Functional Ecology | Dr Abbey Yatsko: Why are trees hollow? Termites, microbes and tree internal stem damage in a tropical savanna

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