Growth & Development
How does a plant vary across its range?
A French-US team studied whether Arabidopsis in its natural range varies by latitude or from a core to the periphery.
Close Encounters
Weeds with a bad reputation have value for pollinators and biodiversity
Ecologists have found that weeds are far more valuable in supporting biodiversity than we give them credit for.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
How can botanists improve rice’s ability to use phosphorus?
Botanists show for the first time that reduced phosphorus investment in lipids in plants improves phosphorus use efficiency in rice without reducing photosynthesis.
Ecosystems
Study in Sydney reveals that preserving pollination is more complex than boosting bees
An Australian team has been studying how to best grow vegetables by experimenting with pak choi in urban gardens. They found that canopy cover and garden richness, rather than pollinator visits are the key factors in improving yield.
Plants & People
Is that an invasive alien species? Time to reach for the phone.
Smartphone apps are a tool that could help monitor, predict, and ideally prevent the spread of invasive species. But are they living up to their full potential?
Ecosystems
Under-damaged reed beds are harming small wetland birds
Small wetland birds may find nesting easier if you periodically set fire to the neighbourhood.
Computational Models
Finding the habitat of an invisible plant
Finding a suitable habitat for Rafflesia arnoldii is difficult. While it produces the single largest flower on the planet, it’s invisible for much of its life.
Ecosystems
Changing seasons change tree growth, changing carbon sequestration by forests
An earlier spring changes the growing conditions for trees, and not always for the better.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
It’s all connected: modeling water potential and plant physiological processes
“As water potential is regarded the best indicator of plant water status, because it is the integrated result of above- and below-ground environmental conditions, it holds promise as a pivotal model variable to which other plant processes respond.”
Plants & People
From fossils to landscapes: the art of reconstructing plants in the past
How can you reconstruct the vegetation of deep time? One professor has turned to canvas and paint.
Growth & Development
Below-ground hydraulics control stomatal closure
Botanists find that during soil drying, stomatal regulation is controlled by below-ground hydraulics in a predictable way.
Ecosystems
Reverse archaeology reveals new insights into global warming
Often archaeologists will examine differences in vegetation to gain information on buried sites. Now, some botanists have reversed this and are using archaeological sites to learn about the effect of nutrient differences on plants.