The Week in Botany October 13, 2025
I have my COVID vaccine, and my social battery badge, so I’m now ready for conferences. I have a naturally grumpy face so the battery badge is there to reassure people that I really am happy to talk to them. Unless it’s flashing red, in which case I’m probably heading to the exit.
This week I’m hoping to finish an article about plant names that I can use for reference in the future. Given my track record with deadlines, and things cropping up that take my attention, there’s a good chance I’ll miss the deadline. However, I make it public now, it should focus my mind on getting it out before the end of the month. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll have space to schedule this week as we have a lot in the system. For example, later today we have an article about a pollinator that might by unexpectedly important. Nonetheless it would be really hard to get people enthusiastic about saving it.
There will also be 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
Bringing Darwin’s Botanical Work Into the Spotlight
Surveying visitors at a major botanical garden reveals a surprising gap in plant evolution knowledge, and a clear opportunity to close it.
When Storms Strike, Dutch Villagers Raise a Shield of Flowers
Some southern villages in the Netherlands continue the ancient practice of protecting their homes with St. John’s bouquets and wreaths. An ethnobotanical survey was recently conducted to understand the species composition and function of these blessed charms.
Francisco Navarro-Rosales: Studying Plant Resilience in the Cerrado and Beyond
Botany One interviews Francisco Navarro-Rosales, a PhD student fascinated by fire ecology in tropical ecosystems.
Microscopic Engineers: the Beads that Carry the Future of Ecological Restoration
A Brazilian team develops a scalable bioengineering method using alginate beads to deliver mosses, algae, and cyanobacteria for restoring degraded soils.
Taming the beasts: challenges of identification in big plant genera
Digital revolution provides perfect opportunity to identify species.
The Stuff That Young Botanists Are Made Of
A review of Jonathan Drori’s The Stuff that Stuff is Made of, a book for younger readers.
…and last’s week’s Week in Botany with nature and nurture, the long life of a rose, Dr. Stefanie Ickert-Bond on the importance of taxonomy and more…
News & Views
Pure mustard can now be grown in contaminated soil: Punjabi University research
Through Dr. Gurvarinder Kaur’s research, it has been highlighted that cadmium is highly toxic to human health. This method ensures that cadmium’s impact is confined to the roots.
Fade to grey: as forests are cut down, butterflies are losing their colours
The insects’ brilliant hues evolved in lush ecosystems to help them survive. Now they are becoming more muted to adapt to degraded landscapes – and they are not the only things dulling down.
Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says
Analysis of 25 years of evidence shows most schemes are poor quality and fail to lower emissions.
Australian orchids suffer rapid pollination decline since the 1970s, study suggests
A preliminary study has found several Australian orchid species have suffered a 60 per cent decline in pollen movement and fertilisation since 1925. The biggest drop in pollination started in the 1970s, with researchers suggesting rising temperatures and land clearing may be contributing factors.
Biodegradable plastic made from bamboo is strong and easy to recycle
Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, and its cellulose fibres can be turned into a hard, mouldable plastic for use in cars and appliances.
Wyoming botanists test assisted migration on climate-affected plants
In a burned forest in the Snowy Range, University of Wyoming botanist Daniel Laughlin bent over 10 tiny trees inside plastic nets. “Here's one we haven't seen yet. This is bristlecone pine,” he said.
Edinburgh Botanics' historic Palm Houses getting ready to reopen following four-year restoration project
After four years of vital conservation work, a new chapter is unfolding at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, as horticulture teams prepare to return hundreds of remarkable botanical specimens home to the historic Palm Houses.
She Studied How Logging Affects Pollinators
Kim Ballare was a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service until her federal grant “got snatched away.”
Century-old papers saved from the bin reveal changes in Europe’s plant life
Plant inventories dating back to 1884 and nearly thrown away enable unique time-lapse study of biodiversity in Swiss meadows
The buzz of pollination and how plants stave off greedy bees
In this week’s blog post, we’re learning all about buzz pollination between Bombus terrestris and Solanum rostratum! Author Mario Vallejo-Marín explains one of the most striking examples of evolutionary convergence in floral form – buzz pollinated flowers: “Gradual pollen release in a buzz-pollinated plant: Investigating pollen presentation theory under bee visitation”.
Money might not grow on trees, but gold sure does, says new study
Plants do more than photosynthesize – some of them make gold. In a boreal forest in northern Finland, scientists found tiny gold particles inside Norway spruce needles.
