British Ecological Society
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- Functional Ecology | Jennifer Apland: Isolating the effects of floral temperature on visitation and behaviour of wild bee and fly pollinators (00:27:53)
In this podcast, Functional Ecology author Jennifer Apland chats to Assistant Editor Amelia Macho about her research article, " Jennifer experimentally manipulated the temperature of model flowers to evaluate how flower temperature impacts visitation and behavior of wild bee and fly pollinators. Her research highlights that wild insect pollinator responses to floral temperature depend on ambient temperature. It also suggests that flowers with traits facilitating warming in cool conditions and cooling in warm conditions may experience higher rates of pollinator visitation and resultant reproductive success. You can read Jennifer's full research article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70037 You can also check out Jennifer's blog post about this work (as mentioned in the podcast!) here: https://functionalecologists.com/2025/06/04/jennifer-apland-does-flower-temperature-affect-pollinator-behaviour/
- Journal of Animal Ecology | Editor Expertise: Dr Mariano Rodriguez-Cabal (00:15:58)
For our ‘Editor Expertise’ series, we will be meeting with each of our Senior Editors, who will share the reason they went into animal ecology, their current and future research focus, and their experience working as an editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. Our aim is to spread awareness of their research area and give you a chance to get to know the editors behind the journal. This month's guest is Dr. Mariano Rodríguez-Cabal, Research Highlights Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology.
- Revista de Ecología Animal | Experiencia del Editor: Dr Mariano Rodriguez-Cabal (00:18:17)
En nuestra serie 'Experiencia editorial', nos reuniremos con cada uno de nuestros editores principales, quienes compartirán los motivos por los que se dedicaron a la ecología animal, sus áreas de investigación actuales y futuras, y su experiencia como editores de la revista Journal of Animal Ecology. Nuestro objetivo es dar a conocer su área de investigación y ofrecerle la oportunidad de conocer a los editores que hay detrás de la revista. El invitado de este mes es el Dr. Mariano Rodríguez-Cabal, editor de Research Highlights para la revista Journal of Animal Ecology. Gracias a nuestro editor del blog, Rowan Kuminski, por presentar este episodio.
- BES Special Feature | Marine Heatwaves (00:29:22)
In this podcast episode, we spoke with Dr Daniel Gomez-Gras, Guest Editor for our latest cross-journal Special Feature on "Marine Heatwaves". The Special Feature ran across the Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Ecology, and Functional Ecology, and provides an interdisciplinary and cross-taxonomic view of one of the most pressing topics in marine animal science, rendering a general overview of the vulnerability of animal life to current and future marine heatwave conditions. You can explore a curated list of all the articles published at the link below: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/(ISSN)9999-0033.marine-heatwaves Thank you to Daniel, Pol, and Cristina, the Guest Editors of this incredible Special Feature.
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution | Dr René Steinmann : Decoding the footsteps of the African savanna (00:26:37)
Methods in Ecology and Evolution author René Steinmann chats to Harriet about his research article 'Decoding the footsteps of the African savanna: Classifying wildlife using seismic signals and machine learning'. The study investigates the seismic signal properties of African savanna species during locomotion and employs machine learning techniques to classify wildlife based on these footfall signals. Read René's full research article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.70021 Read René's post on the Methods Blog here: https://methodsblog.com/2025/05/19/the-ground-beneath-their-feetlistening-in-on-africas-wildlife-using-seismic-sensors/
- ELM Network | Episode 3: Leadership lessons from Professor Malcolm Press (00:28:24)
As part of our 'Community' series, we’re launching the Emerging Leadership Management (ELM) Network, hosted by Rob Brooker, Thorunn Helgason, and Pen Holland. This is the podcast for people who love to lead or one day might emerge as a leader. In this episode, they interview Professor Malcolm Press, Vice-Chancellor at the Manchester Metropolitan University and former BES President. Listen in to hear Malcolm share his experience with leadership and discuss how vision and wisdom are essential for effective leadership. #leadership #management #ecology #science #emergingleader #leader #manager
- Journal of Animal Ecology | Editor Expertise: Dr Roberto Salguero-Gómez (00:25:17)
