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Numerous recent studies have argued that moisture limitation is leading to growth declines and mortality of black spruce (Picea mariana) and white spruce (Picea glauca) in the North American boreal forest. A parallel line of research suggests that increasingly common severe wildfires are altering successional pathways and leading to long‐term replacement of spruce forests with those dominated by paper birch (Betula papyrifera, Betula neoalaskana) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). When both conifers and deciduous trees establish after fire, this biome shift hypothesis implicitly assumes that deciduous species will outcompete the conifers, owing to their more rapid vertical growth and because they might be less sensitive to warm and dry conditions.We established a research site in a white spruce‐paper birch forest on an east‐facing slope in interior Alaska and tested the hypothesis that Alaska paper birch are better adapted to warm and dry conditions than white spruce. Over 6 years (2013–2018), we made hourly measurements of microclimate and xylem sap flux of both species. We also collected increment cores and conducted climate‐growth analyses for both species.During our 6‐year study, growing seasons with low volumetric soil water content (SWC) were those that followed shallow winter snowpacks and had limited summer rainfall, not necessarily those with warm air temperature. Both species were sensitive to moisture limitation. The tree‐ring data revealed significant positive effects of cumulative water year precipitation on radial growth, with a steeper slope for paper birch than for white spruce. Radial growth of both species was also positively related to mean water year air temperature. Sap flux density declined progressively for white spruce over the range of observed SWC and abruptly for paper birch when SWC fell below ~15%.Synthesis. Our results show that, while paper birch might be less sensitive to mild drought than white spruce, it may be more sensitive to severe drought, raising questions about the ability of paper birch to outcompete co‐occurring white spruce in a drier climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses studies which investigated the transpiring power of plants as indicated by the method of standardized hygrometric paper. It explains the idea of a standard evaporating surface, the power of which to give off water to the hygrometric cobalt chloride paper was compared directly with the similar power possessed by the leaf surface in question. The use of saturated blotting paper as standard evaporating surface to avoid some of the difficulties arising from the use of the free water surface is also described.

The article discusses a study which investigated the flora of paper-mill lime waste dumps near Glasgow, Scotland. The topography and description of the lime dumps on which the current work is being conducted is presented. The constituents of the lime dumps come from the accumulation of all the refuse from the paper mills for a period of 6 to 7 years and contains mud and a large variety of substances, such as old beltings and boots. A chart is presented which shows an analysis of the substances found in the area.

1. Parasitic plants affect the growth, reproduction and metabolism of their hosts and may also influence the outcome of competitive interactions between host species and, consequently, the structure of entire host communities. 2. We investigate the effect of the root hemiparasitic plant Rhinanthus minor on plant community dynamics using a spatial theoretical model. The model is parameterized with data from pairwise interaction experiments under two nutrient levels between the hemiparasite and three grass species ( Cynosurus cristatus, Festuca rubra and Phleum bertolonii) and three forb species ( Leucanthemum vulgare, Plantago lanceolata and Ranunculus acris). 3. Relative interaction coefficients were intransitive, with the dynamics of the system conforming to a rock–paper–scissors game. Stable deterministic dynamics emerge from parameters obtained under low-nutrient conditions. Under high-nutrient conditions, the dynamics are unstable, but are stabilized in spatially explicit models. The outcomes are sensitive to initial spatial pattern and frequency. 4. Synthesis. This study supports the idea that hemiparasite populations may form ‘shifting clouds’ in natural populations and explains seemingly unpredictable shifts in host community structure following introduction of hemiparasites. Management of plant communities using hemiparasites needs to take these complex dynamics into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on determining foliar characteristics and the transpiring power of plant leaves. It stresses that transpiring power represents the summed total of all the conditions inside the leaf that either accelerate or retard transpiration. This paper aimed to measure the transpiring power of leaves at different hours of the day by means of standardized cobalt chloride paper and to compare the values obtained with those derived from porometer readings. This article also discusses the hygrometric paper method.

