We are still looking for authors who want to contribute a review paper to our upcoming special issue on “Mechanical Ecology – Taking Biomechanics to the Field” in the Journal of Experimental Botany. Deadline for manuscript submissions will be in July 2021. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight topics at the heart of your research ahead of the dedicated conference session on the topic at the 2022 SEB conference in Montpelier, France. The issue is open to (plant-related) topics combining aspects of biomechanics and ecology – please contact me or Simon Poppinga (Freiburg Botanic Garden, Germany) directly to discuss your ideas. Meanwhile, here are a few potential topics for inspiration:

• Mechanical barriers as facilitators of plant-insect mutualisms
• Plants in full armour – mechanical defences against herbivores and pathogens
• A turbulent life: plant life in the benthos
• How mechanical stresses shape trees
• Mechanical ecology in a changing climate
• The biomechanics of pollination
• Plant surfaces – multifunctional barriers under conflicting demands
• New technologies and devices for field biomechanics
• Withstanding impacts – how plants deal with hail and rain
• Root biomechanics