🌻 The Week in Botany February 24, 2025
The snowdrops seem to have done a lightning raid on the front lawn, appearing and going over in less than a week. The crocuses are putting on a bit more of a show, but they’ll be passing soon. Spring definitely seems to be on the way in Oxford.
Once again, it’s been a tough week for finding people sharing news about botany. Possibly because I could have stopped that previous sentence after ‘tough week’. I’m going to shake up the search systems to see if I can improve them for next week. Whether or not I do, I can say there will be another email of the papers you’re sharing on Mastodon, Bluesky, and Twitter. Until next time, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
The Role of Pollinators and Climate in Shaping Floral Characteristics
A new study shows that both pollinators like bees and birds, and climate changes, influence the size, shape, and nectar of flowers in Rhododendrons.
The Unexpected Benefits of Herbivory Under Drought
Herbivores might help young oak trees survive drought by reducing their water loss, which could be important for recovering oak forests in a changing climate.
Soil moisture does not predictably affect pollination success
A four-year study in the Colorado Rockies reveals unexpected interactions between pollination and soil moisture in wildflower reproduction, challenging current predictions about plant responses to environmental change.
News in Brief
News & Views
China’s bold new agricultural plan puts AI, biotech and seeds behind self-sufficiency push
Calling scientific and technological innovation the ‘main battlefield of international strategic competition’, agriculture official says the race for dominance is on.
‘The last plant left’: can Rapa Nui’s extinct tree be resurrected?
Seeds from the last toromiro, unique to remote Easter Island, were taken away in the 1960s. Now, after a crucial discovery gave hope for its survival, it is making a return.
Scientists decode DNA of white oak tree
Highly valued economically, ecologically and culturally, the white oak (Quercus alba) is a keystone forest species and is one of the most abundant trees across much of eastern North America.
Palm Fossils from Subarctic Canada Imply Ice-Free Winters 48 Million Years Ago
Palm trees of the tribe Trachycarpeae once thrived in what is now subarctic Canada, according to an analysis of fossilized phytoliths — microscopic siliceous structures produced in specific tissues by many plant families — from Canada’s Northwest Territories.
Plant Science Research Weekly: February 21, 2025
Roles of large language models in science? Apoplastic pH modulates H2O2 redox potential; Balancing signal specificity in stomatal development and defense; Hydropatterning in maize inbred lines; Bacterial cellulose boosts regeneration.
@plantteaching.bsky.social
The deadline to apply for the 2025 PLANTS grants is coming soon on March 1, 2025!
The PLANTS grant is a travel award for underrepresented undergraduates to attend the annual Botany conference, including mentorship from both peer and experienced mentors within the field of botany.
@botsocamerica.bsky.social
Plant Health Undergraduate Studentships 2025
The Royal Society of Biology (RSB) invites applications from researchers wishing to host an undergraduate studentship in plant health over the summer of 2025.
“Wooly Devil” Is First New Plant Genus Found In US National Park For Nearly 50 Years
And its relatives might come as a surprise.
Black in Plant Science Summer Studentship 2025
The BiPS Summer Studentship aims to encourage students to consider a career in plant sciences by providing funding to support paid summer placements for Black undergraduate students.
These Studentships will address the lack of Black and Black heritage researchers in the UK plant science community.
Scientific Papers
Subterranean morphology underpins the degree of mycoheterotrophy, mycorrhizal associations, and plant vigor in a green orchid Oreorchis patens (FREE)
Suetsugu & Okada investigated the photosynthetic orchid Oreorchis patens, a species related to the leafless genus Corallorhiza within the subtribe Calypsoinae. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, 13C and 15N isotopic analyses, and phenotypic evaluations, they explored the role of coralloid rhizomes – a feature common in fully mycoheterotrophic orchids – in fungal partnerships, the degree of mycoheterotrophy, and plant vigor.
Beyond the closed-forest paradigm: Cross-scale vegetation structure in temperate Europe before the late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions (FREE)
The Last Interglacial (∼129,000–116,000 years ago) provides key insights into temperate European vegetation dynamics before significant anthropogenic impacts. Using LOVE (Local Vegetation Estimates) and REVEALS (Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) models, this study reconstructs vegetation patterns across local (∼9 km²) and regional (∼100 km²) scales. Local landscapes presented a heterogeneous mosaic, with averages of 17 % open vegetation, 21 % closed forests, and 63 % light woodlands, reflecting high fine-scale heterogeneity.