Many nature‐based solutions (NBS), including urban greenspaces, urban agriculture and agroforestry, depend upon animal‐pollinated plants to sequester carbon or to provide other ecosystem services. Thus, long‐term success of these solutions also depends upon resilient pollinator communities. Despite their importance to functioning communities, a literature search revealed that 0%–3% of papers on NBS and related topics considered pollinators or pollination. Pollinators were more likely to be considered in the subgroup of papers on NBS related to agricultural production, where 12.5% considered pollination. Conservation of species interactions is essential to conservation of biodiversity and the sustained benefits of NBS. By applying our understanding of the ecology of plant‐pollinator mutualisms to the implementation of NBS, we can promote their functioning under future climatic conditions. In particular, we point to the need to identify keystone plants and pollinators, those species that contribute most to biodiversity maintenance, community stability and ecosystem function, and to leverage these species and their interactions in NBS and conservation efforts. We further advocate for the use of phylogenetic trait‐based analyses to understand the characteristics associated with keystoneness. Synthesis: Resilience of pollination services rests upon the responses of keystone species and their partners, and the likelihood that they continue to express traits that confer mutual benefit under future climates. By understanding the traits of species of outsized importance to their communities, we gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the resilience of pollination services and the NBS that rely on those services in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Boreal forest soils contain large stocks of soil carbon (C) that may be sensitive to changes in climate and disturbance. Destablization of boreal forest soil C through changes in C inputs, belowground C pools and/or wildfire could feedback to accelerate rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. Additionally, increasing frequency of severe fires may be changing the dominant forest types and reshaping aboveground C stocks. 2. Although controls on ecosystem C pools have received considerable attention, many studies have been limited to locations near the road system, leading to uncertainty in current and future C stocks across boreal Alaska. Here, we leveraged 545 randomly selected and spatially balanced Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots across ~13.5 million hectares in interior Alaska to examine the factors governing soil and live tree C pools. 3. Forest type mediated the effects of mean summer air temperature and the probability of near-surface permafrost on soil C. Meanwhile, forest type, stand age and aspect were the primary drivers of live tree C. Overall, plots with a known history of wildfire during the past 70 years did not have significantly different soil C stocks than plots without a known history of fire, likely due to the historical predominance of low severity fires. 4. Where wildfire likely initiated a transition to deciduous trees (19% of plots), live tree and soil C pools were reduced by 16% and 20%, respectively. Ecosystem C likely recovered over time, as maturing deciduous stands rapidly gained C in live trees. Deciduous stands without a known fire had comparatively very large live tree C stocks, suggesting a significant change in the distribution of ecosystem C following severe fire. 5. Synthesis. Our results highlight the nuanced interactions among wildfire, landscape position and forest type that will play important roles in shaping future boreal ecosystem C stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) The Betula papyrifera (paper birch) forest of the wilderness of south eastern Labrador is described. (2) B. papyrifera forests range in size from less than 1 ha to several km², display sharp borders with the adjoining conifer forests and are restricted to steep slopes that have burned in the previous 110 years. (3) Floristically, the B. papyrifera community is distinguished from conifer forests by the presence of fourteen differential species, by the scarcity of terrestrial cryptogams and by the development of a diverse understorey of vascular plants. (4) Three minimum conditions are necessary for B. papyrifera forest development: (i) moist and well drained soils, (ii) a nearby seed source, and (iii) an open site. (5) The nearly exclusive restriction of B. papyrifera forest to areas that have burned in the last 110 years indicates that the open site conditions necessary for stand initiation are largely created by lightning fires. (6) Age structure analysis demonstrates that, following fire, regeneration by B. papyrifera is rapid and results in the formation of an even aged overstory. Gradual invasion of canopy openings by Picea mariana and Abies balsamea results in the progressive conversion to conifer forest. (7) Fire maintains B. papyrifera and other early post-fire communities in a mosaic pattern and increases regional vegetation diversity. The pattern is not random, but is controlled by species autecologies, the pattern of fires and physiography. The vegetation of south eastern Labrador is in a state of dynamic equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article lists papers of ecological interest which includes "Cytogenetics and biological studies in Geranium Robertianum," by T. W. Böcher, "The application of aerial photography to ecology as exemplified by the natural vegetation of Ceylon," by V. J. Chapman, and "An ecological study of the Arthropoda of an oak-hickory forest with reference to stratification," by W. W. Dowdy.

This article discusses the transition phase of the "Journal of Ecology." With the implementation of Web-based submission and review and the hard work being put in by authors, referees and associate editors, the year 2003 saw a lot of changes. Submissions were over 10% higher than in 2002, enabling the journal, to an even greater extent than in the past, to accept only the best papers. The journal's aim is to publish excellent work in any aspect of plant ecology and paper hopes that readers will appreciate seeing new topics being covered, as well as those that have traditionally appeared in "Journal of Ecology."

The article presents abstracts on algal ecology which include the systematic study of the forms encountered in diverse terrestrial habitats in Denmark, the morphology and ecology of an extreme terrestrial form of Zygnema ericetorum, and plankton from several pools in the Kidderminster district.

The article offers a reaction to the paper "Some observations on the relations between H-ion concentration of the soil and plant succession," by Emmett and Ashby wherein these two authors proposed a sampling method for segregating the frequency distribution of a species over an area from that of soil acidity over the same location. It is posed that the statistical test employed by these authors in the analysis of their data was incorrect and consequently the hypothesis that the two species Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn and Vaccinium myrtillus L. transpired with the same frequency at every pH value within their pH ranges was affirmed when in reality there is observable evidence to the contrary.

An introduction is presented in which the editors move forward with new initiatives to celebrate the journal's centenary, explain the different metrics of the journal impact, and clarify the review process and submission of articles.

The article outlines recommendations relating to the accurate use of the taxonomic aspects of ecological investigations, which are approved by the Council of the British Ecological Society. The Council hopes that the Flora and Edition which has been used in determining the taxonomic concepts and nomenclature followed in the paper should be stated by contributors to the "Journal of Ecology." The Council also encourages the preservation of material of all the taxonomic units, from each plant community described. Finally, the Council calls on contributors to state the herbarium or herbaria in which his specimens have been deposited.

