The Week in Botany November 10, 2025
As I finish up writing this, news of the death of James Watson is getting shared. The most popular obituary is this one, which acknowledges he did more than DNA, but doesn’t hold back on discussing his flaws.
It’s not just Watson who has flaws. If you still have any suggestions our flaws or strengths, now is the time to mention it. We’ll be having our meeting Wednesday. Thanks to everyone who’s contributed so far.
Looking ahead to next week, I have a blank calendar, so I’ve no idea what we’ll be covering. But I will make sure the there’s 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
War is turning Ukraine’s fertiliser problem into a catastrophe
Long-term declines in nutrients, and soil damage, have been turbo-charged by the Russian invasion. But a new plan may help restore some of the world’s most fertile soils.
Filip Vandelook: “Let Yourself Be Amazed!”
Botany One interviews Dr Filip Vandelook, a Belgian botanist fascinated by seeds and sharing botanical knowledge with the public.
The Trees That Were Saved and Destroyed by the Same Mistake
For 20 years, Mexican communities accidentally planted millions of endangered trees, while simultaneously logging thousands in their natural habitat, without knowing it.
…and last’s week’s Week in Botany with surprising biodiversity, an unexpected neighbourhood, the largest herbarium in Africa and more…
News & Views
Resident warned after sharing photos of 'Franken-vine' on local street: 'How terrifying'
The subreddit's members quickly identified this intrusive plant.
Meet the guardian of Dublin’s trees, who is making contingencies for climate change as he tends to ‘urban forest’
Balancing resilience with disease and weather changes, along with finding the right spaces for planting, are part of the job for the city council’s tree officer Ludovic Beaumont
How a humble weed became a superstar of biology
Arabidopsis thaliana was always an unlikely candidate for the limelight. But 25 years ago, the diminutive thale cress launched the botanical world into the molecular era.
Turbo Platform for Plant Research
Researchers open up plant chloroplasts for high-throughput screening for the first time, enabling faster development of more robust crops
The Passing of the Tree of Life Web Project
The Tree of Life Web Project began its journey almost 40 years ago, and was formally announced in early 1996. It has served thousands of pages of information about the evolutionary tree of life and the characteristics of organisms that evolved along its branches; this content was contributed and curated by hundreds of biologists who were experts in particular branches of life.
Insiders warn how dismantling federal agencies could put science at risk
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak out about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge and training opportunities that the country is losing.
How plants decide when to flower: MSU scientists uncover a phosphorus-responsive switch
A newly discovered signaling pathway explains how plants delay flowering when phosphorus runs low, opening doors to nutrient-efficient crops.
Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine, new study finds
Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns cause big variations in crop yields from year to year, meaning that farmers cannot rely on the stability of their harvest, and their produce is at risk.
UC to Stop Funding Faculty Hired Out of Postdoc Program
Established in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.
UK opts out of flagship fund to protect Amazon and other threatened tropical forests
Decision is bitter blow to Brazil ahead of fund’s launch at Cop30 – and an embarrassment to Prince William.
The domestication of people by plants…
Nigel Chaffey reviews Nature’s greatest success: How plants evolved to exploit humanity by Robert N Spengler III.
This Week in Botany
5 Years Ago: Flowering plants spelled the end of gymnosperm dominance
10 Years Ago: All is number? A faster way to analyse plant root images
15 Years Ago: Beer IS good for you! [or Antibiotics: good for what ale’s you]
Scientific Papers
The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink (FREE)
In this report, Ripple et al seek to speak candidly to fellow scientists, policymakers, and humanity at large. They stare that given their roles in research and higher education, they share an ethical responsibility to sound the alarm about escalating global risks and to take collective action in confronting them with clarity and resolve. They show evidence of accelerated warming and document changes in Earth's vital signs.
Dual recognition of structurally unrelated mildew effectors underlies the broad-spectrum resistance of Pm3e in wheat (FREE)
Broad-spectrum resistance genes are highly valuable for sustainable crop protection, yet the molecular basis of their activity is often unknown. The Pm3 allelic series in wheat encodes NLR receptors that recognize avirulence (AVR) effectors of wheat powdery mildew. Kunz et al show that near-identical Pm3 alleles vary greatly in resistance efficacy and broadness against a global mildew isolate collection and subsequently use this model system to study the mechanisms underlying broad-spectrum resistance.
High-temperature acclimation of photosystem II in land plants (FREE)
Posch et al believe that failing to account for acclimation may result in the underestimation of PSII heat tolerance and that the extent of acclimation can be predicted from leaf economic traits, leaf habit, plant water use strategies, photosynthetic pathway, and habitat. They also explore efforts to use spectroscopy techniques to predict acclimation, and the biotic and abiotic factors that may influence these predictions.
The Equilibrium Conundrum (FREE)
Grainger et al explore the concept of equilibrium in ecological theory and its elusive empirical evidence. It provides guidance for empiricists on determining population equilibrium and outlines when the equilibrium assumption is critical for scientific inference.
Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants (FREE)
Symbioses have been fundamental to colonization of terrestrial ecosystems by plants and their evolution. Emergence of the ancient arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis was followed by the diversification of alternative intracellular symbioses, such as the ericoid mycorrhizae (ErM). Castanedo et al aimed at understanding how these diversifications occurred. They sequenced the genomes of ErM-forming liverworts, and reconstituted symbiosis under laboratory conditions.
Shedding light on receptor kinase processing (FREE)
Receptor kinases (RKs) are crucial for plant environmental sensing, with their diverse extracellular domains enabling them to detect various signals. Proteolytic processing of RKs, a regulatory mechanism well-established in animals, is less understood in plants but is emerging as a key regulator of hormone signalling and plant-microbe interactions.
