Botany One

Botanists examined the genomes of two species, Quercus acutissima and Q. chenii, to see if changes in the climate three million years ago affected how they hybridised. Read the post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/botanists-find-the-effects-of-ancient-climates-in-the-modern-genomes-of-two-closely-related-oak-species/ Read the original article at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab140

Cyanobacteria can provide an important source of nitrogen for mosses, but some mosses are better at attracting them than others. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/what-does-cyanobacteria-look-for-in-a-good-moss-host/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab127

Nigel Chaffey reviews The Plant Hunter by TL Mogford. Read the review at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/novel-tree-hunted-by-fictional-victorians/

This study is the first to demonstrate pollen limitation in a mass-flowering tree. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/with-hundreds-of-thousands-of-flowers-macadamia-can-be-limited-by-not-getting-enough-pollen/ Read the original article at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab112

The ability to smell smoke is important if you're expecting a fire - but some plants have altered how they use this sense to modify how they grow. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/why-would-a-plant-that-doesnt-live-a-wildfire-zone-need-to-be-able-to-smell-smoke/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03085-6

COVID-19 forced many academics to teach remotely; for field botany this required a complete rethink of how such a course could be taught. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/can-field-botany-be-effectively-taught-as-a-distance-course/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plab079

Plants that have grown in partnership with human activity in meadows can be a great source of seeds for restoration projects, but their ability to germinate is also a problem. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/plants-that-have-adapted-to-exploit-human-activity-now-depend-on-disturbance/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab135

A moth could be interfering with a pitcher plant's reproduction by developing a taste for flowers - or at least parts of a flower. Read the post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/what-happens-to-carnivorous-plants-when-the-insects-bite-back/ Read the original article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09880-y

Scientists used plastomic and biogeographical data to determine when different types of cycads first evolved. Their findings challenge previous ideas about when cycads first appeared and where they come from. Read the original post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/cycads-studied-to-reconcile-fossil-and-molecular-evidence-for-evolutionary-timescales/ Read the research at https://doi.org/10.1093/ao...

Combining modelling approaches to better understand cultivated plant community functioning You can read this post online at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/modelling-ecosystem-services-of-diversified-agriculture/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diab037

How does drought influence the photochemical performance of reproductive structures of native and exotic bunchgrasses of the Great Basin? You can read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/photochemical-performance-of-bunchgrass-reproductive-structures/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plab076

A successful plant model has now been parameterized to include soybean growth under elevated CO2. You can read this post online at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/computational-model-predicts-soybean-response-to-climate-change/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diab032

Seed production of flowering plants is influenced by water availability and pollen deposition, but is there an interaction between these factors? You can read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/interactive-effects-of-drought-and-pollen-intensity-on-seed-production/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plab074

Research published in Phytobiomes shows that cover crops could help improve the health of crops. You can read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/pathogens-cant-hide-under-the-covers/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1094/pbiomes-04-21-0029-r

An interactive method for creating and calibrating developmental plant models expressed using L-systems You can read this post online at https://www.botany.one/2022/02/creating-visually-realistic-plant-images-to-train-neural-networks/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diab039

Heat stress can have transgenerational effects on a plant's offspring but how important are the timing and frequency of these events? Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/transgenerational-effects-of-heat-stress-in-arabidopsis-thaliana/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plab064

A new model produces 3D trees that are close to reality using predicted data. You can read this post online at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/deep-learning-techniques-used-to-predict-missing-data/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diab036

A study of two species of grass in China finds that they have developed different methods to cope with the stress of saline-alkali soils. You can read the post at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/grass-finds-more-than-one-way-to-survive-in-saline-soil/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-021-03401-y

The answer is not a simple yes, but research suggests that plants could help clean up the planet in several different directions. You can read the original post at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/can-botany-help-remove-microplastics-from-the-environment/

The use of Jupyter notebooks makes model creation and execution more accessible. You can read this post online at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/a-new-virtual-modeling-environment-for-plant-models You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/insilicoplants/diab040

Flavonoids help fine-tune a lupin's response to low phosphorus availability. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/a-class-of-chemicals-that-produce-many-of-the-colours-of-petals-also-regulates-root-response-in-white-lupins/ Read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab131

It's not enough to have phosophorus in the soil, plants have to be able to use it. A new study examines how salinity interacts with the ability to take up phosphorus. Read the blog post at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/interactive-effects-of-phosphorus-and-salinity/ You can read the original research at https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcab124

More and more people are using images to get round character limits on Twitter, but some people are getting left behind. You can read the original post, if you really want to at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/we-wont-be-retweeting-some-job-adverts-heres-why/

A book that considers not only how plants have nourished the body, but also the soul. You can read the full review at https://www.botany.one/2022/01/this-plant-book-is-amazing/

Food is critical for larvae development, so a good insect should lay her eggs away from other competition for food. That's why scientists were surprised that female hawkmoths chose plants hosting competitors when laying eggs. Read the post: https://www.botany.one/2022/01/hawkmoths-prefer-for-the-young-to-eat-with-the-competition/ Original research at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.021