For our ‘Editor Expertise’ series, we will be meeting with each of our Lead Editors, who will share the reason they went into animal ecology, their current and future research focus, and their experience working as an editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. Our aim is to spread awareness of their research area and give you a chance to get to know the editors behind the journal. This month’s guest is Dr Roberto Salguero-Gómez, Commissioning Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. (0:00) – British Ecological Society intro (0:35) – Podcast introduction (1:29) – Rob's journey into animal ecology (6:30) – Rob's current and future research focus (11:30) – Shoutouts to past supervisors and colleagues (13:56) – Ad break (14:36) – Rob's experience as Commissioning Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology (22:05) – Advice for people who want to become journal editors / are thinking of a career in ecology (24:53) – British Ecological Society outro Links referred to in the podcast: Rob's Elton Prize paper - https://animalecologyinfocus.com/2017/03/28/2016-elton-prize-winner-rob-salguero-gomez/ An editorial on writing a good review / long term study paper - https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13821 An editorial on writing a good concept paper - https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.14206
- Journal Club episode 1: Can developing climbing routes be a threat to endemic plants? (00:50:59)
Welcome to the first episode of Journal Club, a new series that explores research papers to empower early-career researchers to read, utilise, and critically assess academic literature with confidence. In this episode, our host, Matt Town, Professional Development Manager, discusses the Journal of Applied Ecology paper titled 'Climbing Route Development Affects Cliff Vascular Plants More Than Subsequent Climbing: A Guide to Evidence-Based Conservation Management to Regulate Climbing.' Tune in to hear key insights from BES Assistant Editor Lydia, Associate Editor Phil Martin and Ardian Ardiantiono, and PhD student Lira Lewis. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14785
- Journal of Animal Ecology | Editor Expertise: Professor Darren Evans (00:53:43)
For our ‘Editor Expertise’ series, we will be meeting with each of our Senior Editors, who will share the reason they went into animal ecology, their current and future research focus, and their experience working as an editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. Our aim is to spread awareness of their research area and give you a chance to get to know the editors behind the journal. This month’s guest is Dr Darren Evans, Senior Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. (0:00) – British Ecological Society intro (0:58) – Podcast introduction (1:30) – Darren's journey into animal ecology (15:30) – Darren’s current and future research focus (34:30) – Shoutouts to past supervisors and colleagues (38:30) – Darren’s experience as Senior Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology (47:00) – Advice for people who want to become journal editors / are thinking of a career in ecology (52:50) – British Ecological Society outro
- Functional Ecology | Dr Abbey Yatsko: Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna (00:31:07)
Functional Ecology author Dr Abbey Yatsko chats to Amelia Macho about her research article, 'Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes, and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna' Abbey's study sought to understand how two important biotic decomposers, termites and microbes, decompose wood on the inside of living tree stems, shedding a light on previously concealed wood decomposition dynamics occurring inside trees. Abbey's research has implications for for accurate carbon estimation across savanna ecosystems, and suggests that tree carbon models should make efforts to incorporate the effects of internal stem damage. Read Abbey's full research article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14727 Abbey's second research article, 'Rotten to the core? Drivers of the vertical profile and accumulation of internal tree stem damage' has also been published in Functional Ecology! Check it out here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70061
- Functional Ecology | Adam Devenish: Mutualistic interactions facilitate invasive species spread (00:24:32)
Functional Ecology author Adam Devenish chats to Amelia Macho about his research article, 'Mutualistic interactions facilitate invasive species spread' Adam's study explored the impact of invasive Argentine ants on seed dispersal involving both native and invasive plants. Through field experiments comparing invaded and non-invaded areas, he observed shifts in seed dispersal patterns and examined how traits like seed size and chemical composition affected ant-seed preferences. Adam's findings, that in areas invaded by Argentine ants, seeds from invasive plants were three times more likely to be dispersed than native seeds, highlight that impact of invaders may be greater than initially perceived, driving losses in both biological and functional plant diversity. Read the full research article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14688 You can view images of Adam's research, mentioned in this podcast, in the article's plain language summary: https://fesummaries.wordpress.com/2024/10/15/how-invasive-argentine-ants-disrupt-native-seed-dispersal-and-promote-plant-invasions/
- Journal of Animal Ecology | Editor Expertise: Professor Jean-Michel Gaillard (00:17:59)
For our ‘Editor Expertise’ series, we will be meeting with each of our Senior Editors, who will share the reason they went into animal ecology, their current and future research focus, and their experience working as an editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. Our aim is to spread awareness of their research area and give you a chance to get to know the editors behind the journal. This month’s guest is Professor Jean-Michel Gaillard, Senior Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. (0:00) – British Ecological Society intro (0:33) – Podcast introduction (01:15) – Jean-Michel's journey into animal ecology (02:58) – Jean-Michel's current and future research focus (07:20) – Shoutouts to past supervisors and colleagues (08:50) – Jean-Michel's experience as Senior Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology (12:40) – Jean-Michel's editorial highlights and challenges during his time with the journal (15:40) – Advice for people who want to become editors / are thinking of a career in ecology (17:32) – British Ecological Society outro
