🏝️ The Week in Botany July 1, 2024
I’ve started falling asleep during the day, so it’s definitely time for a break. I plan to be away on the Isle of Wight from today till Thursday. With luck, I’ll be able to visit the botanic garden at Ventnor, which is making the news with a novel approach to stewardship.
Otherwise, I’ll be avoiding work, so I’ll be relying on seeing what you’re sharing on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky etc, to keep up with what’s been happening in Botany next week. Until then, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
The co-evolution of oil-producing flowers and pollinator behaviour from Mexico to Argentina
A new study found that the way bees collect oil from flowers affects which flower traits are favoured in different places, helping explain why similar plants living far apart can evolve distinct characteristics over time.
News & Views
Hundreds of gardening fans skip work and travel hours to Kew Gardens to see rare bloom of 'corpse flower' - famous for its disgusting stench
Hundreds of green-thumbed enthusiasts descended on Kew Gardens in London this week to catch a glimpse of a rare bloom of the 'world smelliest flower'.
Stinkin' good news: Corpse flower blooming at San Diego Botanic Garden
The corpse flower is blooming and you know what that means — there's a rare and stinky scent waiting for all who visit the San Diego Botanic Garden only during the next couple days.
Insects thrive in tiny city gardens even if plants are non-native
A study of small city gardens in the Netherlands found insects were just as abundant in those with exotic plants as in those filled with native plants.
UK's 'deadliest' garden where you are banned from smelling or touching the plants
The garden features around 100 species of dangerous, toxic and harmful plants, and visitors are banned from touching, tasting, or smelling.
Botanist tells how nettles helped solve Soham murders
Patricia Wiltshire reveals how her forensic knowledge helped secure the conviction of Ian Huntley for the 2002 murders.
57 California native plants that survived the Ice Age to live on today
At the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Jessie George and other paleobotanists — the folks who study ancient plants the way paleontologists study prehistoric bones — are compiling a list of California native plants that survived the Ice Age and the region’s first huge climate change and are still alive today.
Protective power of moss (etc.)
Nigel Chaffey looks at the science behind the paper “Biocrusts protect the Great Wall of China from erosion”.
They thought this rare, tiny flower was extinct since WWI. Now it’s a symbol of hope
Molly Parren was tracking a wood turtle in Vermont when she smelled something surprising, yet familiar. The amphibian scientist for the state’s wildlife agency traced the smell to a rare wild garlic and snapped a photo.
Plant Identified That Could Grow on Mars
A future civilization on Mars could be accompanied by one very special and resilient little plant. A type of moss found in the desert—named Syntrichia caninervis—may be able to survive and grow in the harsh environment of Mars, according to a new paper in the journal The Innovation.
Scientific Papers
Bomb radiocarbon evidence for strong global carbon uptake and turnover in terrestrial vegetation ($)
Net primary productivity (NPP), the storage of carbon within plant tissues resulting from photosynthesis, is a major carbon sink that we rely on for slowing climate change. Global NPP estimates are variable, leading to uncertainty in modeling current and future carbon cycling. Graven et al. updated NPP estimates using radiocarbon data from nuclear bomb testing in the 1960s.
A CUC1/auxin genetic module links cell polarity to patterned tissue growth and leaf shape diversity in crucifer plants (OA)
Hu et al. show that species-specific expression of the transcription factor CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON1 (CUC1) is a key determinant of leaf-shape differences between two related plant species. By combining time-lapse imaging, genetics, and modeling, they found that CUC1 acts as a polarity switch. This switch regulates leaf shape through transcriptional activation of kinases that influence the polarity of auxin transporters, which pattern leaf growth through feedback with the hormone auxin.
Pharmacological and behavioral investigation of putative self-medicative plants in Budongo chimpanzee diets (OA)
Wild chimpanzees consume a variety of plants to meet their dietary needs and maintain wellbeing. While some plants have obvious value, others are nutritionally poor and/or contain bioactive toxins which make ingestion costly. In some cases, these nutrient-poor resources are speculated to be medicinal, thought to help individuals combat illness. Freymann et al observed two habituated chimpanzee communities living in the Budongo Forest, Uganda, and collected 17 botanical samples associated with putative self-medication behaviors or events.
Disentangling the deforestation-environmental crime nexus in Latin America (OA)
Little is known about this nexus and the complex relationships between environmental impacts, such as deforestation, and environmental crimes across space and time in many regions such as Latin America. Clerici et al explored these complex relationships using a database of environmental crimes, threats, and harassment affecting environmental defenders, as well as forest loss data, and municipal-level socioeconomic indicators for nine Latin American countries over a period of eleven years.