Continued permafrost ecosystem carbon loss under net-zero and negative emissions (FREE)
Park et al investigate changes in permafrost under net-zero and negative emissions, based on idealized emission-driven simulations using a state-of-the-art Earth system model. While acting as a net ecosystem carbon sink during most of the positive emission phase, permafrost becomes a net ecosystem carbon source just before reaching net-zero and negative emissions.
John Raven, FRS, FRSE: a truly great innovator in plant physiology, photosynthesis and much more (FREE)
This is a tribute to a truly inspirational plant biologist, Prof. John A. Raven, FRS, FRSE (25th June 1941– 23rd May 2024), who died at the age of 82.
Proteasomes accumulate in the plant apoplast where they participate in microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered pathogen defense (FREE)
Akin to mammalian extracellular fluids, the plant apoplastic fluid (APF) contains a unique collection of proteins, RNAs, and vesicles that drive many physiological processes ranging from cell wall assembly to defense against environmental challenges. Using an improved method to enrich for the Arabidopsis APF, Karimi et al better define its composition and discover that the APF harbors active proteasomes though microscopic detection, proteasome-specific activity and immunological assays, and mass spectrometry showing selective enrichment of the core protease.
Fighting to thrive via plant growth regulators: Green chemical strategies for drought stress tolerance ($)
As global climate change intensifies, the occurrence and severity of various abiotic stresses will significantly threaten plant health and productivity. Drought stress (DS) is a formidable obstacle, disrupting normal plant functions through specific morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms. Understanding how plants navigate DS is paramount to mitigating its adverse effects.
A thallus-forming N-fixing fungus-cyanobacterium symbiosis from subtropical forests (FREE)
Fungi engage in diverse symbiotic relationships with phototrophs. Lichens, symbiotic complexes involving fungi and either cyanobacteria, green algae, or both, have fungi forming the external layer and much of the interior. Chen et al found an erect thallus resembling a lichen yet with an unexpected thallus structure composed of interwoven cyanobacterial filaments with numerous fungal hyphae inserted within individual cyanobacterial sheaths, contrasting with typical lichen structure.\
Drought-tolerant wheat for enhancing global food security ($)
New breeding techniques and selection tools open a unique opportunity to tailor future wheat crop with optimal trait combinations that help withstand extreme drought. Adoption of the new wheat varieties will increase crop diversity in rain-fed agriculture and ensure sustainable improvements in crop yields to safeguard the world’s food security in drier environments.
Read free at https://rdcu.be/eaYpm
Soil Degradation Evidence Following a Wildfire in Arequipa’s Andean Region, Peru (FREE)
The study investigates the effects of a 2018 wildfire in the Pichu Pichu volcano mountain area, a shrubland ecosystem at 3,700 m a.s.l. The arid conditions and unique soil characteristics, such as the Torripsamment soil on volcaniclastic sandstones, make the area particularly vulnerable to fire-induced degradation.
Conserved and novel roles of the bHLH transcription factor SPATULA in tomato ($)
Martínez-Estrada et al used tomato to study the transcription factor SPATULA (SPT), a bHLH-family member that in Arabidopsis is known to be important for gynoecium development. They analysed the expression of the SlSPT gene during flower and fruit development and the interaction of the SlSPT protein with proteins previously reported as interactors of AtSPT in the gynoecium.
In AoBC Publications
Chief Editor, AoB PLANTS, Worldwide
If you’ve ever wanted to run a top-notch, open-access plant science journal, now’s your chance. AoB PLANTS is on the lookout for a new Chief Editor as Professor Tom Buckley prepares to step down this summer.
Careers
Note: These are posts that have been advertised around the web. They are not posts that I personally offer, nor can I arrange the visa for you to work internationally.
Senior Research Associate in Phylogenomics, Bristol
This is a full time Senior Research Associate position based in the Donoghue Lab of the Palaeobiology research group in the School of Earth Sciences, located in the Life Sciences Building; the research is co-led by James Clark (University of Bath) with whom you will also work closely. The role is funded through the BBSRC sLoLa project grant ‘Reappraising the role of whole genome duplication and rediploidization in eukaryotic evolution’, involving partners in Barcelona, Bath, Dublin, Edinburgh, Kew, Okinawa, Oxford, Wageningen.
Plant Pathologist, Cambridge
Are you passionate about plant health and cutting-edge research? Join Niab’s world-class Plant Pathology Team and play a key role in protecting Britain's crops from emerging diseases. This is your chance to work on pioneering research, develop new disease-resistant crops, and make a real impact in the agricultural sector.
