The importance of light for grassland plant diversity
Field experiment shows that competition for light is the key mechanism driving loss of plant diversity under eutrophication and lack of grazing.
Alun Salt
1264 posts
Alun (he/him) is the Producer for Botany One. It's his job to keep the server running.
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Plant hormones to help prevent Striga invasion
Blocking the biosynthesis of canonical strigolactones by TIS108, a specific enzyme inhibitor, significantly lowered Striga infestation without affecting rice growth.
Bats protect young trees from insect damage, with three times fewer bugs
Not only did the bats reduce the number of caterpillars, they also reduced defoliation by a factor of five.
Vegetation regulates energy exchange in the arctic
Despite the importance of high-latitude surface energy budgets for land-climate interactions in the rapidly changing Arctic, uncertainties in their prediction persist.
Want to save the bees? Pay attention to pathogens and flowers
Researchers at UMass Amherst deploy fluorescent paint, pipettes, tents, tweezers and scissors to trace three-way connection between plants, pathogens and bees
Study examines how well-timed cover crops can suppress weeds in California orchards
Experiments show a variety of cover crop management programs can produce weed-suppressing cover crops.
Botanists investigate fairy circles in the desert
When plants in the Namib desert suffer from water stress, strange things happen.
Archaeologists race against the climate to preserve aboriginal art
Trees that have stood for thousands of years may soon collapse due to climate change. If they do, they’ll take irreplaceable aboriginal art with them.
Vampire plant reduces fungi’s ability to decompose leaf litter
Parasitic plants draw life from their hosts, but now it seems that even after death, some plants have a baleful influence.
Botanical gardens act as artificial oases for butterflies in arid urban areas
Botanical gardens provide access to vital plants and water for butterflies in the southwest US. This will only become more important as the climate becomes warmer and drier.
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