1. This study assessed the effects of resource (i.e. nutrients) and non-resource (i.e. interference for space) competition from fine roots of competing grasses on the growth, morphology and architecture of fine roots of four tree species of varying successional status: Populus deltoides ¥ P. balsamifera (a hybrid), Betula papyrifera, Acer saccharum and Fraxinus americana. We tested the general hypothesis that tree fine-roots are affected by both below-ground resource and non-resource competition from non-self plants, and the more specific hypothesis that this effect is stronger in early-successional tree species. 2. The experiment was conducted in split-containers where half of the roots of tree seedlings experienced either below-ground resource competition or non-resource competition, or both, by grasses while the other half experienced no competition. 3. The late-successional tree species A. saccharum and F. americana were mostly affected by resource competition, whereas the early-successional P. deltoides¥ balsamifera and B. papyrifera were strongly affected by both resource and non-resource competition. Non-resource competition reduced fine-root growth, root branching over root length (a measure of root architecture) and specific root length (a measure of root morphology) of both early-successional species. 4. Synthesis. This study suggests that early-successional tree species have been selected for root avoidance or segregation and late-successional tree species for root tolerance of competition as mechanisms to improve below-ground resource uptake in their particular environments. It also contradicts recent studies showing perennial and annual grasses tend to overproduce roots in the presence of non-self conspecific plants. Woody plants, required to grow and develop for long periods in the presence of other plants, may react differently to non-self root competition than perennial or annual grasses that have much shorter lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the pattern in vegetation, in which the peaks in the graph of mean square against block size are interpreted. To analyze the peaks in the graph, a logarithmic transformation to both the variance and the spacing is applied, and fitted a polynomial regression of log-variance on log-spacing. The apparent fit by linear regressions results from failure to allow for the occurence of overall trends in representation of species, the rising curve to be expected for random distribution, and the application of logarithmic transformation to the variance data.

The article lists the papers of ecological interest received by the "Journal of Ecology," including "Timber Planting in the Terminalia Woodland of Northern Uganda," by H. C. Dawkins, "Plant Life in Britain: Its Origin and Distribution," by J. R. Matthews, and "Soils and Health," by P. B. Sears.

The article reports developments on the success of the "Journal of Ecology," the official publication of the British Ecological Society in Great Britain. The Impact Factor of the "Journal of Ecology" has increased by about 26 percent between 2004 and 2005. Jian-Ming Deng has awarded the 2006 John L. Harper Young Investigator's Prize for his paper about the relationship of plant mass-density and moisture gradient that was published in the journal. Meran Owen has been appointed as managing editor for the journal.

CONCLUDING REMARKS This new paper by Fong et al. makes an exciting and relevant contribution to the emerging field of trait-based seaweed ecology, leading to new opportunities in trait-based seaweed research. In this issue, Fong et al. show how the use of categorical traits can greatly accelerate progress in the emerging field of seaweed trait-based ecology (Fong et al., [3]). Keywords: aquatic plant ecology; categorical traits; determinants of plant community diversity and structure; functional traits; Macroalgae; plant development and life-history traits; trait-based ecology EN aquatic plant ecology categorical traits determinants of plant community diversity and structure functional traits Macroalgae plant development and life-history traits trait-based ecology 1844 1847 4 09/07/23 20230901 NES 230901 In this issue, Fong et al. show how the use of categorical traits can greatly accelerate progress in seaweed trait-based ecology. [Extracted from the article]

