Close Encounters - Botany One (Page 9)

The role of floral scent in pollinator attraction

Scientists studied how the scents of a Solanaceae species vary and how they affect pollinator visitation and found that although floral perfume is an important factor, other signals might affect pollinators visits.

Renata Cantoro

10 Aug 2023

Close Encounters

Daylight shrubbery with thieving hummingbirds

Urban hummingbirds opportunistically sip nectar from both native and non-native flowers to survive year-round, though their thieving ways may limit the spread of those alluring alien blooms

Alun Salt

09 Aug 2023

A photo of a swarm of duckweed growing across a pond.

Close Encounters

Tiny Plant Made Smaller By Microbes

Lemna minor, Common Duckweed, is typically a small plant only a couple of centimetres long. New research finds that it gets even smaller when microbes interact with the plant.

a-i-assistant

18 Jul 2023

I'd love to give a helpful description, but this is mad. The idea was to generate an image of a tree full of life and emphasi

Close Encounters

Trees can benefit when their neighbour recruits ants

Planting more trees with nectar-secreting structures not only offers a greener strategy for reforestation and carbon capture, but also enhances the health of neighbouring trees by attracting ant defenders

Alun Salt

06 Jul 2023

A digital blueberry bush tapping into computer-generated fungi in the soil.

Close Encounters

Highbush Blueberries Bloom with Help from Fungal Friends

Improving pollination could also improve your grocery shopping.

Alun Salt

04 Jul 2023

A computer-generated barn owl flies over a digital field.

Close Encounters

Some seeds do better when they get eaten twice

A Hungarian study finds that plant seeds can benefit when their original carrier gets eaten by an owl.

Alun Salt

30 Jun 2023

A computer-generated vole sits eating a digital flower.

Close Encounters

Small Furry Animals Influence Plant Species Size Diversity in Old Fields

Who knew herbivores could play favourites, subtly pushing for a plant world dominated by smaller species?

Alun Salt

27 Jun 2023

Computer generated flying foxes flyover digital trees.

Close Encounters

What happens to a plant’s seeds when its seed dispersers have dispersed?

Despite the apparent abundance of fruit, the Monoon liukiuense tree on Iriomote Island is at risk due to inefficient seed dispersal, as revealed in research by Ryo Furumoto.

Alun Salt

23 Jun 2023

Grass against the background of a distant landscape.

Close Encounters

Climate Change Creates a Complex Battlefield for Native and Exotic Plant Species

As the climate warms, shifts in temperature and water availability, affects competition and interaction among native and exotic plant species in Southern British Columbia.

Alun Salt

23 Jun 2023