đ» The Week in Botany May 13, 2024
Thanks to a news story shared by Angel York this week, I found I can call myself a renegade gardener, as I plant for insects. Normally, itâs for pollinators, but last year we let the caterpillars strip the kale we had planted. It ensured there were plenty of butterflies in the garden and no danger of having kale for tea at any time, which seems like a win-win result.
Thereâll be an email of what's getting shared on Mastodon, Bluesky, Twitter and LinkedIn at the same time next week. Until then, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
In Botany One
Engineered increase in mesophyll conductance improves photosynthetic efficiency in field trial
Overexpressing the CGR3 gene in a model crop led to a remarkable 8% increase in photosynthesis.
Electronic Eyes Spy an Invasive Species
In the age-old battle against invasive species, conservationists have a new ally: social media users and their geotagged photos.
In AoBC Journals
Pollinator shift ensures reproductive success in a camouflaged alpine plant (OA)
Modelling the architecture of hazelnut (Corylus avellana) Tonda di Giffoni over two successive years
News & Views
Why you should let insects eat your plants
Renegade gardeners across the world are embracing a new philosophy: gardening that prioritises insects, not plants.
Desert farmers share their best tips on how to grow food in hot, dry conditions
If youâre a Southern California gardener planning to grow food this summer, itâs time to pay attention to how they grow veggies in the desert, because July, August and September will likely be HOT.
Practical ways to tackle plant blindness
Nigel Chaffey reviews Things to do with plants: 50 ways to connect with the botanical world by Emma Crawforth.
Chris Thorogoodâs quest to save the worldâs largest flower
The botanist on flower-hunting in remote rainforests and why toads make charming pets.
Botanic garden monitors trees for climate change
A botanic garden has been tracking the effects of climate change on nature as part of an initiative.
Explore ways to protect Canada's plants, forests, and agriculture on the International Day of Plant Health
Healthy plants are the foundation of ecosystems, supporting both human and animal life while keeping the environment stable and helping economies grow. May 12 marks the International Day of Plant Health, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reminding everyone of their role in safeguarding agriculture, forests, and the environment in Canada.
A New Tree of Flowering Plants? For Spring? Groundbreaking.
By sequencing an enormous amount of data, a group of hundreds of researchers has gained new insights into how flowers evolved on Earth.
One of 'World's Worst' Weeds Invading US Northeast
The weed, which is subspecies of the hydrilla plant, grows in thick surface mats that greatly affect native wildlife. It can prevent sunlight from entering the water and lead to decreased oxygen levels, giving off a neuro toxin that is highly dangerous if ingested in high quantities.
A New Tactic For The War With Weeds
Weeds have been a major challenge since the earliest days of farming. Tillage - the mechanical means of weed control used for centuries degrades soils over time. This impact became particularly problematic in the modern era and combined with drought to create the âDust Bowlâ phenomenon in the US in the 1930s.
Research hub to get ÂŁ4m to tackle tree pest threat
The laboratory will also help prepare for known threats which are not yet in the UK.
Scientific Papers
Phytohormone profiling in an evolutionary framework (OA)
Schmidt et al. performed a comprehensive analysis of multiple phytohormones in Viridiplantae, focusing mainly on charophytes. They show that auxin, salicylic acid, ethylene and tRNA-derived cytokinins including cis-zeatin are found ubiquitously in Viridiplantae.
Taste of microbes: the terroir explained by rhizospheric microbes (OA)
âWine tastes like the soil it grows in.â This notion, or some may call it a myth, implies that you can tell where the wine comes from merely based on its taste and flavor and has been whispered among winemakers and connoisseurs for centuries.
Glycogen synthesis prevents metabolic imbalance and disruption of photosynthetic electron transport from photosystem II during transition to photomixotrophy in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (OA)
Ortega-MartĂnez et al. analysed the effect of glucose addition on the physiology, metabolic and photosynthetic state of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and mutants lacking phosphoglucomutase and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, with limitations in glycogen synthesis. They conclude conclude that glycogen synthesis is essential during transitions to photomixotrophy to avoid metabolic imbalance that induces inhibition of electron transfer from PSII and subsequently accumulation of reactive oxygen species, loss of PSII core proteins, and cell death.
Perspectives on improving photosynthesis to increase crop yield (OA)
Improving photosynthesis, the fundamental process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, is a key area of research with great potential for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing global food security challenges. This perspective delves into the latest advancements and approaches aimed at optimizing photosynthetic efficiency.
Arabidopsis SBT5.2 and SBT1.7 subtilases mediate C-terminal cleavage of flg22 epitope from bacterial flagellin (OA)
Matsui et al establish an efficient identification system for the target proteases in Arabidopsis apoplastic fluid; the method employs native two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by an in-gel proteolytic assay using a fluorescence-quenching peptide substrate. We designed a substrate to specifically detect proteolytic activity at the C-terminus of the flg22 epitope in flagellin and identified two plant subtilases, SBT5.2 and SBT1.7, as specific proteases responsible for the C-terminal cleavage of flg22.
