The Week in Botany November 24, 2025
I try to keep on top of stories, but sometimes I’m very slow to spot something. One example is the excellent Plants in Jars YouTube channel. I think I’d seen a thumbnail and thought it was another houseplant channel. It kind of is, but it’s not the “plants as interior design” approach I mistakenly thought it was, as the latest video I accidentally crashed the rare plant market shows. It’s well worth 12 minutes of your time.
This week, and to the end of the year, I’m busy with a refresh of the site. The plan is for the design to look more or else exactly the same, with alterations behind the scenes to improve things. For example, I’ll add a working print style sheet, so you can print off articles if you want to without them looking awful. I’ll also be aiming to make it a lot faster to load. Eventually I’ll be having another go at getting the mailing list and blog to work from the same system to cut my workload.
Something that came up from the strategy meeting is that we should be bundles of articles on topics for High School teachers. Climate Change is a bit of a big topic by itself, but we might look at compiling packs based on Phenology and Species Migration. If you’re a teacher and there’s something you think we can do to make your life a little bit easier, email me and I’ll see what I can do.
The result of all this extra work means I might be short of posts till the New Year. However, there will be another email of the papers and the news stories you’re sharing on Mastodon and Bluesky. Until next time, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
The Seed Dispersal Crisis
We often hear about species populations declining. But what about the services that those species provide? One of the most remarkable is seed dispersal. Last year, Mendes and colleagues published an article in Science shedding light on the conservation status of seed dispersal in Europe.
Modern wheat grows deep
Modern wheat has deeper roots than ancient wheats: is this an adaptation to higher productivity?
Flowers that Trick to Survive
How sun orchids fool bees with false promises of pollen.
…and last’s week’s Week in Botany with a fertiliser time-bomb, a taxonomic mistake that led to some odd results, and the fascination of seeds.
News & Views
Ancient fossil reveals how plants and fungi first developed on land
Plants and fungi have lived together for hundreds of millions of years – sometimes as allies, and sometimes as enemies. A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland has revealed early evidence of this relationship, as plants and fungi shared nutrients to survive on land.
Team Science Reveals Important Protein in Poplar
Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) led a team that identified a protein, PtrbHLH011, within poplar involved in plant growth, lignin production, and disease resistance.
“Wow” moments in the life and career of young scientist Miguel
The past few months have been a truly memorable time in the life and career of Dr Miguel Montez. The John Innes Centre scientist achieved double success by having his research appear in two academic papers published within a few weeks of each other.
Millennium Seed Bank
As we celebrate 25 years of seed banking, learn how we use our collections to combat biodiversity loss and climate change through scientific research while restoring habitats with our global partners.
Far right to the rescue on Europe’s gene-editing revolution
Previously ignored, two far-right lawmakers could end an impasse on gene-edited plants.
Learning With AI Falls Short Compared to Old-Fashioned Web Search
In virtually all the ways that matter, getting summarized information from AI models was less educational than doing the work of search.
Adeline Harant: Keeping an open mind is key for a fulfilling career in science
Dr. Adeline Harant, Senior Research Assistant in the Kamoun group, tells us what it’s like to be part of TSL’s research support staff.
The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality
Ten years ago the world’s leaders placed a historic bet. The 2015 Paris agreement aimed to put humanity on a path to avert dangerous climate change. A decade on, with the latest climate conference ending in Belém, Brazil, without decisive action, we can definitively say humanity has lost this bet.
A botanical conundrum: HELP, please!
Nigel Chaffey tackles a puzzle about mucilage.
Scientists stunned after stumbling upon species once thought to be extinct: 'Irreplaceable'
"Every year, science reveals more rare and endemic life thriving here."
Moss Survives Space, Media Loses Plot
“I’ve read some seriously overblown headlines and articles about this over the last couple of day. Let’s be clear – the moss wasn’t growing in space. It was surviving, not thriving. This particular experiment doesn’t tell us anything about whether this moss (like lichen algae) could ever survive on Mars, and whether it would make a good addition to a biological life support system. It only tells us that moss spores might survive a trip to Mars on the outside of a spaceship.”
This Week in Botany
5 Years Ago: Nectar thieves prefer daylight robbery
10 Years Ago: Will a Martian save the Earth?
15 Years Ago: PHYLIP and phylogeny inference
Scientific Papers
Promoter and domain swap analysis delineates heat stress memory-specific determinants of heat shock factor HSFA2 (FREE)
Exposure to moderate heat stress (HS) primes plants to better withstand future exposure to more severe HS conditions. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the primed state is maintained for several days, referred to as HS memory. HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A2 (HSFA2) and HSFA3 promote this HS memory by jointly mediating transcriptional memory in a subset of HS-inducible genes. Why only two of the 21 HSFs in Arabidopsis function specifically in HS memory is unknown. Oberkofler et al investigated this question through a promoter and domain swap analysis between HSFA2 and HSFA1D, a regulator of the acute HS response (HSR), aiming to uncover the requirements for HS memory HSFs.