The developing leaf of the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon at single-cell resolution (FREE)
Leaves are the plant’s main photosynthetic organs and drive Earth’s primary production. Grasses form longitudinal leaves with parallel venation and graminoid stomata. Yet, how distinct leaf tissues coordinatively develop to build functional grass leaf anatomy is not well understood. Here, we decoded the developing grass leaf from vegetative meristems to mature tissues using single-cell RNA-sequencing in the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon.
Tracing the history of angiosperm systematics through Liliales and Asparagales (FREE)
Humphreys et al illustrate advances in systematic methods using two closely related botanical orders, Liliales and Asparagales. Members of these orders were once both considered part of the same family, Liliaceae. Molecular data steered us towards a more refined understanding, validating the decision to split Liliaceae into several currently recognized orders including Liliales and Asparagales.
Cryptic CAM photosynthesis in Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia, Y. jaegeriana)
Results suggest greater physiological diversity between these species than initially expected, particularly at the seedling stage, with implications for future survival of Joshua trees under a warming climate.
Unlocking the potential of brassinosteroids: A path to precision plant engineering ($)
Brassinosteroids are plant hormones with multiple roles in development and stress responses. They are perceived by plasma membrane receptors and act locally within cells through a well-established signaling pathway. Vukašinović et al. reviewed how advances in single-cell analysis and developments in gene editing are paving the way for precision engineering of crop plants.
Postdomestication selection of MKK3 shaped seed dormancy and end-use traits in barley ($)
Jørgensen et al show in the founder crop barley (Hordeum vulgare) that dormancy is primarily regulated through a mosaic of locus haplotypes comprising copy-number variation and inherent kinase activity of Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3). They provide evidence supporting the historical selection of specific MKK3 haplotypes that shape dormancy levels according to changing climatic pressures and outline a genetic framework for breeders to balance grain dormancy and PHS-avoidance.
In AoBC Publications
Careers
Post-doctoral Research Associate - Microbial Manipulation of Plant Processes, Cambridge
Applications are invited for a Post-doctoral Research Associate position in the group of Professor Sebastian Schornack at the Sainsbury Laboratory (SLCU), Cambridge University. The aim of the project is to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which microbial effector proteins non-immunologically manipulate plant cellular and developmental processes to facilitate colonisation.
Funded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - How do plants know when to grow up? Bristol
This project will provide fundamental training in genetic analysis, including experience with molecular cloning, transgenic plant production, CRISPR-Cas9 mediated mutagenesis, quantification of gene expression, genome-wide sequencing and histological techniques. With multiple approaches to elucidate the molecular mechanism of vegetative phase change, the student will be able to identify which strategy and techniques they feel are most viable and focus on these to achieve their research objectives.
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Soil and Crop Sciences, Reading
We seek a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher to mechanistically investigate the benefits of cereal-legume intercrops for crop quality and soil health and quantify gaseous and leachate nitrogen losses from field plot experiments. The postholder will balance their time between fieldwork, laboratory analysis, data science, manuscript writing, and communication activities.
Research Associate: Plant-fungal interactions, Sheffield
We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the research group of Professor Katie Field in the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Professors Gareth Phoenix, Dylan Childs and Jurriaan Ton. This Royal Society-funded position offers an exciting opportunity to investigate the function, regulation, and ecology of diverse mycorrhizal fungi and the networks they form.
Research Associate: Molecular Plant-Microbe interactions, Sheffield
We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the research group of Professor Katie Field in the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield in collaboration with Professors Jurriaan Ton, Gareth Phoenix and Dylan Childs. This is an exciting Royal Society-funded position focusing on understanding the regulation and function of symbiotic fungi in model plant systems.
Technician: Research (Molecular Biology), Sheffield
Dr Stuart Casson, Dr Dan Bose and Prof Julie Gray in the School of Biosciences are looking to appoint a talented and dedicated Technician to join a BBSRC funded project investigating carbon dioxide signaling in the plants. You will work alongside and support a post-doctoral researcher who is also employed on the project, which also involves collaboration with researchers at the Universities of Bath and Bristol.
Two PhD Student positions (m/f/d) in Plant Pathogen Evolution, Kiel
Each PhD student will lead a project exploring how the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzaeadapts to infect different host plants. This fungus is one of the world’s most destructive crop pathogens and poses a major threat to global food security. The projects combine experimental evolution, genomics, and molecular biology techniques to uncover the genes that drive host shifts and disease development.
(see under Zwei Stellen als wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in /Doktorand*innenstellen (m/w/d) am Institut für Phytopathologie)
PhD positions: Fire resilience of Amazon forests, Wageningen
Are you passionate about understanding the effects of fires on tropical forests? Do you aspire to contribute to cutting-edge research in forest ecology and management? We have two exciting PhD positions available at the Forest Ecology and Forest Management Chair Group (FEM) at Wageningen University that offer a unique opportunity to investigate fire resilience of Amazonian forests in Bolivia, based on permanent plot networks and a fire experiment.
PhD Carbon Cycling in Wetlands in Québec, Montréal
Scott J. Davidson is recruiting two motivated PhD students to join the CARCLIQUE Research Chair and work on cutting-edge projects focused on the carbon cycle and hydrology of Québec’s wetlands — from forested peatlands in the south to the Arctic landscapes of Nunavik.
Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2-year (2026-2028), Vancouver
We invite applications from highly motivated individuals for a postdoctoral position in biodiversity science—two positions are open, one of which we intend to fill with an applicant with expertise in bioinformatics (the other position can be more general). Preference will be given to candidates with bold ideas, demonstrated research ability, strong communication skills, and record of leadership.