While trait‐based approaches have been effectively leveraged by plant ecologists to advance our understanding of community responses to major global challenges, such as climate change and invasive species, the study of marine macroalgae is still mired in a functional group (FG) framework developed in the 1980s.In this paper, we used predominantly categorical data for 18 macroalgal traits that were accessible in public databases and/or the literature to explore their usefulness in a trait‐based framework for marine macroalgae. Species were clustered into emergent, data‐driven groups using a Gower dissimilarity matrix, then a k‐medoid clustering approach called partitioning around the medoids.We identified 14 emergent groups (EGs) that captured a spectrum of strategies used by different macroalgal species. However, significant 'gaps' in trait space may identify evolutionary constraints to algal adaptive strategies. Multivariate analysis showed how the 18 traits created trait space and drove the clustering. A spectrum of strategies and the influence of multiple traits imply that algal strategies are likely governed by complex multivariate, not bivariate, trade‐offs. Finally, we found that our EGs appeared to reflect multivariate trade‐offs and diverse ecological strategies more than the traditional FG model for macroalgae. We tested the usefulness of our EGs by comparing real‐world spatial distributions of species across habitats with known strong environmental filters to their area occupied in trait space. We found significant separation in trait space and divergent occupancy patterns across global distributions, attachment substrates and elevational zones. These results support the use of categorical data accessible in the literature as a useful step towards developing trait‐based ecology for marine macroalgae.Synthesis. Our findings indicate that readily accessible categorical traits produce emergent FGs that reflect environmental filtering and therefore demonstrate the power of trait‐based approaches over the current FG framework. Furthermore, we posit that categorical traits are a valuable and potentially complementary addition to a newly developing database of continuous traits because they encompass a broader, more globally accessible set of traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common garden experiments are indoor or outdoor plantings of species or populations collected from multiple distinct geographic locations, grown together under shared conditions. These experiments examine a range of questions for theory and application using a variety of methods for analysis. The eight papers of this special feature comprise a cross section of contemporary approaches, summarized and synthesized here by what they tell us about the relationships between climate‐related trait spectra and fitness optima.Four of the eight papers are based on field experiments in prairie, desert, Mediterranean and boreal biomes. Representative of many common garden experiments, these experiments reveal consistent evidence of traits varying with population climate provenance, but evidence of a tradeoff between growth and tolerance traits or of consistent fitness optimization at home is scant, in contrast to trait theory. Two synthesis papers highlight dominant patterns of trait divergence, including for an exotic invasive species. One theoretical paper warned that unknown kinship relationships between populations can result in the misidentification of adaptive trait divergence. A third synthesis paper formulated novel and ambitious goals for common‐garden studies through including measurement of response variables at multiple levels of biological organization.The featured papers discuss multiple avenues for improving common garden studies. Genomic analysis, together with the quantification of kinship relationships, will continue to reveal the influence of environmental drivers on gene selection. Measuring a more complete set of fitness traits, especially for traits related to regeneration, will permit the development of projection models to explicitly link trait spectra, climate patterns and fitness consequences. More standardized data reporting will additionally improve abilities to synthesize findings across experiments. Testing population performance in competition with other species will produce more robust fitness comparisons between genotypes, especially for slower‐growing genotypes in higher‐resource environments. Adding gardens in and beyond climatic edge locations will furthermore strengthen the understanding of population failure and species exclusion. Finally, there is unrealized potential in adding ecosystem‐level observations to common‐garden studies that will enhance integrative analysis across scales of biological organization and scientific domains.Synthesis. With novel, creative designs, data integration and synthesis, common garden experiments will continue to advance the understanding of trait ensembles interacting with climate across scales of biological organization, provide pivotal data for global change models and guide ecological applications such as restoration of habitats for rare and climate sensitive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have quantified the ecological impacts of individual foundation species (FS). However, emerging data suggest that FS often co‐occur, potentially inhibiting or facilitating one another, thereby causing indirect, cascading effects on surrounding communities. Furthermore, global warming is accelerating, but little is known about how interactions between co‐occurring FS vary with temperature.Shallow aquatic sedimentary systems are often dominated by three types of FS: slower‐growing clonal angiosperms, faster‐growing solitary seaweeds and shell‐forming filter‐ and deposit‐feeding bivalves. Here, we tested the impacts of one FS on another by analyzing manipulative interaction experiments from 148 papers with a global meta‐analysis.We calculated 1942 (non‐independent) Hedges' g effect sizes, from 11,652 extracted values over performance responses, such as abundances, growth or survival of FS and their associated standard deviations and replication levels. Standard aggregation procedures generated 511 independent Hedges' g that were classified into six types of reciprocal impacts between FS.We found that (i) seaweeds had consistent negative impacts on angiosperms across performance responses, organismal sizes, experimental approaches and ecosystem types; (ii) angiosperms and bivalves generally had positive impacts on each other (e.g. positive effects of angiosperms on bivalves were consistent across organismal sizes and experimental approaches, but angiosperm effect on bivalve growth and bivalve effect on angiosperm abundance were not significant); (iii) bivalves positively affected seaweeds (particularly on growth responses); (iv) there were generally no net effects of seaweeds on bivalves (except for the positive effect on growth) or angiosperms on seaweeds (except for the positive effect on 'other processes') and (v) bivalve interactions with other FS were typically more positive at higher temperatures, but angiosperm‐seaweed interactions were not moderated by temperature.Synthesis. Despite variations in experimental and spatiotemporal conditions, the stronger positive interactions at higher temperatures suggest that facilitation, particularly involving bivalves, may become more important in a future warmer world. Importantly, addressing research gaps, such as the scarcity of FS interaction experiments from tropical and freshwater systems and for less studied species, as well as testing for density‐dependent effects, could better inform aquatic ecosystem conservation and restoration efforts and broaden our knowledge of FS interactions in the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Succession theory focuses on the position of species along the shade tolerance gradient and their ability to colonize recently disturbed patches and has for decades overlooked resprouting as a key trait in community patterns. 2. We study how different species traits interact with disturbance frequency to change species dominance in the canopy, focusing on the effects of resprouting ability. 3. We develop an individual-based model that simulates the dynamics of three species paper birch Betula papyrifera Marsh, white pine Pinus strobus L. and sugar maple Acer saccharum Marsh., characterized by different successional strategies, as observed in northern Minnesota forests. We tested (i) how different disturbance frequencies, (ii) sugar maple resprouting and (iii) paper birch resprouting change successional patterns. 4. We show that three disturbance frequency classes produce three different outcomes, each dominated by a different species, with lower disturbance frequency favouring later successional species. 5. The importance of resprouting ability for success in the canopy depends on the species’ other life-history traits. Sugar maple is able to dominate the community at all disturbance frequency classes with resprouting, whereas the inclusion of resprouting for paper birch does not change the successional patterns. 6. White pine is indirectly favoured by sugar maple’s resprouting ability, excluding paper birch from the community at disturbance frequency classes that would see paper birch dominance in the absence of resprouting. 7. Synthesis. We model tree life histories in a disturbed environment and test how the inclusion of resprouting changes succession patterns. Our results confirm the recent interest of taking into account resprouting, as it can bend succession directionality, and thus change community composition in response to disturbance. This has wide consequences for predicting forest diversity patterns as well as invasion phenomena in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the periodical "Journal of Ecology."

