🌻 The Week in Botany May 6, 2024
A while back I started reading How to be a Bad Birdwatcher, and thought a similar book on botany would be helpful. This week I found that the author, Simon Barnes, has written just that. If I can finish the book, and not just start it, then I’ll write a review.
This week starts with a holiday in the UK, and I’m going to try to take the time off work, so that might give me some time to read. I also have some medical appointments, which gives me plenty of time in doctors’ waiting rooms. However, there’s also plenty of writing I need to do too, so there’ll 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
Open-Source Dendrometers for Real-Time Plant Water Monitoring
Scientists have developed an open-source instrument that can measure how much water plants have without hurting them, helping us understand plants better and use water for farming more wisely.
In AoBC Journals
News & Views
Maya used hallucinogenic plants in rituals to bless their ball courts
eDNA analysis found traces of xtabentum, as well as lancewood, chili peppers, and jool.
Evolution of Plant Cuttings
Nigel Chaffey goes back to one of his early items and updates it with new information about the carnivorous plant Nepenthes attenboroughii.
Rain gardens and bathwater reuse becoming trends, RHS says
Chelsea flower show to focus on water reuse as gardeners prepare for shortages caused by climate crisis.
Darwin's 'Abominable Mystery' Haunts New Plant Tree of Life
Scientists are hopeful of the potential the tree of life has for biodiversity research. Each plant's location on the tree of life allows scientists to study its properties, similar to how an element can be studied by its position on the periodic table, the study authors wrote.
English oaks can withstand warming – but other trees will struggle
Climate change means many tree species planted today in Europe won’t survive to the end of the century, but English oaks could thrive in many areas.
Michigan native plant gardens. How do they benefit the ecosystem?
If you haven't already started your flower garden, you might want to try giving Michigan native plants a try. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also educational and helpful to our ecosystem.
The Mysteries of Plant ‘Intelligence’
Scientists are debating whether concepts such as memory, consciousness, and communication can be applied beyond the animal kingdom.
Gardens of Good and Evil
I’ve always thought of gardens as benign, even virtuous places. It wasn’t until the lockdowns of 2020 that gardens began to take on a more sinister aspect in my mind, as havens of sunny privilege to which the fortunate could retreat while the less fortunate were trapped indoors.
Can Forests Be More Profitable Than Beef?
Cattle ranches have ruled the Amazon for decades. Now, new companies are selling something else: the ability of trees to lock away planet-warming carbon.
Orangutan is first non-human seen treating wounds with medicinal plant
A male Sumatran orangutan chewed the leaves of a plant used in Indonesian traditional medicine and placed them on a wound on his face.
Scientific Papers
Genomes of multicellular algal sisters to land plants illuminate signaling network evolution (OA)
Zygnematophyceae are the algal sisters of land plants. Feng et al. sequenced four genomes of filamentous Zygnematophyceae, including chromosome-scale assemblies for three strains of Zygnema circumcarinatum.
Exposing belowground plant communication
Root exudation could be harnessed for ecological and applied research.
Land conversion to agriculture induces taxonomic homogenization of soil microbial communities globally (OA)
Peng et al. conduct a continental survey using 1185 soil samples and compare microbial communities from natural ecosystems (forest, grassland, and wetland) with converted agricultural land. Their combined results demonstrate that land conversion to agricultural land results in taxonomic and functional homogenization of soil bacteria, mainly driven by the increase in the geographic ranges of taxa in croplands.
Cell wall-mediated root development is targeted by a soil-borne bacterial pathogen to promote infection (OA)
Yu et al. find that RipAC, an effector protein from Ralstonia solanacearum, alters root development in Arabidopsis, promoting the formation of lateral roots and root hairs. RipAC interacts with CELLULOSE SYNTHASE (CESA)-INTERACTIVE PROTEIN 1 (CSI1), which regulates the activity of CESA complexes at the plasma membrane.
The plant immune system: From discovery to deployment (OA)
Breeding for disease resistance underpins modern agriculture and, along with the emergence and focus on model plants for genetics and genomics research, has provided rich resources for molecular biological exploration over the last 50 years.
The tiny drivers behind plant ecology and evolution (OA)
Considering microbial effects in our experiments may improve our understanding of how things actually work in a natural world that is dominated not by plants and plant genes but by the microbes associating with them.
Redox signalling in plant–nematode interactions: Insights into molecular crosstalk and defense mechanisms ($)
Hasan et al. have focused on the role of ROS and its scavenging network in interactions between host plants and cyst nematodes and root-knot nematodes. Overall, this review emphasizes the complex interplay between plant defense mechanism, redox signalling and nematode survival tactics, suggesting potential avenues for developing innovative nematode management strategies in agriculture.
CAM evolution is associated with gene family expansion in an explosive bromeliad radiation (OA)
By producing high-quality genome assemblies of a Tillandsia species pair displaying divergent photosynthetic phenotypes, and combining genome-wide investigations of synteny, transposable element (TE) dynamics, sequence evolution, gene family evolution and temporal differential expression, Groot Crego et al. were able to pinpoint the genomic drivers of CAM evolution in Tillandsia.
