Ken Thompson, senior editor for Functional Ecology, discusses Simon Pierce's new paper, "Implications for biodiversity conservation of the lack of consensus regarding the humped-back model of species richness and biomass production" 
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12147/abstract

KenThompson discusses the humpback model, biodiversity and  Simon Pierce's new commentary.

Liesje Mommer talks about using molecular techniques to look at below-ground plant competition and facilitation as  the keynote speech for our Mechanisms of Plant Competition symposia.

FE INTECOL Symposium: Liesje Mommer for Mechanisms of Plant Competition

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Anna Stöckl—a Group Leader at Konstanz University, Germany—to discuss her recently published paper: Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing

Anna’s paper shows that flower patterns reduced flower handling time by up to 30%, without a reduction in nectar discovery time. Instead, the patterns were involved in guiding approach flight, landing and departure decisions. Anna et al. revealed these effects on flower-experienced foragers. Since these represent the majority of active pollinators, the nectary-independent impact of flower patterns must be considered fundamental to plant–pollinator interactions under natural conditions.

* Article: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.14262
* Plain language summary: https://fesummaries.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/flower-patterns-improve-foraging-efficiency-in-bumblebees-by-guiding-approach-flight-and-landing/
* Transcript: https://functionalecologists.com/2023/03/30/flower-patterns-improve-foraging-efficiency-in-bumblebees-by-guiding-approach-flight-and-landing-podcast-transcript/

Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Lauren Nadler and Sandra Binning—two of the four guest editors (also Shelley Adamo & Dana Hawley)—to discuss the recently published cross-journal (with Journal of Animal Ecology) Special Feature titled, The Mechanisms and Consequences of Infection-Induced Phenotypes. 

This special feature highlights recent insights into the ways parasites alter host phenotypes across a range of systems. Here, we contextualize how each contribution expands our knowledge of the role of parasites in driving individual variation in animal phenotypes.

Special Feature: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2435.infection-induced-phenotypes

Editorial: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.14309

Transcript: https://functionalecologists.com/2023/04/12/the-mechanisms-and-consequences-of-infection-induced-phenotypes-podcast-transcript/

The Mechanisms and Consequences of Infection-Induced Phenotypes: cross-journal SF

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Matthias Schleuning—one of the three guest editors (also Joseph Tobias & Dani Garcia)—to discuss the recently published Special Focus titled, "Animal Functional Traits." 

This collection of studies shows how precise measurements of morphological or physiological traits can increase mechanistic understanding of community assembly across trophic levels, particularly of the mechanisms underpinning large-scale biodiversity patterns. 

Special Focus: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2435.animalfunctionaltraits

Blogpost: https://functionalecologists.com/2023/01/05/animal-functional-traits-a-functional-ecology-special-focus/

Animal Functional Traits: A Special Focus

Functional Ecology author Ella Plumanns Pouton chats to Amelia Macho about her research article, 'How do intervals between fires influence canopy seed production and viability?'

Ella's study sought to understand how the frequency of fire shaped the quantity of available cones and the seeds within those cones. Her findings, in the context of expected increases in wildfire frequency and droughts in Mediterranean ecosystems, suggest that serotinous species' reproduction and recruitment will be differentially impacted depending on a suite of functional traits.

Read the full research article here:
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14619

Ella Plumanns Pouton: How do intervals between fires influence canopy seed production and viability?

Julia Cooke is the Haldane Prize Winner for 2011. In this podcast, Alan Knapp, Editor, Functional Ecology interviews Julia Cooke about her paper: Silicon concentration and leaf longevity: is silicon a player in the leaf dry mass spectrum?

Read the paper:
Cooke, J., Leishman, M. R. (2011), Silicon concentration and leaf longevity: is silicon a player in the leaf dry mass spectrum?

For more details about the journal's Haldane Prize, Julia Cooke and past winners visit the British Ecological Society's website.

Alan Knapp interviews Julia Cooke for Functional Ecology

In this latest podcast, Alan Knapp, Editor of Functional Ecology, interviews Ryan Sponseller and his co-authors on their paper 'Variation in monsoon precipitation drives spatial and temporal patterns of Larrea tridentata growth in the Sonoran Desert'.

Read the paper: Ryan A. Sponseller et al. (2012), Variation in monsoon precipitation drives spatial and temporal patterns of Larrea tridentata growth in the Sonoran Desert.: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.01979.x/full

Alan Knapp interviews Ryan Sponseller for Functional Ecology

In Functional Ecology's first podcast, Phil Hulme talks to Alan Knapp, about his study which is the first comparison testing for consistency in flowering phenology of species established in the wild in both their native Europe and as introduced aliens in North America.

Read the paper here: Hulme, P. E. (2011), Consistent flowering response to global warming by European plants introduced into North America. Functional Ecology, 25: 1189–1196.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01899.x/abstract

Functional Ecology: Phil Hulme talks to Alan Knapp

Coping with stress: some species survive by breaking the rules, as Lanna Desantis explains to Robbie Wilson as part of the Special Feature: The Ecology of Stress 

For more information, read the lay summary (http://bit.ly/VQU0Xx) and article (http://bit.ly/14qsdBq)

FE: Ecology of Stress - Robbie Wilson interviews Lanna Desantis

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