The article presents information on previous issues published in the journal "Journal of Ecology." From 2006, Journal of Ecology will be published in odd-numbered months. i.e. the cover months will he January, March, May, July, September, and November. Issues will be available online around the middle of the previous month. Printed copies are scheduled for dispatch so that they arrive by the beginning of the cover month. Reviews are becoming an increasingly regular feature of the Journal. The Journal will be slightly larger in 2006 than in 2005. The aim of the leading international journal is to publish papers providing valuable ecological information with generic, rather than specific applicability, which answer important questions and that test novel and topical hypotheses. In order to assess the level of interest within the ecological community for alternative models for funding publication. Journal of Ecology is included in 'Online-Open,' a trial pay-to-publish service from Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The article presents information on the "Journal of Ecology." Journal of Ecology was established by the British Ecological Society in 1913. It is the oldest international, peer-reviewed ecological journal, currently publishing its 93rd volume. Journal of Ecology accepts papers on all ecological subjects that are plant-related and that present strong, original ecological messages that transcend the limits of case studies. The majority of the output of Journal of Ecology is both widely cited and cited over a long period.

The article offers news briefs related to the "Journal of Ecology News." Scott Chamberlain has been appointed as an associate editor for the journal. Board members of the Associate Editorial Board including Richard Bradshaw and Chris Lortie have stepped down in 2011. Scientist Ryan Phillips has received the 2011 Harper Prize for the best article published in the journal in 2011.

