Plants & People - Botany One (Page 12)

A new life for centuries-old herbaria

Old collections of dried plants trapped in herbaria for centuries are acquiring unprecedented powers in understanding the history of plant evolution and improving biodiversity conservation, thanks to new technological tools.

Michela Osnato

26 May 2023

A digital painting of a panda in green light in a verdant forest, playing in a tree.

Plants & People

Plant Conservation: Not One [species] Less

What would the world be like if not a single plant species were lost? The expert Richard T. Corlett recently reviewed challenges and opportunities of plant conservation programs, with some tips to achieve the “zero extinction for land plants” goal.

Michela Osnato

15 May 2023

Plants & People

Big European Funding to Boost Research on the Plant Stress Hormone Jasmonate

The European Research Council awarded a consolidator grant to the plant biologist Debora Gasperini, which investigation strives to solve some mysteries of stress response to pathogen attacks and wounding mediated by the phytohormone Jasmonate.

Michela Osnato

10 May 2023

A cartoon of plant art on a cave wall, and you don't know how long it took to persuade the computer to generate it.

Plants & People

The Missing Plants of the Palaeolithic

Prehistoric peoples moved in a world where intimate knowledge of plants would have been vital, so why don’t they appear in European Cave Art?

Alun Salt

28 Apr 2023

Ecosystems

Waggle Dance Reveals How Managed Forests Can Better Support Honeybee Foraging

Researchers in Germany use unique waggle dance communication to reveal the foraging habits of honeybees in managed forests, offering insights for improving forest habitats.

Alun Salt

20 Apr 2023

Plants & People

Introducing Carlos Andrés Ordóñez Parra, our new Science Editor

Another new editor comes to Botany One, this time from South America.

carlos-a-ordonez-parra

12 Apr 2023

Ecosystems

Farming Techniques Impact Biodiversity in Olive Groves

A study in southern Spain shows that using cover crops instead of tillage in olive groves can significantly increase biodiversity, suggesting organic farming with cover crops or abandonment of groves for natural vegetation may be beneficial for the environment.

Alun Salt

05 Apr 2023

A close-up of an computer generated hedgehog foraging in a front garden.

Plants & People

Big gains to be made from small changes in attitudes to front gardens

A recent study highlights the health benefits of urban front garden greenery, emphasising the need to encourage planting and raise awareness about the positive impact on the local environment.

Alun Salt

04 Apr 2023

Plants & People

Citizen Science Boosts Models of Rare Plant Distribution

“Didn’t expect that, did ya?!” Mason Heberling [https://twitter.com/jmheberling/status/1641186012431892481]

Alun Salt

31 Mar 2023

A mansion with a tidy garden surrounded by derelict skyscrapers.

Plants & People

Improving Urban Green Spaces Can Increase Inequality

A new study suggests that increasing urban green spaces and street trees may unintentionally worsen inequality, as they can lead to neighbourhoods being infested by hipsters and property developers.

Alun Salt

30 Mar 2023