On growth and flow: hydraulic aspects of aboveground meristems (FREE)
Water is vital for plant growth, influencing meristem activity through hydraulic fluctuations. Understanding how meristems sense and respond to these changes is crucial for studying meristem plasticity.
Evolutionary trade-off between stomatal defense and gas exchange in Brassicaceae ($)
Stomatal opening is crucial for gas exchange, but it unavoidably offers invasion by pathogens. In response, plants close stomata to prevent pathogen entry, while the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto) produces coronatine (COR), a jasmonate (JA) mimic, to counteract this plant response. Kang et al demonstrate that by COR, Pto exploits CYP707A1 activation in Arabidopsis thaliana, encoding an enzyme that degrades abscisic acid, essential for stomatal closure.
Role of cAMP in TIR1/AFB auxin signaling: open issues (FREE)
The canonical mechanism by which the phytohormone auxin regulates transcription has been one of the cornerstones of plant signaling. The recent unexpected discovery of cyclic AMP (cAMP) as a second messenger in this pathway has revised its foundations while leaving many open questions and gaps in our understanding.
Adenine DNA methylation associated with transcriptionally permissive chromatin is widespread across eukaryotes (FREE)
DNA methylation is a key regulator of eukaryotic genomes, most commonly through 5-methylcytosine (5mC). In contrast, the existence and function of N6-methyladenine (6mA) in eukaryotes have been controversial, with conflicting reports resulting from methodological artifacts. Nevertheless, some unicellular lineages, including ciliates, early-branching fungi and the alga Chlamydomonas, show robust 6mA signals, raising questions about their origin and evolutionary role. Charria et al apply Oxford Nanopore sequencing to profile 6mA at base-pair resolution across 18 unicellular eukaryotes representing all major supergroups. We find that robust 6mA patterns occur only in species that encode the adenine methyltransferase AMT1.
Phased epigenomics and methylation inheritance in a historical Vitis vinifera hybrid (FREE)
Cochetal et al assemble the phased genomes of Cabernet Sauvignon and its parental lineages, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, using HiFi long-reads and a gene map tenfold denser than existing maps. Using three clones per cultivar, they quantify methylation with very consistent short- and long-read sequencing and ensure both varietal representativeness and assessment of clonal variability.
Climate and hybridization shape stomatal trait evolution in Populus (FREE)
Leveraging six latitudinally distributed contact zones spanning the natural hybrid zone between Populus trichocarpa × Populus balsamifera, Zavala-Paez et al used whole genome resequencing and replicate common garden experiments to test the role that interspecific gene flow and selection play in stomatal trait evolution.
Large-scale culturing of the tree microbiome enables targeted disease suppression (FREE)
Ordonez et al generated an oak microbiota culture collection comprising >30,000 isolates from 150 oak trees across Britain, belonging to key bacterial and fungal taxa that represented 61% of the total bacterial sequences and 87% of total fungal sequences as determined by culture-independent sequencing. Over 22,000 isolates were screened for suppression of bacterial species associated with degradation of live stem tissue in trees affected by Acute Oak Decline (AOD), identifying 341 bacterial isolates that suppressed oak pathogens.
An AINTEGUMENTA phosphoswitch controls bilateral stem cell activity during secondary growth ($)
This study uncovers a critical regulatory mechanism governing bilateral stem cell activity during plant radial growth. Stem cells in the cambia proliferate and differentiate into specialized tissues like wood and cork, key sites of biomass accumulation. By exploring the interplay between the ERECTA (ER) receptor and auxin signaling, Xiao et al reveal how these pathways modulate stem cell differentiation and radial thickening through the phosphorylation of the transcription factor AINTEGUMENTA (ANT).
Overcoming barriers that limit the impact of ecological research (FREE)
Cano-Barbacil et al outline frequently encountered constraints in ecological research institutions and, by drawing upon many practices used internationally, they identify feasible mitigations and highlight examples of negative consequences that can occur in the absence of effective mitigation strategies.
Extreme environmental tolerance and space survivability of the moss, Physcomitrium patens (FREE)
Bryophytes, such as mosses, show notable extremotolerance, but despite studies on environmental responses in the model moss Physcomitrium patens, its survival under extreme conditions in space remains unclear. Maeng et al tested protonemata, brood cells, and spores encased in sporangium under simulated space environments, identifying spores as the most resilient, and subsequently exposed them to the space environment outside the International Space Station. After 9 months in space, over 80% of the spores survived, retaining their ability to germinate.
In AoBC Publications
Careers
Senior Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology, Worldwide
We are seeking an ecologist who is highly motivated in publishing excellent applied ecology to join the team of Editors of Journal of Applied Ecology. The Editor will work with other members of the journal team to promote the aims of the journal, commission and evaluate submissions, and plan and implement strategies that will enhance its profile, expand its reach, and better serve its community of authors and readers.
