🌻 The Week in Botany, March 18, 2024
Spring is well on its way here, with the tulips pushing through as the latest round of the bulb lasagne in the flower pots. I was expecting them to be a dark purple, but they're coming up yellow and orange. So either I planted different bulbs than I remember, or else my colour-blindness has found a whole new level.
My targets this week are getting the social media channels running properly. I also want to get a blog post by Renata Cantoro published showing how herbaria could be holding many surprises, thanks to new techniques to investigate the samples they hold. And, of course, there'll be another newsletter of the links you're sharing. Until then, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
Recently on Botany One
Seaweed Forests Produce Calm Waters
We often envision gently swaying kelp forests along a calm beach. Now researchers have shown that the kelp forests themselves help calm ocean waves.
In AoBC Journals
News & Views
Coming Soon to Manhattan, a Brand-New Tiny Forest
Pocket-size forests filled with native plants have been embraced worldwide for their environmental benefits. Now one is planned for New York City.
US Being Invaded by 'Time Bomb' Weed
Several species of invasive plants are infesting lawns across the U.S., but only start wreaking havoc on the local ecology after a long period of lying in wait.
Giant sequoia trees are growing surprisingly quickly in the UK
Since their introduction in the 1800s, giant sequoia trees in the UK have grown up to 55 metres tall and capture 85 kilograms of carbon a year on average. See also the BBC.
Killing Large Non-Native Herbivores May Be A Conservation Mistake
Both native and introduced plant-eating mammals similarly affect plant diversity and abundance — contrary to common belief.
Seven times size of Manhattan: the African tree-planting project making a difference
Thousands of farmers have been persuaded by TREES scheme to replace barren monocultures with biodiverse forest gardens.
How to turn grocery store staples into plants that will thrive in an L.A. garden
Red ripe tomatoes, juicy pineapple and tongue-scorching peppers — the produce aisle at the grocery store is full of possibilities for cooking a great meal, but it can also be a great starting point for a prolific garden.
5 ways climate change could impact your home garden
"Warmth and wetness create the perfect breeding ground for several fungal plant diseases"
The British botanist saving a flower that smells of rotting flesh
Dr Chris Thorogood tells Tom Whipple about his adventures in the Philippine jungle in search of a fabled endangered flower that is half a metre wide — and smells like a decomposing corpse.
Under-appreciated plant parts: The grass ligule
Researchers studying the ligule - a small membranous structure at the junction of the grass leaf blade and sheath - have found evidence that it may have an active secretory function in addition to its proposed passive role of excluding water and debris. It produces and releases a glycoprotein-like substance that could act as a lubricant to aid emergence of new leaves.
Scientific Papers
Field assessment of genome-edited, low asparagine wheat: Europe's first CRISPR wheat field trial (OA)
Raffan et al. conducted a field trial in the UK with genome-edited wheat lines that had lower levels of the amino acid asparagine, which can form the carcinogenic compound acrylamide during high-temperature processing. The trial showed that these low-asparagine wheat lines maintained their reduced asparagine levels in field conditions, leading to 44-45% less acrylamide formation when the wheat flour was heated, without significantly affecting yield or grain composition. This demonstrates the potential for using genome editing to develop wheat varieties that could reduce dietary exposure to acrylamide from baked and toasted wheat products.
Deforestation impacts soil biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide ($)
Deforestation alters aboveground biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. Yet, the impacts of deforestation on soil biodiversity, and its associated ecosystem services, remain virtually unknown. Qu et al.'s global synthesis indicates that deforestation of native forest impacts soil biodiversity and the capacity to support ecosystem services.
Imaging plant cell walls using fluorescent stains: The beauty is in the details (OA)
Piccinini et al. discuss the major advances in imaging plant cell walls, with a particular emphasis on fluorescent stains for diverse cell wall components and their compatibility with tissue clearing techniques. They hope that this review will assist readers in selecting the most appropriate stain or combination of stains to highlight specific cell wall components of interest.
Sugar transporters spatially organize microbiota colonization along the longitudinal root axis of Arabidopsis (OA)
Plant roots are functionally heterogeneous in cellular architecture, transcriptome profile, metabolic state, and microbial immunity. Loo et al. demonstrate that distinct endospheric and rhizosphere bacterial communities colonize the segments, supporting the hypothesis of microbiota differentiation along the axis.
Relictithismia kimotsukiensis, a new genus and species of Thismiaceae from southern Japan with discussions on its phylogenetic relationship (OA)
People are still talking about the discovery of a new 'fairy lantern'.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal conserved genes are recruited for ectomycorrhizal symbiosis (OA)
Li et al. investigated whether genes conserved for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis are also involved in the evolutionarily younger ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiosis by analyzing plant species that can only form ECM associations. They found that around 64% of the AM-conserved genes were maintained in ECM-only plant hosts from the order Fagales, with several of these genes being upregulated during ECM symbiosis. This suggests that the more recently evolved ECM symbiosis has recruited genetic components from the ancestral AM symbiosis pathway.
Ceratozamia oliversacksii (Zamiaceae), a new species of gymnosperm from western Oaxaca, Mexico ($)
Ceratozamia is a neotropical genus in the Cycadales that is particularly diverse in Mexico. In this genus, most species are endemic to Mexico and most of these species have a restricted distribution pattern. MartĂnez-DomĂnguez et al. propose and describe a new species from western Oaxaca State, Mexico, which was previously subsumed under the concept of C. robusta.
Linking the key physiological functions of essential micronutrients to their deficiency symptoms in plants (OA)
Lilay et al. untangle the physiological key functions of the essential micronutrients and link them to the deficiency responses in plants. Improved knowledge of the molecular and physiological functions of micronutrients will be important for breeding programmes aiming to develop new crop genotypes with improved nutrient-use efficiency and resilience in the face of changing soil and climate conditions.
