University of Sheffield). Register: lnkd.in/eN-P672a
📰Published📰Seeds can travel through space or wait through time but rarely excel at both ⏳️ buff.ly/RudoPEa 🧪🌍️
Seeds can travel through space or wait through time but rarely excel at both
Marina L. LaForgia, Susan P. Harrison, Michal J. Borton, Pierre-Olivier Cheptou, Lauren M. Hallett, Jennifer R. Gremer This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article whic…
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📰Published📰Seeds can travel through space or wait through time but rarely excel at both ⏳️ buff.ly/RudoPEa 🧪🌍️
Seeds can travel through space or wait through time but rarely excel at both
Marina L. LaForgia, Susan P. Harrison, Michal J. Borton, Pierre-Olivier Cheptou, Lauren M. Hallett, Jennifer R. Gremer This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article whic…
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📢Our Managing Editor is at #ISBE2026! 👋Say hello to Jenny at the BES stand, between Sala Copenaghen and Sala Dublino @isbe2026.bsky.social 🧪🌍️
📰Published📰Why animals matter for Earth system models: Including large mammalian herbivores🌍️ buff.ly/JBlh0Rj 🧪
Why animals matter for Earth system models: Including large mammalian herbivores
Yue Cheng, Joanne Alice O’Keeffe, Andrew J. Abraham, Jesper Riis Christiansen, Frederik Nygaard Philipsen, Klaus Steenberg Larsen, Fabio Berzaghi, Carsten W. Mueller, Lars Vesterdal, Jeppe A. Krist…
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The call for proposals to our new Special Feature is now live! If you’d like to further the following through a One Health perspective then get involved below... 👉 disease ecology 🦠 👉 multispecies health 🦌 👉 public health 🩺 👉 agriculture 🌱 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...
⏰️1 week left to apply! We're recruiting for an Associate Editor with data integrity expertise! 📊 join us in improving the clarity, transparency, & accessibility of ecological research. 🌳 more information on the role and how to apply can be found here 👉️ buff.ly/R8z4TLe
👀Behind the Paper!👀 Author Elena Tello-García discusses how shrub encroachment reshapes root traits and mycorrhizal partnerships in mountain grasslands, the seemingly endless root washing required in the field, and the benefits of a good humored team!🏔️ Read it here👇️ buff.ly/aSEPlrg 🧪🌍️
Elena Tello-García | Shrub encroachment influences root traits and mycorrhization in subalpine grasslands
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 mycorrhiz…
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📰Published📰Bridging the divide between models of animal-driven and microbial-driven biogeochemical cycling: a zoogeochemistry-informed framework💡 buff.ly/5eOjZ2b 🧪🌍️
Bridging the divide between models of animal-driven and microbial-driven biogeochemical cycling: a zoogeochemistry-informed framework
Janey R. Lienau, Nathalie R. Sommer, Oswald J. Schmitz This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Predictive understanding of materials and n…
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