Cells, Genes & Molecules
Phylogenomic analyses of the East Asian endemic Abelia
Sun et al. used genomic data to reconstruct the phylogeny of Abelia and found a clear pattern of reticulate evolution in the group.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Botanists find the effects of ancient climates in the modern genomes of two closely related oak species
Botanists examined the genomes of two species, Quercus acutissima and Q. chenii, to see if changes in the climate three million years ago affected how they hybridised.
Close Encounters
What does cyanobacteria look for in a good moss host?
Cyanobacteria can provide an important source of nitrogen for mosses, but some mosses are better at attracting them than others.
Reviews
Novel tree hunted by fictional Victorians
The Plant Hunter* by TL Mogford, 2022. Welbeck Fiction Limited. I don’t really read novels (Amanda Prahl). It’s not that I have anything against
Close Encounters
With hundreds of thousands of flowers, macadamia can be limited by not getting enough pollen
This study is the first to demonstrate pollen limitation in a mass-flowering tree.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Why would a plant that doesn’t live in a wildfire zone need to be able to smell smoke?
The ability to smell smoke is important if you’re expecting a fire – but some plants have altered how they use this sense to modify how they grow.
Plants & People
Can field botany be effectively taught as a distance course?
COVID-19 forced many academics to teach remotely; for field botany this required a complete rethink of how such a course could be taught.
Close Encounters
Plants that have adapted to exploit human activity now depend on disturbance
Plants that have grown in partnership with human activity in meadows can be a great source of seeds for restoration projects, but their ability to germinate is also a problem.
Close Encounters
What happens to carnivorous plants when the insects bite back?
A moth could be interfering with a pitcher plant’s reproduction by developing a taste for flowers – or at least parts of a flower.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Cycads studied to reconcile fossil and molecular evidence for evolutionary timescales
Scientists used plastomic and biogeographical data to determine when different types of cycads first evolved. Their findings challenge previous ideas about when cycads first appeared and where they come from.
Computational Models
Modelling ecosystem services of diversified agriculture
Combining modelling approaches to better understand cultivated plant community functioning
Ecosystems
Photochemical performance of bunchgrass reproductive structures
How does drought influence the photochemical performance of reproductive structures of native and exotic bunchgrasses of the Great Basin?