Botany One

New research from the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Biology finds evidence of 'genetic imprinting' in a non-vascular plant for the first time. You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/marchantia-mothers-switch-off-the-fathers-genes-after-sex/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.79258

Bees may be using their sense of smell to detect and avoid stressed plants. You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/drought-damages-a-plants-perfume/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13974

Nigel Chaffey reviews Planting Clues: How plants solve crimes by David J Gibson. You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/crime-scene-botanics-the-forensic-side-of-botany/

You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/07/meet-our-new-science-editors--michela-and-guillaume/

Chinese researchers find that similar plants can gain a big competitive advantage by partnering with the right fungi. You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/fungi-prepare-the-soil-for-plant-invasions/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18435

French researchers used 'resurrection ecology' to compare 2012 pansies with plants from twenty years earlier to see the evolutionary changes in the flowers over time. You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/pansies-undergo-high-speed-evolution-when-pollinators-disappear/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16028

Bioengineering boosts photosynthesis and increases yields in food crops for the first time ever. You can read this post online at https://botany.one/2022/08/increased-soybean-yields-finally-achieved You can read the original research at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adc9831  

Two recent papers take different approaches to the potentially disastrous consequences of loading the stratosphere with ash but combined, they act as a warning for the fragility of food security. You can read the post at https://botany.one/2022/08/winter-is-coming-and-thats-bad-news-for-food-security/ You can read the research at https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02177-x and https://doi.org/10.10...

Surveys of Janggun wetland in South Korea have found some parts have no carnivorous plants, but a study of the seed bank shows that they have the potential to return if the wetland is managed correctly. Read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/its-not-too-late-to-save-the-carnivorous-plants-of-janggun-wetland/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106728

It was thought that people preferred graveyards to be tidy. A new survey finds that visitors can accept the presence of some decaying matter - opening more possibilities for biodiversity. Read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/ecologists-discover-a-place-for-the-dead-in-graveyards/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081237

Myrmecophobes might want to avoid studying bromeliads in the forests of Costa Rica during the summer. There are plenty of plants, but they seem to attract fire ants. Read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/bromeliads-offer-ants-a-summer-residence-in-costa-rica/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271040

A model designed to study circadian effects on physiology becomes more broadly useful when the clock regulates metabolites. You can read this post online at https://botany.one/2022/08/connecting-rhythmic-gene-circuits-to-metabolism-explains-the-slow-growth-rate-of-a-slow-clock-mutant/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diac010

Light you cannot see, in the infrared part of the spectrum, is surprisingly important for plant photosynthesis. Read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/photosynthesis-on-the-far-side-of-the-rainbow/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18375

Guides suggest some species are better than others for pollinators, but when you get to the plant nursery you're confronted by half a dozen cultivars of the same species. How do you pick between them? Read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/08/which-ornamental-plants-perform-best-for-pollinators/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac082

An abridged version of the review of The Magic of Mushrooms: Fungi in folklore, superstition and traditional medicine by Sandra Lawrence. You can read the full version at https://botany.one/2022/08/for-fans-of-fungi--the-magic-of-mushrooms/

Fire-adapted trees should be able to take advantage of wildfires, but on the boundary between the boreal forest and the tundra, something odd is happening. You can read the blog post at: https://botany.one/2022/08/unexpected-responses-to-wildfire-by-seedlings-in-the-yukon/ You can read the original research at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01242-9

Instead of complaining about the limits of volunteer work, some Dutch botanists have found how to improve their understanding of data from citizen scientists. Read the post at https://botany.one/2022/07/dutch-scientists-learn-how-to-get-better-botanical-data-from-the-public/ Read the article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02457-y

A new gene-to-phenotype network for shoot branching. You can read this post online at https://botany.one/2022/07/the-benefits-of-a-network-view-of-selection-response-for-complex-traits   You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diac006

Invasive plants change the opportunities for pollinators, helping some but harming others. You can read the blog post at https://botany.one/2022/07/when-invasive-plants-move-in-where-do-native-pollinators-go/ You can rea the original article at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2022.07.003

A parasitic plant's ability to steal carbon rests in their haustoria, specialised organs they use to tap into a host plant. You can read this blog post at https://botany.one/2022/07/where-does-a-hemiparasites-food-come-from/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab153

Novel agriculture provides a refuge for some birds driven out of traditional farmland. You can read this post at https://botany.one/2022/07/every-day-is-like-christmas-for-some-declining-farmland-birds/ You can read the original article at https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12789

Measuring the impact of brace roots on lodging resistance in maize. You can read this post online at  https://botany.one/2022/07/video-based-measurements-of-maize-stalk-movement/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diac008 .

It may be that buds in winter are 'on pause' and they are in fact prepared to protect their contents in the changeable spring weather. You can read the post at https://botany.one/2022/07/tree-buds-need-cosy-blankets-for-the-spring-rather-than-the-winter/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac050

Scientists argue that we won't be able to protect the natural world, if we're not training the next generation of botanists with the necessary skills. You can read this post at: https://botany.one/2022/07/are-botanists-threatened-with-extinction/ You can read the original article at: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9019

The closeness of plants affects architectural plasticity and carbon uptake. You can read this post online at https://botany.one/2022/07/using-models-to-optimize-planting-density/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diac009