Ecosystems
Ecologists spark hope of protecting western American forests from the worst of wildfires
Ecologists with a burning desire to protect forests have grim news for the western United States.
Close Encounters
Ants can be the heroes of forest regeneration
Human-caused disturbances can affect the ability of animals to help spread seeds, which could reduce the amount of plant diversity in some forests.
Ecosystems
Smart Orchards aid the messy business of pollination
Restoring semi-natural habitats can help increase the yield of macadamia orchards without needing extra input, making production more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Ecosystems
Is it better to run or fight? The choice facing plant conservationists in France.
Plant translocation is a difficult process. How are conservationists using it as a tool?
Ecosystems
Missing seed data from the tropics could be harming conservation efforts
Visscher and colleagues propose that global analyses of seed traits with evidence for geographical variation prioritize the generation of new data from tropical regions as well as multi-lingual searches to fill geographical and taxonomic gaps.
Ecosystems
How does environment affect biodiversity? Did Humboldt get it right?
Modern botanists have revisited sites examined by Alexander von Humboldt. Have modern advances made the German polymath’s work irrelevant?
Ecosystems
Pollinators like moths are increasingly missing from a warming subarctic
The complex relationships between plants and their pollinators in subarctic Finland have changed dramatically across the last century
Ecosystems
Yew Only Live Twice
Biologists have talked about bringing back extinct species like the dodo, but now botanists have drawn up a list of extinct plants that might be able to return to the wild.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Streetlamps create an artificial summer for urban trees
The long days of summer are stretching into winter, with LED street lights replacing the retreating sun.
Ecosystems
An early start to the growing season doesn’t lead to a longer growing season in the Alps
Global warming is leading to longer growing seasons worldwide, with many plants growing earlier in spring and continuing longer in autumn thanks to warmer temperatures—so
Ecosystems
Lianas more likely to infest smaller trees
Sometimes it takes a shorter plant to help a liana get to the top.
Ecosystems
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.