This Week in Botany
5 Years Ago: State of the World’s Plants and Fungi: Does conservation policy help or hinder scientific research?
10 Years Ago: Thinking outside the box?
15 Years Ago: Will the first artificial intelligence by inspired by plants?
Scientific Papers
Single Cell Multi-Omics Reveals Rare Biosynthetic Cell Types in the Medicinal Tree Camptotheca acuminata (FREE)
Camptotheca acuminata, a medicinal tree, produces camptothecin, a compound used in anticancer drugs. The biosynthesis of camptothecin involves complex steps, with the formation of strictosidinic acid catalysed by STR enzymes.
Choosing which models best explain photoperiodic time measurement mechanisms in plants (FREE)
Seasonal responses can be triggered by photoperiod changes. To explain photoperiodic time measurement, three main models (hourglass, external coincidence, and internal coincidence) have been proposed based on physiological observations in plants and animals. It has been discussed which model fits best to explain each response. Studies in model plants like Arabidopsis and rice suggest their photoperiodic mechanisms incorporate features that fit more than one of these models.
EPP1 is an ancestral component of the plant Common Symbiosis Pathway (FREE)
The success of plants on land has been enabled by mutualistic intracellular associations with microbes for 450 million years (Delaux and Schornack 2021). Because of their intracellular nature, the establishment of these interactions requires tight regulation by the host plants. In particular, three genes – SYMRK, CCaMK and CYCLOPS – form the core of an ancestral common symbiosis pathway (CSP) for intracellular symbioses, and are conserved since the most recent common ancestor of land plants (Radhakrishnan et al. 2020; Delaux et al. 2015; Wang et al. 2010; Parniske 2008). Rich et al describe EPP1 as a fourth gene committed to the CSP. Among land plants, EPP1 is conserved only in species able to associate with at least one type of intracellular symbiont.
KATANIN promotes cell elongation and division to generate proper cell numbers in maize organs (FREE)
Microtubule severing is essential for proper eukaryotic cell elongation and division. Here we show that the microtubule severing protein, KATANIN, is encoded by two genes in Zea mays (maize) called Discordia3a (Dcd3a) and Dcd3b. Loss of function allele combinations contribute to reduced microtubule severing and decreased cell elongation. The latter results in reduced cell number by slowing entry into mitosis. KATANIN is important for preprophase band (PPB) formation and positioning, and nuclear positioning in symmetric cell divisions. A combination of these defects contribute to generating mutant plants with small size and aberrant shape.
Engineered geminivirus replicons enable rapid in planta directed evolution ($)
Directed evolution can rapidly generate genetic variants with new and enhanced properties, yet efficient platforms for performing such evolution directly in plant cells have been lacking. Zhu et al developed Geminivirus Replicon-Assisted in Planta Directed Evolution (GRAPE), a system that links gene function to geminivirus rolling circle replication (RCR) to enable high-throughput selection for desired activities. GRAPE supports the screening of up to 105 variants on a single Nicotiana benthamiana leaf within four days.
MSL10 is a high-sensitivity mechanosensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap (FREE)
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), a carnivorous plant, possesses mechanosensitive organs called sensory hairs. After sensing a touch stimulus, the hair generates an action potential (AP) and a long-range calcium signal that propagate to the leaf blade, triggering leaf movement to catch prey after two successive calcium signals. Suda et al show that the MECHANOSENSITIVE CHANNEL OF SMALL CONDUCTANCE–LIKE homologue (DmMSL10/FLYC1) in the Venus flytrap acts as a high-sensitivity mechanosensor.
Beautiful and delicious mutants: The origins, fates, and benefits of molecular sequence variation in plant evolution and breeding (FREE)
Slewinski et al summarize specific examples of sequence variation that illustrate the extent and impact of plant mutation for agriculture and the essential value of mutational tools to generate additional useful genetic variation. Over time, these tools have been successfully deployed in plant breeding and have been accepted as a means to produce beneficial variation in crops without compromising safety.
Large-scale Phylogenomics Reveals Systematic Loss of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Genes at the Family Level in Cucurbitaceae (FREE)
Choudhary et al investigated anthocyanin pigmentation in Cucurbitaceae, the second-largest fruit and vegetable family, characterised by white and yellow flowers and red, orange, and green fruits predominantly pigmented by carotenoids. Using a comprehensive collection of 258 datasets representing species across all 15 tribes of Cucurbitaceae and a phylogenomics approach, they observed a systematic absence of genes involved in anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis.