Use of GRF-GIF chimeras and a ternary vector system to improve maize (Zea mays L.) transformation frequency ($)
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of immature maize embryos is a commonly used method to introduce transgenes, but a low transformation frequency remains a bottleneck for many gene-editing applications. Previous approaches to enhance transformation included the improvement of tissue culture media and the use of morphogenic regulators such as BABY BOOM and WUSCHEL2. Vandeputte et al show that the frequency can be increased using a pVS1-VIR2 virulence helper plasmid to improve T-DNA delivery, and/or expressing a fusion protein between a GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR (GRF) and GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR (GIF) protein to improve regeneration.
Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage (OA)
Weiskopf et al assess the consequences of plant biodiversity loss for carbon storage under multiple climate and land-use change scenarios. They link a macroecological model projecting changes in vascular plant richness under different scenarios with empirical data on relationships between biodiversity and biomass.
Microbial co-occurrence network demonstrates spatial and climatic trends for global soil diversity (OA)
Despite recent research efforts to explore the co-occurrence patterns of diverse microbes within soil microbial communities, a substantial knowledge-gap persists regarding global climate influences on soil microbiota behaviour. Comprehending co-occurrence patterns within distinct geoclimatic groups is pivotal for unravelling the ecological structure of microbial communities, that are crucial for preserving ecosystem functions and services. Pechlivanis et al address this gap by examining global climatic patterns of microbial diversity.
Future fire events are likely to be worse than climate projections indicate – these are some of the reasons why (OA)
Peace & McCaw argue that heatwaves, dynamic fire–atmosphere interactions and increased fuel availability caused by drought will amplify potential fire behaviour well beyond projections based on calculations of afternoon forest fire danger derived from climate models.
Mechanical resistance of the environment affects root hair growth and nucleus dynamics (OA)
Pereira et al investigate the effect of the mechanical resistance of the culture medium on root hair-physical and phenotypical parameters such as length, time, and speed of growth. They show that the root hair growth rate and the nucleus speed decrease similarly as mechanical resistance increases while the time of growth of root hair cells is invariable.
Emission savings through the COP26 declaration of deforestation could come at the expense of non-forest land conversion (OA)
Mishra et al quantify future changes in land use and associated CO2 emissions to examine the impact of ending deforestation by 2030 on global land dynamics and emissions using an open-source land-use model.
In AoBC Publications
Careers
Plant Growth Facilities Manager, Durham
We are seeking a horticulturalist or plant scientist to manage the Plant Growth Facility in the Department of Biosciences. We are looking for someone with a proactive service-oriented approach that will anticipate the needs of plant growth facility users. The role is to work with relevant research groups, collaborators, and external users, to help to provide plant material for research programs and undergraduate courses by means of proper planning, coordination, technical expertise, and facility management.
Research Assistant / Research Associate (Fixed Term), Cambridge
The postdoc's project aims to scale field measurements of fire intensity and behavior to predict greenhouse gas emissions arising from soil organic carbon combustion during small smoldering fires in peatlands. This involves prescribed burn experiments in the Scottish Highlands (Cairngorms), where numerous instruments will be used to measure fire behavior (thermal sensor on drone, thermocouples in peat, etc.), and greenhouse gas fluxes (chamber measurements of CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes). Sites will be sampled over the course of several weeks prior to the burn and after the burn, requiring fieldwork for 4-6 weeks.
Research Assistant Positions, Norwich
The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), a world leading research institute is seeking Research Assistants to join our dynamic team. As a Research Assistant, you will work with Group Leaders to achieve research goals spanning plant and microbial disciplines. We have exciting opportunities in advanced genomic technology development, structural computational analysis, mass spectrometry, and cell-based assay development.
Senior Research Associate, Norwich
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Research Associate to join the School of Biological Sciences to conduct studies on plant biochemistry and molecular genetics in the group of Dr Ben Miller. As a Senior Research Associate you will be associated with a particular project (see the attached Candidate Brochure) and be an experienced and motivated researcher with a previous track record in plant molecular sciences and/or in protein purification and biochemical characterisation.