- ELM Network | Episode 2: Motivation to lead with Professor Jane K. Hill (00:41:54)
As part of our 'Community' series, we’re launching the Emerging Leadership Management (ELM) Network, hosted by Rob Brooker, Thorunn Helgason, and Pen Holland. This is the podcast for people who love to lead or one day might emerge as a leader. In this episode, they interview Jane K Hill, Professor of Ecology at the University of York, former BES Trustee and chair of the publications committee. Tune in to hear Jane discuss her thoughts on leadership, including different leadership styles and exploring what motivations to lead can look like. #leadership #management #ecology #science #emergingleader #leader #manager
- The Superb Lyrebird: Nature’s Ecosystem Engineer - The Story Behind the Paper (00:25:53)
We spoke with Dr Alex Maisey, author of "Foraging activity by an ecosystem engineer, the superb lyrebird, ‘farms’ its invertebrate prey", to hear the story behind the paper. Alex also shared his personal journey into animal ecology and some unexpected sounds from a local lyrebird. You can read Alex's full paper, co-authored by Angie Haslem and Andrew F. Bennett, here: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.70009
- Ella Plumanns Pouton: How do intervals between fires influence canopy seed production and viability? (00:36:03)
Functional Ecology author Ella Plumanns Pouton chats to Amelia Macho about her research article, 'How do intervals between fires influence canopy seed production and viability?' Ella's study sought to understand how the frequency of fire shaped the quantity of available cones and the seeds within those cones. Her findings, in the context of expected increases in wildfire frequency and droughts in Mediterranean ecosystems, suggest that serotinous species' reproduction and recruitment will be differentially impacted depending on a suite of functional traits. Read the full research article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14619
- ELM Network | Episode 1: What leadership looks like with Professor Yadvindar Malhi (00:37:56)
As part of our 'Community' series, we’re launching a new series called the Emerging Leadership Management (ELM) Network, hosted by Professor Rob Brooker, Professor Thorunn Helgason, and Professor Pen Holland. The new BES ELM network is born out of a shared vision to help and celebrate researchers' transitions into management and leadership roles. In this episode, they interview Yadvinder Malhi, a former BES president and Professor of Ecosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, and Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College. Tune in to hear Yadvinder discuss transitioning into a leadership role and the key aspects of managing and leading a team. ELM Network | What leadership looks like with Professor Yadvinder Malhi By British Ecological Society is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Host Rob Brooker, Head of Ecological Sciences at The James Hutton Institute and Honorary Secretary at the British Ecological Society. Host Thorunn Helgason, Chair in Ecology, School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and Board of Trustee at the British Ecological Society. Host Pen Holland, Deputy Head of Department (Education) at the University of York.
- Journal of Animal Ecology | Editor Expertise: Dr Lesley Lancaster (00:28:20)
For our ‘Editor Expertise’ series, we will be meeting with each of our Senior Editors, who will share the reason they went into animal ecology, their current and future research focus, and their experience working as an editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. Our aim is to spread awareness of their research area and give you a chance to get to know the editors behind the journal. This month’s guest is Dr Lesley Lancaster, Senior Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. (0:00) – British Ecological Society intro (0:25) – Podcast introduction (1:03) – Lesley’s journey into animal ecology (04:00) – Lesley’s current and future research focus (16:50) – Shoutouts to past supervisors and colleagues (19:40) – Lesley’s experience as Senior Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology (23:00) – Advice for people who want to become journal editors / are thinking of a career in ecology (27:59) – British Ecological Society outro
- Black History Month 2024: Mthokozisi Moyo on Research in Africa, Funding, and Representation (00:21:24)
For Black History Month UK 2024, the British Ecological Society is celebrating the work of Black ecologists around the world. In this episode, Mthokozisi Moyo shares his experience in ecology and academia. Mthokozisi previously shared a blog post on The Applied Ecologist in 2022 detailing his background in African Ecosystems, Seasonality, and Functional Traits, and his thoughts on Black History Month (see link below). We are pleased to have the opportunity to catch up with him! Blog post: https://appliedecologistsblog.com/2022/10/19/mthokozisi-moyo-accidental-ecologist-to-seasonality-expert/ Mthokozisi's contact details: Twitter: https://x.com/mtho_moyo Email: mottomoyoza@gmail.com