Plant functional traits play important roles in determining plant responses to environmental change and further shaping community composition, but the role of plant stoichiometry remains poorly understood in regulating community responses to continually increased nitrogen (N) deposition.In this paper, we used a 5‐year manipulative experiment with six N addition rates (Nrate) to explore how the N response of different plant functional groups including forbs, grasses, sedges and legumes links to above‐ground plant carbon‐to‐N ratio (C:N, related to N use strategies) in an alpine meadow.We found that plant C:N explained 45.8% and 42.6% of N response variation among functional groups in plant above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and abundance. Over increasing Nrate, functional groups with higher C:N (grasses and sedges) tended to grow better and have greater abundance, yet those with lower C:N (forbs and legumes) were at risk of loss, subsequently mitigating the N‐caused decline in community‐level plant C:N. This was mainly due to that functional groups with higher C:N not only possessed higher N use efficiency but also had greater competitiveness for above‐ground light due to higher plant height. In addition, we also found that plant C:N differences among functional groups remained relatively constant over Nrate, suggesting that the ability of this trait to indicate functional group‐specific N responses was stable.Synthesis. Our results show that the N responses of different herbaceous plants can be well explained by plant C:N. Thus, we suggest the prediction of plant community composition changes under N deposition would be greatly improved by considering this easily measured stoichiometric trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the drivers of species coexistence is essential in ecology. Niche and fitness differences (i.e. how species limit themselves compared to others and species' differences in competitive ability, respectively) permit studying the consequences of species interactions. Yet, the multitude of methods to compute niche and fitness differences hampers cross‐community comparisons. Such shortcoming leaves a gap in our understanding of the natural drivers of species coexistence and whether niche or/and fitness differences capture them.Here, we standardised niche and fitness differences across 953 species pairs to investigate species coexistence across ecological groups and methodological settings (experimental setup, natural co‐occurrence, population model used and growth method). Using data gathered from 29 empirical papers, we asked whether large niche differences, small fitness differences or both explain predicted coexistence. Moreover, we performed an automated clustering algorithm to understand whether different underlying mechanisms drive species interactions. Finally, we tested whether any ecological or/and methodological settings drive these clusters.Species pairs predicted to coexist have larger niche differences but not smaller fitness differences than species pairs predicted not to coexist. Also, species pairs group into two clear clusters along the niche difference axis: those predicted to coexist and those that are not. Surprisingly, ecological or methodological settings do not drive these clusters.Synthesis. Overall, our results show that species coexistence is mainly influenced by mechanisms acting on niche differences, highlighting the importance of sustaining mechanisms that promote niche differences to maintain species coexistence. In addition, our results provide evidence that communities predicted to coexist differ from those that are not in ways that transcend their ecological grouping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of droughts around the globe, leading to tree mortality that reduces production and provision of other ecosystem services. Recent studies show that growth of mixed stands may be more resilient to drought than pure stands. The two most economically important and widely distributed tree species in Europe are Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), but little is known about their susceptibility to drought when coexist.This paper analyses the resilience (resistance, recovery rate and recovery time) at individual‐tree level using a network of tree‐ring collections from 22 sites along a climatic gradient from central Europe to Scandinavia. We aimed to identify differences in growth following drought between the two species and between mixed and pure stands, and how environmental variables (climate, topography and site location) and tree characteristics influence them.We found that both the timing and duration of drought drive the different responses between species and compositions. Norway spruce showed higher vulnerability to summer drought, with both lower resistance and a longer recovery time than Scots pine. Mixtures provided higher drought resistance for both species compared to pure stands, but the benefit decreases with the duration of the drought. Especially climate sensitive and old trees in climatically marginal sites were more affected by drought stress.Synthesis. Promoting Scots pine and mixed forests is a promising strategy for adapting European forests to climate change. However, if future droughts become longer, the advantage of mixed stands could disappear which would be especially negative for Norway spruce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraindividual epigenetic mosaicism is probably widespread among long‐lived plants, yet its ecological significance as a potential source of variation in fitness‐related traits in plant populations remains virtually unexplored. This paper examines the hypothesis that extant epigenetic variation within plants can have both current and transgenerational fecundity correlates which could eventually translate into fitness variations among different parts of the same individual and their respective offspring.Five modules, each consisting of a terminal branchlet bearing one inflorescence and its subtending leaves, were collected from each of 15 wild‐growing Lavandula latifolia (Lamiaceae) plants. They were characterized epigenotypically by the methylation state of methylation‐sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MS‐AFLP) markers, and phenotypically by fecundity‐related traits (inflorescence length, and size, number and mass of seeds produced). Seeds from the different modules were sown in the greenhouse and resulting 'subprogenies' characterized phenotypically (germination probability and time to emergence, seedling size, susceptibility to fungal disease).All plants sampled were internally heterogeneous with regard to the methylation state of 1%–13% of MS‐AFLP markers. Predictable relationships were found between epigenotypic and phenotypic variation across the extant modules of individual L. latifolia shrubs. Phenotypes of subprogenies from different modules of the same plant grown under homogeneous conditions in the greenhouse were predictably related to the epigenotype of the maternal module which produced the seeds.Synthesis. The variable epigenotypes of different modules in the same plant not only predicted extant phenotypic variation among the modules themselves, but also phenotypic differences among the subprogenies produced by different modules. These relationships linking intraplant epigenotypic mosaicism with both extant and transgenerational heterogeneity in fitness‐related traits support the 'epigenetic mosaicism hypothesis' for plant variation, and also suggest hitherto unexplored ecological consequences of epigenotypically enhanced variation in the context of plant populations and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article present guidelines issued by the "Journal of Ecology," for authors who wants to contribute towards the publication of the journal. Online submission and review of manuscripts is now mandatory for all types of paper except Biological Flora of the British Isles. Journal of Ecology is published six times a year and includes original research papers on all aspects of the ecology of plants, in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Theoretical papers are welcome, as are descriptive or historical accounts that offer insights into issues of general interest to ecologists, but reports concerned solely with cultivated plants and agricultural ecosystems are not.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses the periodical's new Associate Editors such as Meghan Avolio, David Edwards and Jacquelyn Gill, and informs about article submission, review and publication policy of the periodical.

The article offers announcements related to the "Journal of Ecology" as of 2012 including the Postdoctoral Excellence award received by Plant Population Ecology's Jennifer Williams, the appointment of Andrea Baier as managing editor and the journal's website at http://jecologyblog.wordpress.com.

1. The inherent complexity of nature produces a diverse and varied set of outcomes for any given ecological process. However, the advance of ecology requires making generalizations that synthesize current knowledge and guide new basic research and practical applications. Among the synthesis tools available for this specific purpose, meta-analysis is one of the most accurate and powerful methods. 2. This Special Feature examines the use that meta-analysis has received in plant ecology over the last two decades and provides examples of synthesis applied to contemporary topics in different areas of plant ecology from populations to ecosystems. 3. The number of meta-analyses in plant ecology has been increasing rapidly in the last two decades. However, this increase has not been accompanied by a parallel increase in quality. The opening review paper in this Special Feature provides a checklist of quality criteria specific to ecological meta-analysis that will largely contribute to improvement of the methodological and reporting standards of meta-analyses. 4. The following five papers in the Special Feature demonstrate the advantages of application of meta-analysis compared with other techniques of research synthesis. Meta-analysis is applied here to demonstrate the consistency of ecological hypotheses across large spatial scales (e.g. Janzen-Connell hypothesis), understand sources of variation in the magnitude of ecological processes (e.g. herbivory effects on leaf life span, effects of intraspecific genetic diversity on communities and ecosystems), measure synergistic impacts of environmental change drivers (e.g. CO2, drought, land use) or assess research gaps within a certain sub-discipline of plant ecology (e.g. landscape fragmentation). 5. Synthesis. Meta-analysis can contribute to the advance of ecological theory by synthesizing the available evidence on specific topics and informing the scope of generalizations. However, plant ecologists can only take full advantage of this capacity if we improve our knowledge on how and when to conduct a proper meta-analysis, and by avoiding the frequent misuses that have characterized the use of this statistical tool in the ecological literature thus far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses the centenary celebration of the journal, its accessibility and the changes in the editorial board.