Underground Communication: Long Noncoding RNA Signaling in the Plant Rhizosphere (OA)
Fahad et al examine lncRNA biogenesis, classification, and mode of action, highlighting the functions of lncRNAs in mediating plant adaptation to diverse rhizosphere factors. They then discuss studies that revealed lncRNA significance and target genes during developmental plasticity and stress responses at the rhizobium interface.
Tree water uptake patterns across the globe (OA)
Plant water uptake from the soil is a crucial element of the global hydrological cycle and essential for vegetation drought resilience. Yet, knowledge of how the distribution of water uptake depth varies across species, climates, and seasons is scarce relative to our knowledge of aboveground plant functions.
Careers
Postdoctoral Researcher - LED for Faster and Better Propagation, Shropshire
Harper Adams University HAU) is seeking to recruit a plant science researcher with an interest in applied crop systems, plant physiological and molecular methods and analysis. The position holder will take a leading role in a collaborative academic and industry partnership conducting research into utilising LED lighting in controlled environments to produce high value horticulture field crops with reduced energy inputs, increased quality and resilience to abiotic stress.
Funded Masters of Research - with Engage Crop Solutions, Lancashire
Edge Hill University (EHU) in collaboration with Engage Crop Solutions invites applications for an exciting MRes opportunity focused on testing an innovative advanced technology designed to enhance water retention in soils and prevention of water loss to arid environmental conditions. This research project aims to quantify the secondary effects of this product on overall soil and plant performance and the long terms effects on soils and applied plants/crops.
Research Assistant (Fixed Term), Cambridge
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant position in the group of Dr Madelaine Bartlett at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic individual to support the university's reputation for excellence, join a newly-formed research team from its inception under the direction of an established PI of international reputation and work in a cutting-edge research institute. Under the direct supervision of Dr Bartlett, the successful candidate will work independently on a research project focused on studying the genes that control the development and evolution of sex determination in grasses.
University Assistant/Associate Professor in Plant Ecology and Evolution, Cambridge
We welcome excellent candidates who can teach and perform research in Plant Ecology. In particular, we are interested in applications from those with a focus on fieldwork in areas such as molecular ecology, evolutionary ecology, microbial ecology in the context of plant biology, plant and microbial responses to climate change and other anthropogenetic stressors.
Research Technician in Plant Parasitic Nematology, Leeds
The role will involve setting up glasshouse trials to determine the putative effects of various reagents on the biology of plant parasitic nemodes. Ideally, the successful candidate will have experience of working with plant parasitic nematodes. Cultures of plant parasitic nemodes will have to maintained to provide starting material to infect glasshouse trials. The ability to set up glasshouse trials, to look after and maintain the plants is essentials. Nematodes will need to stained or recovered from the plants. The plants and nematodes will have to be assessed for the effect of treatment.
Research Associate/Fellow (fixed term), Nottingham
A Research Associate/Fellow is required to undertake research as part of a three-year Leverhulme-funded grant investigating auxin response in duckweed awarded to the Bishopp, Farcot and Bhosale groups. Duckweeds represent an amazing family of aquatic monocotyledonous plants. All duckweed species have a highly simplified body plan lacking many features associated with angiosperms, such as branching of the shoot and root apex, and organs, such as root hairs. The most derived species lack roots completely. This progressive loss of anatomical complexity is accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of auxin signalling components, placing duckweeds intermediate between Arabidopsis and Marchantia in terms of signalling complexity. We therefore see that this project sits at nexus between plant evolutionary development (evo-devo) and systems biology.
Head of Science Policy, Kew
The Head of Science Policy will deliver RBG Kew’s mission by collaboratively working with our researchers to provide expert, evidence-based advice and support to both UK and international governments and bodies on science policy where relevant to Kew’s work, enabling research outcomes to inform and influence policy development. They will identify areas of priority, producing impact case studies, papers and thought leadership pieces. Importantly they will be responsible for Kew’s internationally recognised role as the UK Scientific Authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for Flora through leadership of a CITES policy team and will act as Kew’s expert lead on the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) and other related conventions, policies and agreements.
Research Associate, Glasgow
We have an opportunity for a Research Associate to make a leading contribution to the UKRI ERC replacement fund project : Powerful Plants, The Power of Plants as Food, Medicine and Raw Materials Before Agriculture. Specifically, the focus of this position will be on reconstructing Palaeolithic behaviour and environment from microfossils embedded in dental calculus. It is hoped the successful candidate can start on 1 August 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.
PhD Studentship: Biodiversity and solar farms: risks and opportunities, Exeter
In recent years there has been a surge in solar farm developments, driven by the need to transition to renewable energy sources and thereby reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming. Solar farms present both opportunities and risks for biodiversity and conservation, although there are many evidence gaps. This project will focus on measuring the impacts of solar farm developments on key environmental indicators, including the composition of vegetation and invertebrate communities, soil quality and carbon stocks. The studentship will provide opportunities for training in a wide range of ecological survey techniques, to improve our understanding of the ecological impacts of solar farms and to develop appropriate management regimes to maximise their biodiversity potential.