125th Anniversary Scholarship for Black British Researchers - How Does The Environment Shape (epi)genome Plasticity in Long-lived Plants?, Birmingham
The timeliness of this research project is rooted in exploring the critical role of genome plasticity in long-lived trees, which is essential to understanding plant evolutionary mechanisms to climate change. Ultimately, this project will provide evidence for how somatic (epi)genome evolution is influenced by the environment, and how this relates to heritability and adaptation.
Assistant Researcher – Crops & Agronomy, UK
We are looking to appoint an Assistant Researcher – Crops & Agronomy (G6) on a 12-month fixed-term contract with the possibility of extension. Due to the geography of our field sites, we are particularly seeking someone based in central or southern England or western midlands but will consider outstanding candidates wishing to be home-based in other parts of the country. This ideal candidate would be MSc qualified with a career goal to work as a researcher. The role is available for immediate start.
Associate Professor in Plant Molecular Physiology, Stockholm
The successful candidate will teach courses in plant physiology, including the molecular biology of plants, mainly at the bachelor level. The successful candidate will have access to Departmental and University infrastructure for imaging, biochemical analyses, GMO plant growth, greenhouses and common gardens as well as access to National infrastructure for sequencing, chemical imaging, proteomics, bioinformatics such as the SciLife laboratories. Proficiency in Swedish is not a requirement at the time of appointment, but the candidate should be able to carry out teaching and administrative duties that require good command of Swedish within two years of employment.
Academic Position in the Field of Plant Genetics, Liège
A full-time, indivisible academic position in the field of Plant Genetics (application of omics technologies on plant genetic resources to support the agroecological transition), within the unique department at the Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech Faculty. This post includes teaching and research activities as well as services to the Community.
Laboratory Technician (General Teaching Support), Melbourne
As a Laboratory Technician in the School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, you will play a key role in supporting the undergraduate practical teaching program. Primarily based in the First Year Biology laboratories, you will be responsible for preparing and maintaining practical classes across various subject areas, including botany, ecology, genetics, and zoology. This role ensures the smooth operation of teaching laboratories, contributing to an engaging and hands-on learning experience for students.
Research Officer - Plants for Space, Melbourne
The position sits within the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S) whose vision is to develop technologies that enable humans to survive and thrive in space, reducing the dependence on constant resupply, and using this lens to transform the sustainability of food and bioresource production on Earth. Plants for Space is a transdisciplinary team involving systems and process engineering, plant biology, food chemistry, psychology, education and space law, located in our foundational universities of Adelaide, Flinders, Melbourne, La Trobe and Western Australia.
Assistant Extension Specialist in Fruit Pathology, New Jersey
The Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is actively seeking applicants for a tenure-track faculty position in Fruit Pathology at the Assistant Extension Specialist (Assistant Professor) level. The Department is committed to the pursuit of excellence by increasing their on-the-ground commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Eligible candidates should have a strong educational foundation in plant pathology.
Research Specialist (Webster), North Dakota
The Department of Plant Pathology at North Dakota State University is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Field Scientist to join our Extension Soybean Pathology Lab. The successful candidate will be part of a dynamic research team focused on advancing our understanding and management of soybean diseases, with a particular emphasis on diseases affecting soybean production in North Dakota.
Post Doctoral Fellow - Libault Lab, Missouri
The Libault’s lab has two openings for Postdoctoral Researcher looking to harness their expertise in bioinformatics, computational biology, machine learning, and plant genomics. Our lab seeks to explore and understand the network of plant genes, their regulation in response to environmental stress at the single-cell level, and the conservation and divergence of these responses between plant species. These discoveries will support the development of new strategies to improve crop traits and performance.
Scientist I, Wisconsin
The Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Science is recruiting for a Scientist I who will be responsible for developing, proposing, conducting, and publishing research aimed at understanding how to make agriculture more beneficial for all. The ideal candidate must have the ability to engage and communicate with a range of community partners in conversations about making agricultural change.
Post Doctoral Fellow/Research Associate in Plant Biotechnology/ Molecular Biology, Delaware
The Food Science and Biotechnology program at Delaware State University, Delaware, USA, seeks a highly motivated and enthusiastic Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate with expertise in Plant Biotechnology, Molecular biology, and Natural Product Chemistry to assist PI in executing USDA-NIFA Award (No. 202438821-42144; Org: 6016). The Post-doctoral Fellow position, sponsored by a NIFA-USDA grant, is available immediately within the College of Agriculture, Science and Technology (CAST).