The Week in Botany January 12, 2026
The Flora in Focus conference that I went to this week was interesting. It’s given me some ideas for things to look up. I also met a few interesting people. Owen Morton of the Royal Microscopical Society told me that InFocus, their magazine is now available to non-members after a delay, and there’s plant material in that that’s worth looking into.
A story that enjoyed reading this week, that hasn’t got a lot of shares, is “If a Tree Falls: The trial of the Sycamore Gap killers”. It’s a story about the two people accused of felling the tree on Hadrian’s Wall and Rosa Lyster has captured some of the absurdity of the trial. There was some question over whether the police had caught the right men. One of the defendants ‘denied having ever cut down a tree and said that he thought chainsaws were “nasty things.”’ On the other side, the prosecution produced video of him on a cherry-picker cutting a tree, using a chainsaw in the background of someone’s selfie, another photo of him holding owlets, with his chainsaw collection in the background, and his postings on the forum “All Things Chainsaw”. I won’t spoil it by saying if they were found guilty or not, you can read it for yourself.
There will be another email of the papers and the news stories you’re sharing on Mastodon and Bluesky at the same time next week. Until next time, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
Three Words for Forest: When Forestry Meets the Stage
A theatre project turns foresters’ real words into a powerful exploration of how climate uncertainty shapes the forests—and decisions—of tomorrow.
We Have 3,500 Plant Collections But Isolation Holds Them Back
Behind every plant label in a botanic garden lies a hidden data crisis, one that could determine which species survive the twenty-first century.
When an invader vanishes, so does an ecosystem’s winter defences
A pretty riverside invader does its worst damage after it dies, destabilising riverbanks when floods hit hardest.
…and last’s week’s Week in Botany with the stories you were sharing on social media last week.
News & Views
Resisting AI slop
Science’s most recent policies allow the use of large language models for certain processes without any disclosure, such as editing the text in research papers to improve clarity and readability or assisting in the gathering of references. However, the use of AI beyond that—for example, in drafting manuscript text— must be declared.
When AI Makes You Average: Lessons from Our Data Scientist Job Search
We recently conducted three separate searches for Data Scientist positions. Each received more than 500 applications, a staggering increase compared to the 30-70 applications we typically see for similar roles. The growth in volume alone made the review process daunting. But the problem was not just the number. It was how alike they all felt.
Yes, forest trees die of old age. But the warming climate is killing them faster
Across Australia, forests are quietly changing. Trees that once stood for decades or centuries are now dying at an accelerating rate. And this is not because of fire, storms, or logging. The chronic stress of a warming climate is killing them.
How a Fungus Leads to Tissue Growths in Maize
A University of Bonn study has shown how a maize pest is hijacking the plant’s root-building function.
Kasey Barton: “Seedlings Are Not Merely Smaller Adult Plants”
Botany One interviews Dr Kasey Barton, one of the editors of an upcoming Special Issue at Annals of Botany.
Do biostimulant seed treatments boost soybean yields? New study across 103 locations in 22 states says no
Biostimulants—especially seed-applied biological products—continue to generate interest across soybean-growing regions. The promise is appealing: improved early vigor, stress tolerance, or yield, often layered on top of existing seed treatments. But do these products actually deliver under real-world farming conditions?
Herbarium Records Lead Bucknell Researcher to New Plant Species in Australian Outback
A study led by Bucknell University Professor Chris Martine, biology, Burpee Professor in Plant Genetics & Research, has identified a new species of bush tomato in Australia's Northern Territory, a discovery sparked by unusual specimens preserved for decades in herbarium collections.
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
When writer Cory Doctorow introduced the term enshittification in 2023, he captured a pattern many users had already noticed in their personal lives. Our recent research, published in Organization, shows that enshittification isn’t just confined to the online world. In fact, it’s now visible in academic publishing and occurs in five stages.
Outrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisations
Experts decry move to leave UNFCCC as ‘embarrassing’ as president orders withdrawal from 66 international groups.
See also: the statement from the IPBES
‘I rarely get outside’: scientists ditch fieldwork in the age of AI
In the race to embrace new technologies, some ecologists fear their field is losing touch with nature.
