How do orchids get a taste for fungi?
You may have heard the phrase “you are what you eat”, but some scientists are tracking the evolution of new diets in orchids by taking the phrase literally.
Alun Salt
1228 posts
Alun (he/him) is the Producer for Botany One. It's his job to keep the server running.
© 2026 Botany One. Published with Ghost
The Linnean Society and Taxonomy
On September 7, 2018, The Linnean Society held a conference “How Are We Communicating the Importance of Taxonomy and Systematics?”
Kew publishes its State of the World’s Fungi report
Kew’s report highlights how ignorant we are of an astonishingly successful Kingdom of life.
Fungus gnats see red when pollinating
Some plants rely on gnats for pollination, but they also rely on fungi to provide a food source for the next generation of gnats.
Plants and Fungi: An ancient partnership
Why are we interested in fungi here? Partly because if you’re interested in plants, you’ll find fungi everywhere.
The first footholds for land plants may have been much smaller than imagined
A polysaccharide found in the cell walls of land plants has now been found outside the cell. This chemical, Xyloglucan, could be one of clues as to how plants moved onto land.
Plant defences can be overwhelmed by a snail’s sweet tooth
Building up toxic metals in the leaves won’t deter snails from taking a nibble, if the leaf is sweet enough.
The trouble with travelling tree rings
There is a huge demand for long-term climate data, and tree growth rings could help with that, but an article in Quaternary Science Reviews warns there should be some caution using the data, as not all rings are the same.
Dark soils are the shadow of hidden agriculture
Stains left in the soil from past farmers, and the plants they cultivated, are helping illuminate prehistoric inhabitants of the Amazon.
Stay in the loop.
Sign up to receive updates and the latest news from Botany One.
Your email