- Black History Month 2024: Damilola Olanipon on Mycorrhiza, Opportunities and Reclaiming Narratives (00:29:52)
For Black History Month 2024, the British Ecological Society is celebrating the work of Black ecologists around the world. In this episode, Dr Damilola Grace Olanipon speaks to Amelia Macho about her experiences in the field, working on plant-mycorrhizal relationships in forest ecosystems. Damilola discusses the importance of reclaiming narratives for Black ecologists in Africa, as well as the importance of equal opportunities. You can find Damilola on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damilola-olanipon-86b9ab76/ Check out all of the British Ecological Society's BHM 2024 blog posts and podcasts here: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/membership-community/black-history-month/
- Patrick Finnerty: Plant odour enables patch choice by mammalian herbivores from afar (00:23:43)
Amelia Macho chats to Functional Ecology author Patrick Finnerty about his recently published research article "Odour information enables patch choice by mammalian herbivores from afar, leading to predictable plant associational effects". The team demonstrated that elephants can make patch choice decisions from afar using plant odour cues alone, and that these decisions lead to predictable associational effects on the susceptibility of high-quality focal plants to be being eaten. They also used a new method to reduce an entire complex odour profile of a low-quality plant species and reproduce this odour information artificially. This simplified odour set was as effective as real low-quality neighbours in shaping elephant patch choice and subsequently providing associational refuge to the focal plant. This research could offer a new tool to influence herbivore foraging decisions, with implications for wildlife management and conservation, including plant protection. Read the full research article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14665 Check out our YouTube channel for a video of an elephant walking through the giant Y-maze Patt and his team built: https://youtu.be/OBY_xsbU-0k
- PhD student Nina Bosch on post-fire recovery in heathlands and her BES Annual Meeting experience (00:15:50)
As part of our 'Community' series, we’re bringing together a global community of ecologists to discuss their experience and relation to ecology. In this episode, we chatted with Nina Bosch, a PhD student from the University of York and a valuable member of the BES. Nina’s research focuses on the recovery of landscapes after fire disturbance in alpine heathlands with an emphasis on the partnership between plants and fungi. Tune in to understand how attending the BES Annual Meeting has helped Nina to network and build friendships as a young ecologist.
- Special Interest Groups | Rewilding (00:36:51)
As part of our 'Community' series, we’re bringing together a global community of ecologists to discuss their experience and relation to ecology. In this episode, Lydia Groves is joined by eight committee members of the newly-launched Rewilding Special Interest Group. A range of topics are discussed, including what rewilding is, how it can be used effectively, and what the committee hopes to achieve through the SIG. You can find out more about the BES Rewilding SIG here: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/membership-community/special-interest-groups/rewilding-group/ And join their mailing list here: https://britishecologicalsociety.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b3fd69e742034d545c02c0932&id=e4ee09c0cb
- Annual Meeting | In conversation with Dr. Rob Brooker (00:15:55)
As part of our 'Community' series, we’re bringing together a global community of ecologists to discuss their experience and relation to ecology. In this episode, we are focusing on the most exciting event on the BES’s calendar – our Annual Meeting with renowned ecologist and a longstanding BES member Dr. Rob Brooker. Tune in to understand what makes this event such a special one for the ecological community.
- Journal of Animal Ecology | Editor Expertise: Dr Nathan J Sanders (00:28:46)
For our ‘Editor Expertise’ series, we will be meeting with each of our Senior Editors, who will share the reason they went into animal ecology, their current and future research focus, and experience of working as an editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology. Our aim is to spread awareness of their research area and give you a chance to get to know the editors behind the journal. Our first guest is Dr Nathan J Sanders, Executive Editor. (0:38) – Introduction (1:03) – Nate’s journey into animal ecology (10:15) – Nate’s current and future research focus (20:00) – Nate’s experience as Executive Editor for the Journal of Animal Ecology
- 2023 Haldane Prize Shortlist: André Luza (00:18:30)
Amelia Macho speaks with André Luza, whose review article "Going across taxa in functional ecology: Review and perspectives of an emerging field" has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. André’s review mapped the limitations of current research in functional ecology involving multiple taxa, presented ecological questions to a functional cross-taxa research and showed directions to pushing the limits of this research field. It aimed to encourage researchers in the field of functional ecology to move beyond single taxa and traits, and to integrate more branches and dimensions of the Tree of Life in their research.