How New Zealand’s mangrove seedlings weather the waves: Lessons from monospecific forests
Lukas Meysick, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, discusses his article: Facilitation and constraint: Wave exposure and intraspecific interactions influence mangrove seedling morphology and resistance to dislodgement When mangrove forests come to mind, many people picture tropical coasts lined with diverse tree communities, sometimes consisting of more than 20 species in a single region. With this…...
[read more]Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:20:51 +0000
Silicon and beneficial fungi: Strengthening plant resilience
Ramalka H. Kasige, Ximena Cibils-Stewart, Adam Frew, and Scott N. Johnson from Western Sydney University in Australia, discuss their article: Interactions between beneficial fungi and plant silicon: A review Plants are continually exposed to stresses — from drought, salinity, and metal toxicity to herbivores and pathogens. To withstand these challenges, they employ multiple strategies, including…...
[read more]Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:12:32 +0000
The order of flowers and leaves matters more than we thought
Xingli Xia and Jianyang Xia, East China Normal University, discuss their article: Flower-leaf sequence shapes plant phenological sensitivity to warming Every spring, we witness nature’s awakening as flowers bloom and leaves unfold. But have you ever noticed that some plants burst into bloom before their leaves appear, while others do the opposite? This seemingly simple…...
[read more]Thu, 15 Jan 2026 04:56:00 +0000
Cows, chemistry, and the hidden architecture of grassland stability
Baoshuang Hu and Wei Sun, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, discuss their article: Beyond species richness: grazing and fertilization shape temperate grassland stability through distinct stabilizing effects Imagine a vast, windswept grassland. To the casual observer, it might…...
[read more]Tue, 13 Jan 2026 04:28:14 +0000
How soil nutrients modulate plant facilitation in drylands: Contrasting the roles of fertile island strength and ecosystem fertility at a global scale
Victoria Giachetti and Martín Aguiar, University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, discuss their article: Stronger fertile island patterns enhance plant facilitation in drylands, regardless of overall ecosystem fertility Facilitation and fertile island formation: Two key structuring processes in dryland ecosystems At the core of dryland ecosystem functioning, there are two tightly linked processes: fertile island…...
[read more]Thu, 08 Jan 2026 05:54:41 +0000
Diverse city lives of Asiatic dayflowers in a Japanese megacity
Taichi Nakata, Kyushu University in Japan, discusses their article: Adaptive trait divergence of annual plants in response to urban habitat diversity in a megacity As we walk through cities, we often notice flowers blooming in the gaps in pavement, along roadsides, or in parks. Despite the drastic alterations of their natural habitats by human activity,…...
[read more]Tue, 06 Jan 2026 06:24:43 +0000
Small trees, big impact: Rethinking how trees and their underground partners shape their soils
Adam Weiler, Indiana University, discusses his article: Seeing the forest for all the trees: Mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economies are modulated by stem density and the synchrony between overstorey and understorey tree communities When we think about how forests influence the soil beneath them, it’s easy to picture the towering overstorey trees that define a woodland. These…...
[read more]Thu, 18 Dec 2025 05:34:18 +0000
Earlier snowmelt impacts carbon cycling in montane meadows
Olivia Vought, University of Michigan, discusses her article: Earlier snowmelt increases the strength of the carbon sink in montane meadows unequally across the growing season In cold, mountain regions, the climate is warming, causing snow to melt earlier. In fact, winters are changing faster than the warmer seasons in many seasonally cold places. However, how…...
[read more]Tue, 16 Dec 2025 06:06:30 +0000
More Snow, Fewer Species: A 16-Year Story from a Tibetan Meadow
Juntao Zhu, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses his article: Loss of resource-conservative species affects plant phylogenetic and functional structure under long-term snow addition The alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau are unique ecosystems shaped by a harsh climate and traditional yak grazing. But as the…...
[read more]Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:34:17 +0000
How the strategies of bilberry roots to access nutrients vary at small scales and with changes in nutrient availability
Barbara Meyers, University of Freiburg in Germany, discusses her article: Soil nutrient availability rather than spatial nutrient heterogeneity shapes the intraspecific response of root architectural, morphological and mycorrhizal traits in Vaccinium myrtillus Roots make up for a large proportion of plant biomass and play a central role in several plant functions: accessing water and nutrients…...
[read more]Tue, 09 Dec 2025 06:25:55 +0000