The article discusses the highlights of the 50th Annual General Meeting of the British Ecological Society held at the Botany Lecture Room at the University of London in England on January 3, 1969. The minutes of the 49th Annual General Meeting were taken as read, approved and signed. The report of the Honorary Secretaries was presented for discussion of the members present.

Information about several papers discussed in the 1959 Winter Meeting held on January 2, 1959 at the University of Oxford. Topics include insect inhabitants of the birch-bracket fungus, ecological implications of association-analysis and ecological problems concerning extinct sea-urchins. The meeting featured K. Paviour-Smith, W. T. Williams and D. Nichols. The article includes the Minutes of the 40th Annual General Meeting of the Society.

The article discusses the highlights of the 37th Annual General Meeting of the British Ecological Society held in the University of Oxford in Oxford, England on January 5 to 7, 1956. A soirée was held at the university's Department of Botany at which exhibits illustrating the ecological work in progress at Oxford were shown. A series of coloured slides of New Zealand vegetation were shown by professor Gordon of New Zealand. Some of the topics of the papers read at the meeting, include field populations of Calliphorine flies.

Information about the autumn meeting of the British Ecological Society is presented. The meeting was held at the Department of Botany of the University of Manchester in England from September 28-29, 1951. Papers discussed at the meeting include problems in the ecology of the lejeuneaceae, geographical affinities of the bryophytes and habitat preferences of mosses.

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In the paper by Grau-Andrés et al. (2022), some units were incorrect in Table 1, Figure 3 and Figure S2. 1 TABLE Traits related to moss shoot and canopy architecture, carbon gain, water-holding capacity and litter decomposition. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the paper "Future Directions" published within the issue.

