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Journals & Publications

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  Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

  In California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, climate change is predicted to increase the extent of extreme wildfire. According to recent models, large-scale forest restoration projects may counteract these mega-disturbances while simultaneously benefitting populations of the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) – two conservation goals previously thought to be incompatible. In the May issue of Frontiers, Jones et al. describe how maintaining large, old trees and high-quality areas within territories of old-forest species like spotted owls can not only help offset any potential negative impacts from landscape fuel treatments but also improve ecosystem resilience.

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  Ecology

  Colored nectar is an uncommon floral nectar trait, and three hypotheses have been put forward to explain the ecological functions of colored nectar: attracting pollinators; deterring unsuitable floral visitors; inhibiting microbial growth in nectar. In The Scientific Naturalist section of the May issue of Ecology, Cai et al., describe how the white flower mutant of Stemona tuberosa (pictured) was found to secrete colorless nectar, while normal flowers of S. tuberosa secreted the uncommon colored nectar. In their study conducted over five consecutive years, Cai et al. demonstrate that the colored nectar of S. tuberosa cannot attract pollinators, deter unsuitable floral visitors, or inhibit microbial growth in nectar. The pigments may occur in nectar by chance and colored nectar may be a nonadaptive character.

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  Ecosphere

  Tidal cycles influence the availability of shallow-water habitat for foraging wading birds, such as the little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) pictured here on an intertidal mudflat in Florida, USA. To evaluate the transferability of a model quantifying shallow water, Martinez et al. applied the Tidal Inundation Model of Shallow-water Availability (TiMSA) under novel temporal and spatial conditions in the Florida Keys and Florida Bay. The authors found that TiMSA can assume uncertainty in spatial data to generate reliable estimates of shallow-water availability over space and time. Considerable spatiotemporal changes in shallow-water habitat for little blue herons were identified using TiMSA that were otherwise undetectable with water level data alone, suggesting that TiMSA may be a valuable tool for use in natural resource management of shallow-water habitat. Martinez et al.'s results are published in the April issue of Ecosphere.

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  Ecological Applications

  Tina Parkhurst is shown inspecting an old field set aside for ecological restoration plantings, located on Bush Heritage Australia's Eurardy Reserve in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia. In their article published in the April issue of Ecological Applications, Parkhurst et al. show that despite restoration efforts, agricultural legacies such as elevated soil phosphorus concentrations persist for a long time. Future research needs to focus on strategies that reduce plant available soil P to facilitate full recovery of soil chemistry and ecosystem processes in restored old fields.

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  Ecological Monographs

  Patterns in functional diversity of organisms at large spatial scales can provide insight into possible responses to future climate change. In their study published in the May issue of Ecological Monographs, Sun, et al. investigate thermal acclimation of three species of Takydromus lizards distributed along a broad latitudinal gradient in China. Their results show that temperate lizards express higher metabolic plasticity compared to tropical lizards at multiple levels of biological hierarchies, suggesting increased resilience to climate change. Pictured is a female Takydromus septentrionalis, which is a temperate species showing remarkable metabolic acclimation in response to temperature variation.

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  Bulletin

  In the April issue of the ESA Bulletin, Stack Whitney et al. respond to some of the teaching challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and report on flexible learning projects for continuing undergraduate ecology education under rapidly changing circumstances and limitations.

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