SALICYLIC ACID SENSOR1 reveals the propagation of an SA hormone surge during plant pathogen advance ($)
Visualizing and quantifying the amount of a hormone within a cell can be achieved using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensors. These sensors involve a hormone binding to a pair of linked proteins, which then undergo conformational changes to alter the fluorescence emission ratio of two connected fluorescent proteins. Tang et al. have developed a FRET sensor for the plant hormone salicylic acid, which is primarily involved in activating immune responses.
Exploring fern pathosystems and immune receptors to bridge gaps in plant immunity (FREE)
Castel et al investigate fern-pathogen interactions by characterizing novel pathosystems and analyzing the diversity of fern immune receptors. A collection of fern species was inoculated with a diverse set of filamentous microbes, and disease symptoms were assessed. They further leveraged published genome mining tools to analyse the diversity of RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASES, RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEINS(RLKs/RLPs) and NUCLEOTIDE-BINDING AND LEUCINE-RICH REPEATS (NLRs), along with key immune signalling components, in ferns.
The Bug-Network (BugNet): A Global Experimental Network Testing the Effects of Invertebrate Herbivores and Fungal Pathogens on Plant Communities and Ecosystem Function in Open Ecosystems (FREE)
Kempel et al introduce and report on the methodology of a novel global research network, The Bug-Network (BugNet), that implements standardized consumer-reduction experiments across 5 continents and 18 countries in diverse, herbaceous- or shrub-dominated ecosystems to investigate: (1) the influence of fungal pathogens, insect herbivores, and mollusks on plant diversity and ecosystem functioning, (2) interactions among these consumer groups, and (3) the abiotic and biotic drivers of context-dependent consumer impacts.
In AoBC Publications
Careers
Note: These are posts that have been advertised around the web. They are not posts that I personally offer, nor can I arrange the visa for you to work internationally.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Norwich
The main purpose of the position is to develop predictive computational models of epigenetic dynamics, collaborating particularly with the experimental group of Prof Rob Klose in the Dept of Biochemistry, Oxford University. The models will enhance our understanding of how the Polycomb system silences gene expression and how such a silenced memory state can be stably maintained through many cell cycles. The successful candidate will have a rare opportunity to work on fundamental biological processes in a truly interdisciplinary environment, with seamless collaboration with a leading experimental group.
John Innes Foundation Rotation PhD Programme, Norwich
The John Innes Foundation Rotation PhD Programme in Plant and Microbial Sciences is a prestigious four-year PhD programme that trains graduate students in Plant and Microbial Sciences at the John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory and the Earlham Institute. Our four-year Rotation PhD Programme gives you the chance to select three mini (10-week) projects in your first eight months, before narrowing your focus and choosing the topic and supervisor for your main research project.
Research Assistant (Fixed-Term), Nottingham
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position to work on a BBSRC-funded project seeking to develop Temperature Resistant Rice by exploiting novel germplasm to deliver improved heat tolerance and future-proofed rice yields. The project is based in the laboratories of Prof Zoe Wilson and Erik Murchie (Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, UK).
Research Assistant, Edinburgh
We are looking for a research assistant to lead efforts to generate 3D reconstructions of fossil plants to characterise the evolution of phyllotaxis. The project is based in the lab of Dr Sandy Hetherington (The Molecular Palaeobotany and Evolution Group) in the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences.
Postdoctoral Researcher, NERC Amazonia+10, London
The Natural History Museum is looking for a post-doctoral level scientist with analytical and modelling skills to work with an interdisciplinary, international team working the upper Rio Negro region of Amazonian Brazil in the project “Tsiino Hiiwida”. We expect the appointee to integrate data coming from field and museum studies and to be the lead analytical scientist in bringing these data together in the context of exploration of this biodiversity-rich region.
Junior Research Fellowship 2026, Cambridge
Clare College is intending to recruit two Junior Research Fellows in the sciences. These will be recruited through the Joint Application Scheme for Early Career Research Fellowships.
Post-doctorant (H/F) – Quantification des effets de la réduction des intrants sur la biodiversité et la production agricole : vers des Solutions fondées sur la Nature, Villiers en Bois
As part of an agroecology project, the postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for generating knowledge to determine the consequences of reduced use of fertilizers, pesticides, and tillage on biodiversity and agricultural production in cereal cropping plains, based on experimental data. Since 2013, field experiments under real farming conditions have been jointly implemented by farmers and researchers on their own plots. Several experimental treatments (alone or in combination) are tested within the same field in designated zones. These treatments involve reductions in fertilizer use, pesticide use, and/or tillage.
(H/F) Postdoc : « Cadre réponse-effet chez les plantes : mettre au jour les voies directes et indirectes », Moulis
Develop and conduct a research project on the response of plant and mycorrhizal fungal communities to environmental stresses and the cascading effects on ecosystem functioning.