Fly-arousing orchid and zombie fungus among 2025 botanical and fungal finds
Scientists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guava.
This Week in Botany
5 Years Ago: A much-needed guide to Being Well
10 Years Ago: All’s fir in love and war
15 Years Ago: Life in a place of death? Pitcher plants as habitat
Scientific Papers
Seed germination traits reveal naturalization potential: Global insights from temperate European herbaceous species (FREE)
Using seed germination data for 1146 native temperate European herbaceous species, Gioria et al tested whether species that have become naturalized outside their native range differ from non-naturalized species in overall germinability (final germination proportion) and in their germination responses to six environmental cues across temperate, tropical dry and tropical humid macroclimatic zones of naturalization.
Translational control in plants: from basic mechanisms to environmental and developmental responses (FREE)
Protein synthesis is an essential process for all living organisms and is tightly regulated to ensure the proper production of proteins needed for growth, development, and stress responses. As sessile organisms, plants have evolved distinct mechanisms to regulate translation, allowing them to adapt to their environment. In this review, Lyons et al highlight the general translation process, discuss the translational machinery in plants, and examine cis-regulatory elements that influence translation.
Tiny forests, huge claims: The evidence gap behind the Miyawaki method for forest restoration (FREE)
Morales et al conducted a systematic review of scientific literature on the Miyawaki method. Of 51 documents examined, only 41% (n = 21) provided quantitative assessments, and among these, just 33.3% (n = 7) included a control and 14.3% (n = 3) included replication.
Blinded by the lights? Re-examining the adaptive role of transposable elements in plants with population genomics (FREE)
Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous components of the genome whose mobility can be triggered by environmental stress and influenced by genotype–environment interactions. In plants, TEs constitute a substantial proportion of the genome and frequently cause large-effect mutations that impact gene regulation, methylation, and phenotype expression. These characteristics have recently positioned TEs as potential drivers of rapid local adaptation. Roulin argues that generalizing about the significance of TEs in local adaptation in plants is fraught with complexity and risks oversimplification.
Towards a quantitative view of the NLR gene family evolution in the genome space (FREE)
In the light of the latest insights into the genomic features associated with NLR gene diversity, Wingen et al aim here to evaluate the contribution of forces involved in NLR gene family evolution and presence/absence variation: mutation, recombination, gene duplication and deletion, and natural selection.
Nucleotide diversity is a poor predictor of short-term adaptive potential (FREE)
The current paradigm in conservation genetics suggests that species with the lowest molecular genetic diversity have the lowest capacity to adapt. Despite previous concern that traditional measures of molecular genetic variation are not useful predictors of adaptive potential, the conflation of genetic diversity and adaptive potential remains prevalent in both scientific literature and global policy. By combining new theory with a large dataset of genetic variation across hundreds of species, Abson et al show that molecular sequence variation is weakly related to the level of heritable variation in traits across species.
Evolutionary transcriptomics unveils rapid changes of gene expression patterns in flowering plants (FREE)
Schuster et al analyzed the developmental transcriptomes of seven angiosperm species spanning 160 million years of evolution. They demonstrate that angiosperm protein-coding gene expression patterns diverged rapidly.
Imputation integrates single-cell and spatial gene expression data to resolve transcriptional networks in barley shoot meristem development (FREE)
Demesa-Arevalo et al investigate transcriptional changes during barley development, from the specification of meristem and organ founder cells to the initiation of distinct floral organs, on the basis of an imputation approach integrating deep single-cell RNA sequencing with spatial gene expression data.
Evolution and classification of hornworts: new insights from the first plastome-based phylogeny ($)
Xu et al conducted comparative genomic analyses of 106 hornwort plastid genomes, including 91 newly generated ones. RNA editing sites were identified by integrating transcriptome data and in silico predictions. Additionally, a new method inspired by marker–capture strategies was proposed to estimate the total number of U-to-C editing sites.
Cell-type-specific gating of gene regulatory modules as a hallmark of early immune responses in Arabidopsis leaves (FREE)
In plants, multiple cell types contribute to immunity, but what division of labor exists among cell types when immunity is activated? Wang et al compared, at single-cell resolution, the response of Arabidopsis thaliana leaf cells during pattern-triggered and effector-triggered immunity (PTI/ETI), sampled at 3 and 5 h after infection with Pseudomonas syringae DC3000. Core defense modules were broadly shared across cell clusters, but their activation varied in timing and intensity, with key immune receptors also showing cell type–specific expression dynamics.
