Ecosystems
Two nectar worlds under one bloom
Inside the flower, two types of nectaries work in harmony, attracting pollinators and plant defenders.
Ecosystems
When your bodyguard keeps lovers away
New research reveals how ant bodyguards can scare off pollinators yet still sustain plant reproduction.
Ecosystems
Hotter days, smoker skies, quieter fields
As the wildfire burns and sunlight fades, nature’s duet between bees and flowers is starting to sound like a breakup song.
Ecosystems
River dykes are “insect highways” for wild bees
Dykes are a lifeline for bees. Researchers found nearly half of all Dutch bee species live on river dykes, with 10% being endangered red-listed species.
Ecosystems
Cryptanthus bahianus: The Flower That Defies Its Genus
The exception that proves the rule: Cryptanthus bahianus takes the sweet route, not the aromatic one
Ecosystems
Heavy Metal aids a plant invasion
New research shows how an invasive plant in China is using copper and lead pollution to oust its native neighbours.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
The Chemical Lives of Trees: Why No Two Are Exactly Alike
Individual trees carry their own chemical signatures and they may be rewriting the rules of how ecosystems work.
Ecosystems
From Mountains to Tropics: What Petal Size Reveals About China’s Flowering Plants
Recent research using Chinese plants reveals why some flowers have giant petals while others barely show theirs.
Ecosystems
Silence of the Llanos
Botanists are hearing an alarm call alerting the world to habitat loss in Colombia, but it’s not a noise that they hear, it’s silence caused by vanishing bird calls marking lost ecosystems.
Ecosystems
Unearthing the Old Mystery of Underground Melons
After decades of sparse evidence, a recent study has brought new insights into the seed dispersal strategy of a peculiar African wild melon whose fruits grow hidden beneath the soil.
Ecosystems
What 17,000 Pressed Flowers Revealed About Arctic Climate Change
The brief Arctic summer is getting briefer. Research using herbaria shows that flowering times are shifting. Not all plants are responding the same way & that’s a problem.
Ecosystems
Bats, Birds, and Blossoms: The pollinators of Merremia platyphylla
From bat visits at dusk to hummingbird sips at dawn, this plant’s clever pollination strategy reveals the power of flexibility in nature.