Assistant ingénieur en biologie végétale (H/F) Villenave D’Ornon
Dans le cadre d’un projet visant à caractériser l’implication des lipides au cours de l’autophagie chez les plantes, l’AI aura en charge la génération, la gestion et la caractérisation de plantes transgéniques d’Arabidopsis ainsi que la continuité technique entre les membres de l’équipe.
Ingénieur en bioinformatique (H/F), Strasbourg
L’ingénieur(e) (H/F) recruté(e) travaillera au sein de deux équipes de recherche de l'IBMP. A 60% de son temps, l’ingénieur(e) travaillera au sein de l'équipe "Dynamique des ARN messagers chez les plantes" sous la supervision du Dr Rémy Merret. A 40% de son temps, l’ingénieur(e) travaillera au sein de l'équipe "Métabolisme et trafic des ARN dans la cellule végétale" sous la supervision du Dr. Laurence Drouard.
Postdoctoral Researcher (M/F) in Epidemiology/Ecology – Nature-based Solutions for Regulating Fungal and Viral Diseases in Cereals, Villiers en Bois
The postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for generating knowledge to determine which landscape configurations (e.g., the presence of hedgerows, grasslands, or organic farming) help reduce the severity of fungal and viral diseases in cereal crops (wheat, barley, etc.) located at the core of these landscapes. He/She will have access to data collected annually since 2021 from 150 agricultural fields within the Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre (an agricultural area in the southern part of the Deux-Sèvres, France), which were selected to represent a wide diversity of landscapes.
Professur für „Evolution und Biodiversität der Pflanzen“, Berlin
We are looking for an internationally recognised personality with a strong research profile in plant evolutionary biology, especially in molecular evolution, developmental biology, signalling paths and plant-environment interactions. The professorship includes the management of the Späth-Arboretum and teaching in relevant courses of study. (Badly translated from German)
Scientific Coordinator (f/m/d) of a Long-Term Experiment on Geo-Biosphere Interactions, Hohenheim
The newly funded Cluster of Excellence TERRA – "Terrestrial Geo-Biosphere Interactions in a Chang-ingWorld" is an interdisciplinary research initiative involving geoscientists, biologists, and computer scientists from the Universities of Tübingen and Hohenheim, as well as the Senckenberg Institute for Biodiversity and Earth System Research in Frankfurt. The cluster investigates how interactions between the living and non-living world shape global change – from individual organisms to the entire globe – in the geological past, present, and future. The research initiative will commence on January 1, 2026, and is currently funded until December 31, 2032.
Postdoc in Plant Molecular Biology: The Role of PAR in Dandelion Apomixis, Wageningen
We are seeking an enthusiastic and skilled plant molecular biologist to join the Biosystematics Group at Wageningen University & Research. In the project ‘Apomixis unravelled: the induction of parthenogenesis in dandelion and beyond’, we will build on an earlier study that identified the PAR gene as a major regulator of parthenogenesis in dandelion. We aim to elucidate how PAR can perform such an important function in the initiation of embryogenesis.
2-year Postdoctoral position on VALOR EU-project, Seville
We are offering a 2-year postdoctoral position to join the Horizon EU project: Values and dependence of society on pollinators (VALOR; https://valor-project.eu/). The candidate will be part of an international effort to understand the wider role of pollinators in socioecological systems and lead the performance of the ecological analysis of empirical data collected at the EU-level. The candidate will join a vibrant environment collaborating internationally with ecologists, agronomists, and social scientists.
Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in Natural Sciences, Shinjuku City
Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS) was established in September 2006 to enable promising and talented researchers to focus on their research activities under fixed-term contracts in a rich research environment. Waseda University announced in a message issued by the president on June 20, 2025, that the university would provide support to early-career researchers facing difficulties in continuing their research activities in the United States.
Bioinformatics Manager (at the rank of Technical Manager) in Bioinformatics Core, Hong Kong
Centre for PanorOmic Sciences (CPOS) is an academic research-support centre embracing multi-omics and big data biomedical research under the LKS Faculty of Medicine. CPOS core laboratories host state-of-the-art technology platforms with sophisticated equipment supported by over 75 dedicated members. Welcome to visit https://cpos.hku.hk to explore more.
Assistant or Associate Professor (Tenure Track): Forest Ecophysiology, Vancouver
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. Forest management and policy require science-based information, so it is desirable if the successful candidate has experience in conducting applied research and using results to inform management or policy decisions.