In the context of a recent massive increase in research on plant root functions and their
impact on the environment, root ecologists currently face many important challenges to keep …

A broad and diversified group of compounds, secondary metabolites, are known to govern
species interactions in ecosystems. Recent studies have shown that secondary metabolites …

Functional ecology is the branch of ecology that focuses on various functions that species
play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur. This accessible guide offers the …

Lichens occur in most terrestrial ecosystems; they are often present as minor contributors,
but in some forests, drylands and tundras they can make up most of the ground layer …

Plant trait data have been used in various studies related to ecosystem functioning,
community ecology, and assessment of ecosystem services. Evidences are that plant …

Ecosystems worldwide are losing some species and gaining others, resulting in an
interchange of species that is having profound impacts on how these ecosystems function …

Species comparisons are a cornerstone of biology and there is a long tradition of using the
comparative framework to study the ecology and evolution of plant defensive traits. Early …

Although invasive plants increasingly contribute to the current biodiversity crisis, the
mechanisms through which they impact native communities are still poorly understood …

The dazzling variation in plant chemistry is a primary mediator of trophic interactions,
including herbivory, predation, parasitism, and disease. At the same time, such interactions …

Forest ecosystems world-wide are being subjected to invasion by organisms representing
all domains of life. Here we use a combined aboveground-belowground approach to …