Stomata in-sight: Integrating live confocal microscopy with leaf gas exchange and environmental control (FREE)
Crawford et al describe a tool that combines laser scanning confocal microscopy, gas exchange instruments, and machine-learning image analysis to simultaneously observe anatomical characteristics of many (>40) stomata alongside leaf-level traits like photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance.
In AoBC Publications
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.
Predoctoral internship – Nobori Lab, Norwich
Plant immunity research at single-cell and spatial resolution. Are you a driven student or recent graduate with an interest in pursuing a PhD or developing your research skills in plant and microbial science? Join the Nobori group at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) in Norwich, UK, and be part of a cutting-edge research team investigating plant–microbe interactions at molecular and cellular resolution.
Post-Doctoral Researcher in Plant Genome Editing, Ghent
We are looking to recruit a post-doctoral researcher to develop and utilize cell based CRISPR screens to investigate DNA repair genes. The project straddles fundamental research with immediate applications in biotechnology. The project is funded by the Research Foundation- Flanders (FWO).
Scriptwriter & Storyteller (all genders), Worldwide
Kurzgesagt are looking for an accomplished storyteller experienced in crafting narratives that hold viewers’ attention over extended formats (ideally tailored to the YouTube format of 10-20 minutes).
(Senior) Fact-Checker & Researcher (all genders), Munich
Kurzgesagt are looking for a person with a degree preferably in physics, natural or social sciences or science journalism; bonus points for strong background in statistics or data treatment, who is
available for work at least 32 hours per week.
Assistant Professor in Wildlife Ecology & Nature Restoration, Utrecht
Our ideal candidate is an established ecologist with experience in wildlife ecology and nature restoration, preferably in ecological networks and rewilding. Your work is grounded in a deep commitment to nature restoration, and a strong desire to make a lasting impact. Collaborative research and education are integral parts to your academic practice. You see the value of a collegial and supportive way of working and are a true team player, actively contributing to an environment in which people and ideas can thrive and successes are celebrated. The enthusiasm and passion you have for ecology and nature conservation and restoration inspires students and colleagues.
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Sustainable Plant Nutrition, Zurich
The professorship focuses on plant nutrition in the context of sustainable agriculture and global environmental change. The ideal candidate uses integrative approaches, including molecular, greenhouse and field experiments, plant-soil system modeling, and state-of-the-art tools (e.g., isotopes, phenomics or genomics) to generate new knowledge on environment-crop interactions (in the rhizosphere and across scales). The candidate collaborates with stakeholders to provide solutions to improve nutrient use efficiency and sustainability of food and feed production across the globe. Candidates are expected to have established an exciting research portfolio, have experience in teaching and mentoring, and be motivated to engage in dialogue with society.
PhD Position: Tree Physiological Responses to Atmospheric Drought, Lausanne
We invite applications for a fully funded four-year PhD position at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, with a planned start date in June 2026. The PhD research will combine short-term dose–response experiments in climate chambers with multi-year manipulative experiments. The work will focus on quantifying physiological thresholds and linking gas exchange, hydraulic failure, thermal stress, and cellular damage, while assessing interactions with soil moisture and long-term atmospheric conditions.
Lecturer, Environmental Botany, Melbourne
Deakin University are looking for someone with a PhD in relevant discipline with demonstrated expertise in plant research, particularly in the fields of ecology and fundamental biology, supported by partnerships in teaching, research, and community engagement.
Canada Impact+ Research Chairs Program, Montreal
McGill University invites applications for the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) Program, open to the rank of Associate or Full Professor. The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs (Impact+) Program is a one-time initiative designed to support institutions in attracting world-leading researchers whose work addresses critical national and global challenges. The program emphasizes both research excellence and tangible impact. Impact+ Research Chairs will receive long-term funding and institutional support to advance ambitious and transformative projects in Canada’s strategic priority areas, build and maintain exceptional research teams, and collaborate with partners across sectors and borders.