Plant Transformation Core Research Facility Director and Open-Rank, Tenure Track Professorship in Crop Improvement, Nebraska
The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is seeking applications for an emerging or established leader in the area of plant tissue culture and transformation who will direct the UNL Plant Transformation Core Research Facility (PTCRF). The PTCRF is an established, internationally recognized plant transformation facility with existing academic and industrial clientele. This 12-month, tenure-track, open-rank appointment is 50% research, 30% service, and 20% teaching and will be located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Postdoctoral Research Scholar, North Carolina
This Postdoctoral Research Scholar will work in the Translational Plant Phenomics program and work to advance the application of remote sensing, robotics, and data science in breeding and producing crops with an emphasis on horticultural and specialty crops. This position will write publications, and engage with the transdisciplinary team at Plant Science Initiative, and mentor graduate students. The Postdoc will also disseminate reserach findings.
Post-Doctoral Fellow - Spermosphere Microbiome Assembly and Seedling Metagenomics, Alabama
The Noel lab in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University is seeking a post-doctoral researcher to work on a USDA-AFRI-funded project focused on metagenomics of the spermosphere. The project aims to integrate ecological theory and metagenomics to understand traits selected early in a plant's life that result in vigorous growth. The candidate may also work with collaborating labs at Auburn University to understand the specific functions of pathogen secondary metabolite genes in seedling diseases or with collaborators at Pennsylvania State University to understand the functional diversity of the perturbed spermosphere.
Assistant Professor and Research Agronomist, Arkansas
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture invites applications for a 12-month, nontenure-track position (75% Research and 25% Extension) focusing on irrigation management and agronomic production systems in Arkansas. The office location will be at the new Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center (NERREC) near Jonesboro, AR.
Teaching Specialist (Plant Breeding & Agronomy of Perennial Crops), Minnesota
A Teaching Specialist position is available to work with the University of Minnesota and The Land Institute to advance research and teaching at the nexus of plant breeding and agronomy of perennial crops. This is a full time position with approximately 50% focused on research and 50% on education. This position will be based in the Sustainable Cropping Systems lab led by Dr. Jake Jungers at the University of Minnesota but will work closely with Dr. Brandon Schlautman at The Land Institute in Salina, KS. This is a hybrid position that will require at least two days per week of in-person work on the UMN St. Paul Campus. Multiple trips to The Land Institute will be expected for meetings and research activities each year.
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Tennessee
A postdoctoral research associate position in Controlled Environment Fruit Physiology and Biochemistry is available in Tabibul Islam's laboratory at the University of Tennessee in the Department of Plant Sciences. The successful candidate will employ cutting-edge interdisciplinary approaches, including plant physiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and multi-omics techniques, to elucidate the plant stress tolerance mechanism, improve resource use efficiency, and study photoperiod-temperature interaction in flowering and fruit development in different fruit crops, including strawberries.
Teaching Instructor, New Jersey
The incumbent will be responsible for the instruction of curriculum courses in the Undergraduate Program in Plant Science, including those in the plant natural products and horticultural fields of study. To provide educational opportunities in the plant sciences for non-plant science majors, responsibilities will also include the development and instruction of courses, micro credentials, and other programming that involve collaborations with other disciplines and academic programs.
Senior Research Scholar, North Carolina
Dr. Iorizzo's lab at NCSU is seeking a highly motivated Senior Research Scholar to design and conduct advanced genetic/genomic research studies focused on quality and health-protective traits. These studies will emphasize enhanced texture, size, chemical composition, and the concentrations and profiles of phytoactive compounds.
Post Doctoral Fellow, Arkansas
The successful candidate will use organic chemistry techniques to contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of herbicide-resistant weeds and the quantification and dissipation of herbicides in soil and plants. The individual will also be responsible for the upkeep and oversight of two analytical laboratories. The candidate is expected to work collaboratively with other faculty across the state and participate in team-directed research across areas of emphasis that include improvements in weed management.
Researcher 5, Minnesota
The researcher will evaluate plant nitrogen use, nitrate leaching potential, and greenhouse gas emissions in a full nitrogen budget of intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) across a variety of nitrogen fertilizer management treatments and stand ages.
Postdoctoral Researcher, California
The Meyers lab is seeking a highly motivated and independent individual interested in postdoctoral work on extracellular RNAs in plants, humans, and insects. Dr. Baldrich's research focuses on the characteristics of extracellular RNAs in diverse species and their role in modulating microbiomes. The postdoctoral scholar in this position will identify transcriptomic and epitranscriptomic characteristics that are unique and conserved across different kingdoms of life.
Lecturer, New Jersey
The Biotechnology Undergraduate Program in the Department of Plant Biology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University invites applicants for a Part time Lecturer teaching position on the New Brunswick/Cook Campus for Fall 2024. The position will be responsible for teaching a course called Bioinformatics.