A modified CTAB method for the extraction of high-quality RNA from mono-and dicotyledonous plants rich in secondary metabolites (OA)
High-quality RNA extraction from woody plants is difficult because of the presence of polysaccharides and polyphenolics that bind or co-precipitate with the RNA. The CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) based method is widely used for the isolation of nucleic acids from polysaccharide-rich plants. Despite the widespread use of the CTAB method, it is necessary to adapt it to particular plant species, tissues and organs. Kiss et al describe a simple and generalized method for RNA isolation from mature leaf tissues of several economically important woody (17) and herbaceous plants (2) rich in secondary metabolites.
Single-cell transcriptomics reveals heterogeneity in plant responses to the environment: a focus on biotic and abiotic interactions ($)
Tenorio BerrĂo & Dubois discuss the contribution of single-cell transcriptomics to the understanding of cell-type-specific plant responses to biotic and abiotic environmental interactions. Besides major biological findings, they present some technical challenges coupled to single-cell studies of plantâenvironment interactions.
The varied forms and functions of plasmodesmata (OA)
Plasmodesmata provide routes for the movement of various molecules between plant cells. Cargo molecules of plasmodesmata include metabolites like sucrose, small signaling molecules like hormones, and large endogenous signaling molecules like mRNAs.
Genomes of multicellular algal sisters to land plants illuminate signaling network evolution (OA)
Feng et al sequenced four genomes of filamentous Zygnematophyceae, including chromosome-scale assemblies for three strains of Zygnema circumcarinatum. They inferred traits in the ancestor of Zygnematophyceae and land plants that might have ushered in the conquest of land by plants: expanded genes for signaling cascades, environmental response, and multicellular growth.
Continual improvement of CRISPR-induced multiplex mutagenesis in Arabidopsis ($)
Develtere et al genotyped more than 6000 Arabidopsis T2 plants to test seven promoters and six types of NLSs across 14 targets to systematically improve the generation of single and multiplex inheritable mutations. They found that the RPS5A promoter and bipartite NLS were individually the most efficient components.
Careers
The Oglander Fellowship, Oxford
The College invites applications for this post, which is tenable for a fixed period of three years from 1 October 2024, and based in New College, Oxford. The person appointed will be expected to undertake their own independent and original academic research in mathematical, physical, engineering, or life sciences.
Conservation Research Adviser - Maternity cover, UK
The Conservation Research Adviser plays a crucial role within the Woodland Trust's Conservation Outcomes and Evidence Team, leveraging research and evidence to guide conservation strategies across the UK. This position works alongside the Evidence Manager and other team members to ensure that research collaborations are impactful and applied through the Conservation Research Programme.
Research Assistant - Plant Ecology, Pests and Disease, Kent
We are recruiting an organised, hard-working individual to join our friendly and busy team to help in the delivery of a wide range of research projects and commercial trials in the areas of ecology, pests and disease in horticulture.
Research Fellow (Fixed term), Nottingham
Applications are invited for a Research Fellow to work on a UKRI Frontiers project to discover novel components involved in sensing and responding to compacted soil conditions in the laboratory of Dr Bipin Pandey at the Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, UK.
PhD Studentship: Moving Towards âNet Zeroâ Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Tea Production in Kenya, Bedford
This fully funded studentship sponsored by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and supported by Lipton Teas and Infusions will provide a bursary starting at ÂŁ19,237 (tax free) plus UK tuition fees for four years.
Research Fellow in Bioinformatics, Melbourne
The Research Fellow will join a dynamic project team focused on exploring the evolution and maintenance of resistance in natural populations, aiming to potentially reduce pesticide use and promote economic and biodiversity benefits. Led by ARC Laureate Prof. Wedell at the School of BioSciences, the project applies sexual selection theory to predict insecticide resistance evolution in flies, challenging assumptions about resistance costs and exploring pre-existing variants maintained by balancing selection.
Research Fellow, Forest Ecohydrology, Melbourne
This is an exciting opportunity for a dedicated researcher to join the Forest Hydrology Research Group and discover the catchment scale factors that contribute to increased stream water colour in forested upland catchments. Water colouration in natural ecosystems is a poorly understood ecohydrologic process, and the aim of this project is to identify the dominant source (or sources) and processes of water colouration from a diversity of forest ecosystem types.
Research Fellow, Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, Perth
AHRI has a new project to map weed patches in farmers' fields using remote sensing and, from this, to develop a spatial model to predict the likely location of these patches in upcoming seasons. Therefore, we are seeking a research fellow with expertise in remote sensing and data science (machine learning), along with some experience in agriculture, to process/analyse large remote-sensing datasets in support of the development of weed management tools. There will also be opportunities to co-supervise postgraduate students.
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.