Flowering synchrony modulates pollinator sharing and places plant individuals along a competition–facilitation continuum (OA)
Arroyo-Correa et al. found that the effects of flowering synchrony on pollinator sharing among conspecific and heterospecific plant individuals outperformed those of spatial distance. Their results revealed that plant individuals that shared more pollinators with conspecifics were also involved in a higher pollinator sharing with heterospecifics. For most plant species, the sharing of pollinator species between heterospecific plant individuals produced positive mean fitness outcomes, as long as plants did not share many pollinator interactions, which had negative effects on their fitness.
♻️ Plants & Python: A series of lessons in coding, plant biology, computation, and bioinformatics (OA)
VanBuren et al. designed Plants & Python as a bilingual curriculum in English and Spanish, assuming no prior experience in coding or knowledge about plant biology. This series of lessons teaches coding learning objectives in Python, a general programming language, using datasets and mathematical examples inspired by plants.
Careers
Lecturer - Wildlife and Environmental Conservation, South Carolina
The successful candidate will teach 2-3 courses each semester depending upon advising load and other components of the workload. Teaching responsibilities will include in-person, core undergraduate classes (with labs) in topics such as Wildlife Management, Wildlife Habitat Management, Wildlife Conservation Policy, as well as either Field Botany, Mammalogy, Herpetology, or Ornithology depending upon the expertise of the applicant and the department teaching schedule.
Niwot Ridge LTER General Field Technician, Colorado
The Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project is hiring general field technicians for the summer of 2024. Come spend your summer working outdoors at our high-altitude research site above Boulder Colorado at the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station, and gain experience in a wide variety of field research methods and data collection.
Horticultural Program Specialist, California
Under general supervision, oversees and maintains the horticultural resources of Fresno City College (FCC) including the botanical garden, greenhouse and koi pond; conducts walking tours of the garden and tree collection for the public and student groups; provides instructional assistance to faculty and students in biology, botany and adaptive horticulture courses of study; and performs related duties as assigned.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Massachusetts
The Biology Department of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) welcomes applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor appointment with a start date of September 1, 2024. The candidate should have the ability to teach ecology, field botany, and either introductory or upper-level courses that serve students from both the Biology and Environmental Studies programs.
Research Associate, Virginia
The School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES) at Virginia Tech is seeking a Research Associate to lead as project manager on a multifaceted, three-year research and extension program that aims to: (1) improve the commercial availability of native grassland plant seeds by partnering with historically underserved farmers in southern Virginia, (2) build the economic knowledge base for native seed production, and (3) train new conservation leaders.
Novel Product Development Scientist in Smart Horticulture, London
This exciting and highly innovative project aims to develop a pioneering, sustainable supply chain in the cut flower industry. The project offers an excellent chance for the academic team to contribute to societal and environmental well-being by reducing carbon emissions, conserving water, and curbing pollution. The partnership with FLOWERBX will provide an opportunity to translate extensive research and expertise into practical solutions that directly benefit the flower industry.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Plant Pathology, London
The successful candidate will join a BBSRC-funded project to study the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea and develop strategies to manage this important disease in strawberry cropping. The PDRF will develop new molecular diagnostic tools for in-field disease identification, explore the efficacy of biocontrol application to control disease and study the genetic basis of crop resistance.
Post-Doctoral Researcher Soil & Plant - 23 Month Fixed Term Contract, Belfast
The successful candidate will be required to work within an international, collaborative team of researchers to field-test engineered biochar fertiliser products. Field and glasshouse experimental protocols must be followed, as agreed with the project lead. Expertise in soil science, fertilisers, biochar products or crop nutrition is required, and the post holder should have excellent field and laboratory skills in this area.
Postdoc in Understanding Very High Rates of C3 Photosynthesis, Wageningen
We are looking for a Post-Doc (2 year appointment) for the project formally known as “Quantification of the key components of photosynthesis in leaves of Hirschfeldia incana and other species”. You will be part of a multidisciplinary project that combines Biophysics, Physiology, Biochemistry, Modelling and Genetics to understand the very high Photosynthetic rates found in some C3 plants.
Biosecurity Specialist (Gardens) – Scientist, Woking
If you have a passion for applied plant health and biosecurity, and are keen to have a positive impact, then the role of Gardens Biosecurity Specialist could be for you. As part of this role, you will advise and work closely with Garden and Retail staff at all five RHS gardens, to help deliver surveillance, monitoring and management of plant pests and pathogens across our sites. You will contribute to the delivery of the RHS Sustainability Plan.
Teaching Fellow in Ecology, Leeds
As a Teaching Fellow, you will have a PhD in Ecology or a related area, with experience of teaching ecology, biology, field courses and field ecology or a closely related subject. You will have ability to teach at an advanced level with an enthusiastic, and engaging approach to delivery to students studying our undergraduate degree programmes of Ecology and Conservation Biology and our MSc programmes in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Global Conservation Science and Sustainable Agriculture.
Postdoctoral Researcher/Junior Scientist, Jan Hejátko Research Group, Brno
Applications are invited for a junior research position in the research group of doc. RNDr. Jan Hejátko, Ph.D. The researcher will mainly participate in research activity 3.2. Delaying growth proliferation arrest to increase seed yield.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Tree Ecophysiology And Ecology, Helsinki
The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry invites applications for the position of a POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (tree ecophysiology and ecology). The postdoctoral researcher will be appointed for a fixed-term of 27 months (start date: May 1, 2024 or as negotiated) to work in a project entitled: “Life after drought: towards a mechanistic understanding of tree resilience (DroughTRes)” and led by Docent Dr. Yann Salmon.