Although fire is often perceived as harmful due to the immediate damage it can cause, its presence triggers vital processes for the natural dynamics of some ecosystems. The influence of fire on these ecosystems is such that plants have developed different adaptations to take advantage of these renewed environments.  For example, the flowering of some species is stimulated by fire, with some even flowering in less than a day after being burned. This probably occurs because the plants that can withstand the scorching pass of fire are fuelled by the flush of nutrients and the lack ..read more

Elizabete Carmo-Silva stays up to date on innovative plant science research methods, but one aspect of her work always concerned her – the process used to make the antibodies she needs for her research. Traditionally the process of making antibodies for research involves the use of a small number of animals – typically rabbits – which are killed for their blood products to be used. Animal-sourced antibodies are even used in plant sciences, for example, to characterize the abundance of photosynthetic proteins in crop plants. Antibodies that selectively bind to proteins of interest are labeled w ..read more

With Fascination of Plants Day approaching, Botany One has prepared a series of interviews with researchers from around the world working in different areas of botany to share the stories and inspiration behind their careers. Today, we have Dr Dechang Cao, the Principal Investigator of the Seed Molecular Ecology Group of the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Science. Cao’s group is interested in the different aspects of seed germination and dormancy, particularly in seed responses to smoke. He is also an Assistant Features Editor in Plant Physiology –one of t ..read more

With Fascination of Plants Day approaching, Botany One has prepared a series of interviews with researchers from around the world working in different areas of botany to share the stories and inspiration behind their careers. Today, we have Dr Charlotte M. Taylor, Curator at the Herbarium of the Missouri Botanical Garden (Saint Louis, United States). Taylor is a specialist in the Rubiaceae, one of the largest flowering plant families that is particularly diverse in the American Tropics. According to a survey by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the University of Cambridge, Taylor is ..read more

With Fascination of Plants Day approaching, Botany One has prepared a series of interviews with researchers from around the world working in different areas of botany to share the stories and inspiration behind their careers. Today, we have Dr Daniela Boanares, a proud black, female scientist that work as a Post-Doc at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, with the support of the Instituto Serrapilheira. Dr Boanares is interested in the physiological and ecological mechanisms behind foliar water uptake –the process where plants absorb water from the atmosphere directly from t ..read more

With Fascination of Plants Day approaching, Botany One has prepared a series of interviews with researchers from around the world working in different areas of botany to share the stories and inspiration behind their careers. Today, we have Dr Hervé Sauquet, Head of Plant Discovery and Evolution Research at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney (Australia). Dr Sauquet is a queer scientist interested in the evolution of flowers, the structure that gives its name to the most abundant and diverse plant group nowadays: the flowering plants, also known as angiosperms. For instance, he is one of the coordin ..read more

With Fascination of Plants Day approaching, Botany One has prepared a series of interviews with researchers from around the world working in different areas of botany to share the stories and inspiration behind their careers. To kick off the series, we have Dr Kelsey J. R. P. Byers, a Group Leader at the John Innes Centre (Norwich, UK). Dr Byers is a queer and disabled ecologist that studies the evolution of floral scent, from the genes that make unique flower aromas to the way flowers use them to attach pollinators. Byers is also an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in science, ser ..read more

Pampas grass, a feathery ornamental plant native to South America, has been spreading far beyond gardens, invading ecosystems across the globe. In Portugal, this tenacious grass has steadily expanded its range, displacing native plants and disrupting habitats. Keeping tabs on the relentless march of invasive plants like pampas grass is critical for protecting biodiversity, but it’s easier said than done. Traditional monitoring methods, which rely on boots-on-the-ground surveys and experts painstakingly identifying plants, are costly and time-consuming. But what if we could crowdsource this Her ..read more

You can listen to this page as an audio file (English only) It is possible to engineer increased mesophyll conductance in plants according to research from the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project. Mesophyll conductance refers to the ease with which CO2 can move through a leaf’s cells before being turned into sugar (plant food). CO2 faces barriers as it moves through the leaf, including its own cell walls. Researchers recently found that by increasing porosity and reducing cell wall thickness, they could increase CO2 diffusion and uptake in a model crop. “This is one of ..read more

Scientists have long sought new ways to continuously monitor how changing water availability affects plants. Traditional methods of measuring water potential, a key indicator of plant water stress, require invasive sampling that damages tissue. Now researchers have developed entirely open-source instruments capable of tracking plant water status with unprecedented high frequency and non-destructive precision. The development, carried out in the USDA, was published in AoB PLANTS. Dendrometers are sensors that measure radial stem changes driven by plant water dynamics. Most existing designs have ..read more