PhD, Augmenting Urban Tree Canopies with Mistletoe: Enhancing Air Quality, Biodiversity, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate, Essex
The project provides an exceptional interdisciplinary training platform. You will gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge plant ecophysiology techniques such as chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange (using LICOR systems) and thermal imaging, to assess plant performance under environmental stress. Training in geospatial analysis and ecological modelling will enable predictive insight into urban ecosystem dynamics. You will develop expertise in stakeholder engagement, citizen science, and science-policy communication, translating research into actionable outcomes.
PhD, EASTBIO: Defining the genetic toolkit that underpins cereal leaf development and evolution, Edinburgh
In the Plant Shape Lab we carry out research at the intersection of crop genetics, developmental biology and evolutionary biology to understand how cereal plants develop, the genes that control developmental processes and how these have evolved. We aim to ultimately identify potential breeding targets for improved productivity, quality and resilience in diverse cereal crops. This PhD project aims to used comparative developmental genetics to investigate the gene regulatory networks that control cereal leaf development, and how they may have changed over evolutionary time to deliver distinct shape differences.
EASTBIO - How plants breathe in a warming world: unravelling temperature control of stomata development, Dundee
This project will train you in a broad range of experimental approaches including genetics, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, advanced confocal microscopy and state-of-the-art omics techniques. You will gain an in-depth understanding of experimental design, quality control and statistical analysis, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You will have the opportunity to communicate your findings in departmental seminars and at scientific conferences, to participate in outreach activities and to contribute to publishing your research.
Research Fellow (Postdoctoral), Birmingham
The Plackett and Kettles labs at the University of Birmingham are seeking to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with expertise in bioinformatics to undertake a 2-year project ‘Speed breeding technologies for UK broadleaved trees’ as part of the Defra-funded Centre for Forest Protection (CFP).
PhD, MAGIC Crops: Genomics to breed high yielding, resilient and nutritious amaranth (York YBDTP Project), York
This PhD project uses cutting-edge genomic techniques to tackle global food security challenges, combining genetics, gene editing, and experimental plant science to develop improved varieties of amaranth — a climate-resilient, highly nutritious, but underutilised crop.
PhD program in the Plant Sciences, Cologne
As a highly international program, we encourage students from all countries to apply. Successful applicants will be enrolled at a German University, which is typically the University of Cologne (UoC). The Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) and the University of Cologne are equal opportunity employers. To be considered for selection, you must hold a Master’s degree or comparable and have completed 4 to 5 years of university studies in subjects relevant to the individual projects. While it is not necessary to hold the degree at the time of application, it must be awarded before PhD projects start.
Professor in » Crop Production «, Munich
The responsibilities include research and teaching and the promotion of early-career scientists. We seek to appoint an expert in the research area of crop production with a focus on food security and innovation of cropping systems. The goal of this professorship is to establish and implement the biological and technical innovations necessary for the further development and redesign of agricultural crop production.
Assistant Professor in Non-Seed Plant Diversity (Bryophytes, Ferns, Lycophytes), Vancouver
The University of British Columbia seeks candidates for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Non-Seed Plant Diversity with an expected start date of July 1, 2026. This is a full-time position with an expected starting salary range of $120,000 to $135,000 per annum. Applicants conducting innovative research in the area of bryophyte, fern, or lycophyte diversity are encouraged to apply, including those who employ systematics, phylogenetics, evolution, paleobotany, ecology, cell biology, developmental biology, physiology, molecular biology, genomics, or related techniques, and whose research ideally includes the collection and use of field samples and/or museum collections to address fundamental questions on the biodiversity and comparative biology of non-seed plants.
Professeure ou professeur en biologie moléculaire végétale, Sherbrooke
The Université de Sherbrooke invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Plant Molecular Biology in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science. The appointment is at the level of assistant professor, but a more senior appointment is possible for candidates with suitable experience. Candidates studying plant systems in all areas of molecular and cellular biology research will be considered, including, but not limited to, genetics, phenotyping, cell biology, bioinformatics, structural biology, ‘omics’ research.
Assistant or Associate Professor (Tenure Track): Forest Ecophysiology, Vancouver
The Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences (Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship, Vancouver Campus, The University of British Columbia – UBC) invites applications for a tenure-track position in Forest Ecophysiology at the Assistant or Associate Professor level, to commence on July 1, 2026 or when a suitable candidate is found. We are seeking an outstanding, emerging scholar to lead world-class research in forest ecophysiology and its connections to forest resilience, with a focus on one or more of the following study areas: tree ecophysiology; plant abiotic or biotic stress physiology; forest mortality and climate change responses; forest carbon balance; tree water relations; or nutrient use. Research may focus at the molecular, organismal, or stand level, and use observational, experimental or modelling approaches.