A laboratory-based setup was developed that allowed us to train bumblebees to a rewarding object (local cue) in the context of a panorama and simultaneously to record extracellularly the neural activity of units interpreted as mushroom body extrinsic neurons (MBENs). This setting simulates conditions flower visiting bees face when foraging excluding the compass related conditions. The bumblebees navigated between the colony an...

Biodiversity loss threatens forest ecosystem stability and functioning, while measures to enhance biodiversity trade-off with economic performance. Native tree-species mixtures are promoted to support associated taxa but usually underperform economically compared to non-native species, both in pure and admixed stands. Quantifying ecological–economic trade-offs remains challenging due to uncertainties in economic and biodiversi...

Purpose of Review We review how ‘abrupt thaw’ has been used in published studies, compare these definitions to abrupt processes in other Earth science disciplines, and provide a definitive framework for how abrupt thaw should be used in the context of permafrost science. Recent Findings We address several aspects of permafrost systems necessary for abrupt thaw to occur and propose a framework for classifying permafrost process...

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species‐level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, includi...

Main conclusion Elms, which have received insect eggs as a ‘warning’ of larval herbivory, enhance their anti-herbivore defences by accumulating salicylic acid and amplifying phenylpropanoid-related transcriptional and metabolic responses to hatching larvae. Abstract Plant responses to insect eggs can result in intensified defences against hatching larvae. In annual plants, this egg-mediated effect is known to be associated wit...

Systemic grass-endophytes of the genus Epichloë symbiotically infect the above-ground plant parts of many grass species, where they produce alkaloids in a grass- and endophyte-specific manner that are toxic or deterrent to herbivores. An increasing number of studies show cascading negative effects of endophyte-derived alkaloids that extend to higher trophic levels, harming beneficial insects, including those that control aphid...