1. Freckleton, Watkinson & Rees (2009) criticize a recent paper by ourselves in this journal ( Brooker & Kikvidze 2008 ) as well as our earlier work on competition importance ( Brooker et al. 2005 ). In response, here we clarify our ideas with the aim of defining more clearly the key points of scientific debate, specifically (i) the definition of the importance of competition and (ii) its measurement. 2. Freckleton, Watkinson & Rees (2009) interpret the classic paper by Welden & Slauson (1986) such that importance as a concept relates to long-term, population-level consequences of competition. However, we consider competition importance to be the proportional impact of competition relative to the overall impact of the environment, and our index Cimp expresses changes in competition importance – as defined by ourselves – along productivity gradients. We argue that our definition more accurately reflects the work of Welden & Slauson, as well as a more recent use of the concept ( Grace 1991 ), which precedes the work of Freckleton & Watkinson (2001) . 3. We highlight that Cimp was never proposed as a general index of competition importance, but is readily applicable in certain circumstances. Notably, our index and the approaches to measuring competition importance as set out by Freckleton, Watkinson & Rees (2009) are not unrelated. 4. We also discuss some recent additional responses to both our (2008) paper and that by Freckleton, Watkinson & Rees (2009) , including applications of the concept of competition importance. Although the authors of these papers may not have used our index Cimp, they follow the same definitions for the overall concept of competition importance as ourselves. 5. Synthesis. We conclude that the complex topic of biotic interactions, including the specific issue of the importance of competition, invites a range of approaches. Importantly, these approaches can be complementary and not conflicting. Here, we propose what we see as a sensible resolution to the current debate concerning the definition of competition importance, a resolution which is backed by the original source article, literature precedent and current usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Rees & Venable (2007 ; Journal of Ecology, 95, 926–936) correctly identified scaling relations across species between offspring size at independence and adult size as patterns needing theoretical explanation. They also correctly identified that Charnov's (1993 ; Life History Invariants, Oxford University Press) model did not provide an adequate explanation. 2. Rees and Venable attacked several opinions which they attributed to us, but which we do not hold, and which we did not express in the papers they cited. Here we clarify the main points where we agree and where we disagree with Rees and Venable. 3. Rees and Venable claimed that we interpreted cross-species correlations between traits as constraints on the evolution of life histories. This claim is wrong. We interpret correlation between traits as arising from coordinated evolution, just as Rees and Venable do. Our papers cited by Rees and Venable consciously avoided the terminology of constraints, and passages in them show clearly that we see coordination between traits as arising from natural selection. 4. A model we have been developing independently ( Falster et al. 2008 ; American Naturalist, 172, 299–317) agrees with Rees and Venable in concluding that longer times to adulthood are not, in themselves, sufficient to predict a positive relationship between offspring size and adult size. Falster et al. (2008) shows that density dependence later during growth, together with size advantage persisting from offspring size, can in principle provide an explanation for a positive relationship, and for differences in the slope of this relationship between plants and mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (eCO2) typically stimulates tree growth, which is mediated by nitrogen (N) availability; but how N regulates tree biomass responses to eCO2 remains uncertain, which limits our prediction of forest carbon (C) cycling under future global change scenarios.A meta‐analysis of a global dataset including 3,399 observations from 283 papers published from 1980s to February 2021 was conducted with the aim of elucidating N‐mediated responses of tree biomass production to eCO2 and the underlying mechanisms.We found that eCO2 stimulated tree biomass production (+32.0%), while it induced accumulation of non‐structural carbohydrates in leaves rather than in woods and roots, suggesting that the production may be C‐limited but depend on the sink strength of organs. Biomass responses to eCO2 of N‐fertilized trees (+39.6%) were 68.4% greater than those of non‐fertilized trees (+23.5%), confirming that tree growth is also N‐limited. Such N limitation was alleviated by the eCO2‐induced increases in N uptake and N‐use efficiency (NUE), with the former being more important. Increases in tree N pool arose from the enhanced production of fine roots with a lower specific root length, whereas increases in NUE resulted from the flexibility in tissue C:N ratios instead of N resorption efficiency. The positive responses of tree biomass production to eCO2 were greater for ectomycorrhizal trees and conifers than for arbuscular mycorrhizal trees and angiosperms, respectively.Synthesis. Our findings suggest that eCO2 stimulates tree biomass production by increasing C availability, and alleviating N limitation in a feedback way via enhancing N uptake and NUE, and they improve our mechanistic understanding of responses of forest productivity and C sequestration to eCO2 under global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population of Soay sheep on the island of Hirta in the Outer Hebrides has been the subject of continuous study for more than 35 years. This paper focuses on the botanical aspects of the plant–herbivore interaction, showing how the vegetation affects and is affected by the sheep.Grazing impacts on biomass and spatial structure varied across plant communities, with Holcus/Agrostis grasslands affected most and Wet Heath least, consistent with the hypothesis that herbivore impacts are proportional to plant productivity.Within plant communities, the negative relationships between sheep numbers and plant abundance (sward height, gap/tussock cover and biomass) were significant in March but not significant in August, as expected if sheep numbers are limited by food supply in winter.In most species, flower stem density declined with increasing sheep numbers. There were no examples where unpalatable plants showed increased flowering (e.g. from competitor release under selective grazing).Plant production in temporary grazing exclosures (above‐ground net primary production) was greatest in Holcus/Agrostis grassland (12.6 t ha−1 dry matter year−1), lower in Nardus grassland (5.1 t ha−1 year−1) and least in Plantago sward (1.3 t ha−1 year−1) associated with differences in historical nutrient supply and microclimate.The net effect of grazing on plant species richness was positive: A few highly palatable species were excluded, but small‐scale coexistence of grazing‐tolerant species was enhanced by defoliation.The Soay sheep population fluctuated from 908 (in 1988) to 2,208 (in 2009), increasing by an average of 39 extra animals per year over the period 1985–2011. Between 2011 and 2020, the population fluctuated less widely and showed no trend.Population change (ln(N(t + 1)/N(t))) was inversely density dependent but positively correlated with plant production in Holcus/Agrostis grassland which increased during the study.This plant–herbivore interaction is highly resilient, and though some species (Festuca rubra and Ranunculus acris) declined in the Holcus/Agrostis grassland, there was no significant upward trend in the abundance of unpalatable plant species.Synthesis. Implications for future studies and analyses of plant–herbivore data. Concentrating on estimating primary productivity and herbivore offtake, rather than simply measuring change in plant biomass, is likely to provide greatly improved explanatory power for understanding herbivore population dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A trait‐based framework of community assembly holds great promise for directing ecological restoration, both for selecting species with desirable traits and for manipulating community factors to enhance plant establishment and persistence. Dispersal, abiotic and biotic factors 'filter' species into local communities based on their traits, but interactions among these filters may complicate the use of trait‐based assembly models. In this paper, I review recent studies that apply community‐based theory to grassland restoration and propose a framework for incorporating interacting ecological filters into restoration design.Dispersal limits restoration success in many grassland communities while others are simultaneously limited by dispersal, environmental factors and biotic interactions. Furthermore, the relative importance of ecological filters can change over space and time. Species also differentially respond to filter manipulations which suggests that trait–environment relationships should be used to generate planting recommendations based on optimal trait values for interacting filters at a given site.Synthesis. A better understanding of how traits interact with dynamic community assembly filters will allow for site‐specific management recommendations, resulting in restored communities that are resilient to a range of filter modifications including climate change, invasion by non‐native species, and altered disturbance regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]