http://www.functionalecology.org EarlyView RSS Feed http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1472925/How_the_ladybird_got_its_spots_effects_of_resource_limitation_on_the_honesty_of_.html Summary 1. Prey species often possess defences (e.g. toxins) coupled with warning signals (i.e. aposematism). There is growing evidence that the expression of aposematic signals often varies within species and correlates with the strength of chemical defences. This has led to the speculation that such signals may be ‘honest’, with signal reliability ensured by the costliness of producing or maintaining aposematic traits. ... 2012-02-06T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1458249/Cognitive_dysfunction_and_risk_assessment_by_prey_predictable_changes_in_global_.html 2012-02-03T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1458251/Effects_of_ocean_acidification_on_visual_risk_assessment_in_coral_reef_fishes.html Summary 1. With the global increase in CO2 emissions, there is a pressing need for studies aimed at understanding the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems. Several studies have reported that exposure to CO2 impairs chemosensory responses of juvenile coral reef fishes to predators. Moreover, one recent study pointed to impaired responses of reef fish to auditory cues that indicate risky locations. These studies suggest that... 2012-02-03T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1457123/Seasonal_bryophyte_productivity_in_the_subArctic_a_comparison_with_vascular_plan.html Summary 1. Arctic ecosystems are experiencing rapid climate change, which could result in positive feedbacks on climate warming if ecosystem carbon (C) loss exceeds C uptake through plant growth. Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) are important components of Arctic vegetation, but are currently not well represented in terrestrial C models; in particular, seasonal patterns in bryophyte C metabolism compared to vascular... 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1454513/The_temperaturesize_rule_emerges_from_ontogenetic_differences_between_growth_and.html Summary 1. The temperature‐size rule (TSR) is a widespread phenomenon, which describes the phenotypic plastic response of species’ size to temperature: individuals reared at colder temperatures mature as larger adults than at warmer temperatures. 2. The TSR is driven by an unequal thermal response of growth and development rates. However, we currently lack an understanding of how these rates change through... 2012-01-27T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1454515/Spatial_scale_influences_the_outcome_of_the_predatorprey_space_race_between_tadp.html Summary 1. How predators and prey distribute themselves across space can have large population and community‐level consequences by affecting the frequency and potential strength of interactions between and within trophic levels. The general pattern that emerges from numerous studies is that predators seek areas with higher prey densities and prey avoid areas with higher predation risk. However, little is known about the behavioural... 2012-01-27T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1453681/Acceleration_data_reveal_the_energy_management_strategy_of_a_marine_ectotherm_du.html Abstract 1. Maintaining a high and stable body temperature is often critical for female ectotherms during reproduction. Yet this strategy may be energetically costly, and therefore challenging, during this period of already high‐energy demand. 2. Here, the 6‐week deployment of tri‐axial accelerometers (n = 6) on a marine ectotherm, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), reproducing at the northern limit of the species’... 2012-01-26T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1453683/Elevated_haemocyte_number_is_associated_with_infection_and_low_fitness_potential.html Summary 1. Immune activity may be a cause of resistance to parasites, but it can also be a consequence of infection. Thus, the adaptive significance of an immune response is more accurately assessed when it is measured alongside both host fitness and infection status. 2. We sought to determine the significance of immune responses in a naturally coevolving host–parasite system in the wild, with ... 2012-01-26T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1444057/Coinfections_and_the_third_trophic_level.html 2012-01-18T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1440501/Interspecific_competition_in_pollination_systems_costs_to_male_fitness_via_polle.html Summary 1. Although competition for pollination is often invoked as a driver of broad‐scale evolutionary and ecological patterns, we still lack a clear understanding of the mechanics of such competition. When flower visitors alternate between two species of flower, heterospecific pollen transfer takes place. The impact of these mixed loads on the female reproductive success of a recipient has received considerable attention, but the... 2012-01-12T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1436361/Tissuedependent_changes_in_oxidative_damage_with_male_reproductive_effort_in_hou.html Summary 1.  Investment in reproduction is anticipated to be costly and can decrease survival or future reproductive success. For males, substantial reproductive costs may be accrued when competing for mates, particularly when individuals need to invest heavily in the production of sexual signals to attract females. On a proximate level, increased male signalling effort can cause somatic damage because of oxidative stress, although... 2012-01-04T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1436363/Longterm_effects_of_soil_nutrient_deficiency_on_arbuscular_mycorrhizal_communiti.html Summary 1. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been proposed as a mechanism to reduce nutrient inputs in agriculture, thereby reducing costs and increasing environmental sustainability. However, before this can be achieved, we need to gain a better understanding of the importance of the prolonged selective pressures acting on indigenous AMF communities. 2. Much research concentrates on short‐term ecological... 2012-01-04T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1425209/Direct_physiological_effects_of_nitrogen_on_Sphagnum__a_greenhouse_experiment.html Summary 1. Bogs are nutrient‐poor peatland ecosystems that are sensitive to nitrogen (N) deposition. Production of peat mosses (i.e. the peat‐forming genus Sphagnum) is known to decrease under elevated N deposition, but the causal mechanisms are poorly understood. 2. It is predicted that increased N deposition will cause changes in Sphagnum species composition, with fast‐growing species benefiting from increased N... 2011-12-15T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1425211/Diet_composition_does_not_affect_ant_colony_tempo.html Summary 1. Resource availability can influence the structure of animal communities by mediating competitive interactions. An underappreciated aspect of resource ecology is how functional traits are built from particular sets of nutrients and thus are underexpressed when those nutrients are scarce. 2. One idea linking resource availability to competition is the metabolic fuel hypothesis, which posits that access... 2011-12-15T00:00:00Z http://www.functionalecology.org/details/journalArticle/1422365/Developmental_immune_history_affects_adult_immune_function_but_not_carotenoidbas.html Summary 1. Sexually selected traits often honestly advertise aspects of individual quality, such as immune function. Such traits have traditionally been thought to reveal real‐time information (e.g. current health state), but they may also reflect immunological conditions experienced during ontogeny, which can fundamentally shape survival prospects, adult immune function, and reproductive performance. ... 2011-12-12T00:00:00Z