Functional Ecology
Copyright © 2012 British Ecological SocietyA Journal of the British Ecological Society
Edited by: Duncan Irschick, Charles Fox, Ken Thompson and Alan Knapp with Liz Baker- ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking:
2010: 18/129 (Ecology) Impact Factor: 4.65


- Read papers published in the journal on Wiley Online Library
Latest Videos & podcasts
Haldane Prize Winner 2011 podcast
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? To access the paper, click here.
Setting the trap
Thornham et al describe in this video highlight how ants' cleaning behaviour maintains the effectiveness of a pitcher plant's prey capture mechanism in a novel form of myrmecotrophic mutualism.
To access the paper click here: Thornham, D. G., Smith, J. M., Ulmar Grafe, T. and Federle, W. (2011), Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long-term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata.
The foraging tight-rope
The foraging tight-rope is a matter of concentration for free-ranging bushbabies as they choose the right plants to eat whilst avoiding their enemies. In this video McArthur and colleagues explain strategies used by bushbabies to keep safe.
To access the paper click here: McArthur,C., Orlando,P., Banks, P.B. and Brown,J.S. (2011) The foraging tightrope between predation risk and plant toxins: a matter of concentration
Impact of bamboo death on understorey
In our latest podcast, Alan Knapp, interviews Amy Austin about her paper co-authored with Victoria Marchesini. They examined how a massive bamboo flowering event, which occurred in 2001 over 200,000 hectares in Patagonia, Argentina , impacted carbon and nutrient cycling in a native old-growth forest.
To read the paper click here: Austin, A. T. and Marchesini, V. A. (2011), Gregarious flowering and death of understorey bamboo slow litter decomposition and nitrogen turnover in a southern temperate forest in Patagonia, Argentina
Life in the really slow lane
In this video Scott et al talk about how they researched the age of maturity for loggerhead sea turtles by tracking the journey of young juveniles across the North Atlantic and measuring their growth rate.
To access the paper click here:
Scott, R., Marsh, R. and Hays, G. C. (2011), Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles.
Flowering phenology of plant species
In our 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.
To access the paper click here: Hulme, P. E. (2011), Consistent flowering response to global warming by European plants introduced into North America. Functional Ecology, 25: 1189–1196
LAY SUMMARIES & RECENTLY ACCEPTED PAPERS
Fossette et al Acceleration data reveals the energy management strategy of a marine ectotherm during reproduction
Auld et al Elevated haemocyte number is associated with infection and low fitness potential in wild Daphnia magna
Gleason et al Stem xylem conductivity is key to plant water balance across Australian angiosperm species
Forster et al Shrinking crustaceans in a warming world: It's Strictly for Grown-Ups
Hammond et al Spatial scale influences the outcome of the predator-prey space race between tadpoles and predatory dragonflies
Muchhala et al Competition through pollen loss to foreign flowers among plants that share bat pollinators
Garratt et al
Tissue dependent changes in oxidative damage with male reproductive effort in house mice
Antunes et al Long-term effects of soil nutrient deficiency on arbuscular mycorrhizal communities
Granath et al How nitrogen affects the physiology of peat mosses
SPECIAL FEATURES & VIRTUAL ISSUES
Volume 25, Issue 2 was devoted to papers on Evolutionary Ecology of Plant Defences against Herbivores. Guest edited by Marc Johnson.
Ecological Immunology
Volume 25, Issue 1 featured papers guest edited by Lynn B Martin, Dana Hawley & Dan Ardia on the rapidly growing field of ecological immunology. The articles synthesize the as yet most intensively studied areas in the field.
Latest virtual issue
Life after death: the role of litter in ecosystems. Edited by Ken Thompson. A collection of papers on the importance of litter diversity in decomposition.
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