š The Week in Botany September 2, 2024
My second week off has been a bit more tiring than I expected, but Iām at an age when I can be a curmudgeon and blame the young people. Botanical University Challenge was fun. Iāve been to lots of events where people share research, but few where people have just given a brief presentation on what they like about Botany.
The weekend is also more effort than I expected. Usually, for a week off, I can use various systems to watch the social networks to see whatās being shared. I didnāt take into account was a network owner having a public mid-life crisis. The shift of Brazilians from Twitter to other networks has knocked out a lot of things that I use to track links.
Nonetheless, there will also be another collection of the stories and papers youāre sharing on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads, at the same time next week. Until then, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
Botanical University Challenge 2024
A unique botanical student event returns bigger than ever.
IBC2024: Delving into South African medicinal plant treasures
At IBC2024, Professor Nokwanda P. Makunga brought us through a journey to discover the richness of the native flora used by local people in South Africa and their incredible properties ā revealed by using cutting-edge technologies.
News & Views
Into the woods: 'Trees' a glimpse into the natural world through a forest of works
Richard Levy Gallery director Viviette Hunt lives surrounded by trees in Tesuque. When she heard about the Letās Plant Albuquerque program, she curated a show about trees. The initiative is dedicated to planting 100,000 new saplings in the city by 2030.
How the healing powers of botany can reduce anxiety and boost health
Surrounding ourselves with greenery can do wonders for our physical and mental wellbeing. Kathy Willis reveals just what kinds of plants are best for our brains and bodies, and why.
Three reminders to help you thriveānot merely surviveāin grad school
Bart: Look at me, I'm a grad student. I'm 30 years old and I made $600 last year.
Marge: Bart, don't make fun of grad students. They've just made a terrible life choice.
Pretty privilege
Botanically inclined scientists are well acquainted with āplant blindnessā, the common tendency to overlook flora and concentrate on fauna. But we are similarly afflicted by aesthetic opinions with serious consequences for conservation.
ReadCube: https://rdcu.be/dSDW0
Scientific Papers
Carbon emissions from the 2023 Canadian wildfires (OA)
Byrne et al. quantify the carbon emissions from these fires from May to September 2023 on the basis of inverse modelling of satellite carbon monoxide observations.
Regulation of hair cell and stomatal size by a hair cell-specific peroxidase in the grass Brachypodium distachyon (OA)
Nunes et al. identified a role for BdPRX76/BdPOX, a class III peroxidase, in regulating hair cell and stomatal size in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. In bdpox mutants, prickle hair cells were smaller and stomata were longer.
Multiple Horizontal Mini-chromosome Transfers Drive Genome Evolution of Clonal Blast Fungus Lineages (OA)
Barragan et al. reveal multiple instances of horizontal chromosome transfer within pandemic clonal lineages of the blast fungus Magnaporthe (Syn. Pyricularia) oryzae. They identified a horizontally transferred 1.2Mb accessory mini-chromosome which is remarkably conserved between M. oryzae isolates from both the rice blast fungus lineage and the lineage infecting Indian goosegrass (Eleusine indica), a wild grass that often grows in the proximity of cultivated cereal crops.
Probing plant signal processing optogenetically by two channelrhodopsins (OA)
Ding et al. used light-gated ion channels (channelrhodopsins), to study the basis for encoding of specificity in plant signal processing. They developed a genetically engineered channelrhodopsin variant called XXM 2.0 with high Ca2+ conductance that enabled triggering cytosolic Ca2+ elevations in planta.
Buzz-pollinating bees deliver thoracic vibrations to flowers through periodic biting (OA)
Woodrow et al. used high-speed filmography to investigate how flower vibration amplitude changes during biting in Bombus terrestris visiting two species of buzz-pollinated flowering plants: Solanum dulcamara and Solanum rostratum (Solanaceae).
The B-box protein BBX13/COL15 suppresses photoperiodic flowering by attenuating the action of CONSTANS in Arabidopsis ($)
Rahul et al. identify a previously uncharacterized group II BBX family member, BBX13/COL15, as a negative regulator of flowering under long-day conditions.
bioRxiv: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.19.590210v1
Leaf venation network architecture coordinates functional trade-offs across vein spatial scales: evidence for multiple alternative designs ($)
Matos et al. measured architecture and functional traits on 122 ferns and angiosperms species to describe how trade-offs vary across phylogenetic groups and vein spatial scales (small, medium, and large vein width) and determine whether architecture traits at each scale have independent or integrated effects on each function.
Can a nitrogen-fixing organelle be engineered within plants? ($)
Given that crop yields are strongly limited by nitrogen, engineering crop plants with self-nitrogen-fertilization capacity holds great promise for sustainable agriculture. Recently, a nitrogen-fixing organelle has been characterized in the unicellular marine microalgae Braarudosphaera bigelowii. Engineering a nitrogen-fixing organelle into the nonānitrogen-fixing crops could benefit both environmental sustainability and global food security.
In AoBC Publications
Pectin-like heteroxylans in the early-diverging charophyte Klebsormidium fluitans (OA)
Centromere drive may propel the evolution of chromosome and genome size in plants (OA)
Model-based inference of a dual role for HOPS in regulating guard cell vacuole fusion (OA)
Careers
Senior Research Associate in Plant Cell Biology, Bristol
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral plant cell biologist to research root-soil interactions in Claire Griersonās laboratory. This Leverhulme Trust funded project characterises molecular mechanisms that produce and secrete biomolecules to alter soil properties and root-soil binding.
Weed Management Specialist, Cambridge
We are recruiting a Weed Management Specialist to work as part of our Farming Systems and Agronomy Research team. The role will deliver research on the biology and management of key UK weed species within (primarily) combinable crops and arable rotations and share specialist technical and scientific knowledge, internally and externally to NIAB, on the agronomy of combinable crops and arable rotations, as part of a group comprising Research Agronomists and Crop Specialists.
Post-doctoral or doctoral position in Plant Vitamin Metabolism, Geneva
Within the group of Teresa Fitzpatrick at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Geneva in Switzerland, applications are invited for a post-doctoral or doctoral position to work on the molecular characterization of factors controlling vitamin B6 homeostasis and how this impacts plant fitness.
Postdoc ā āGrass stomatal diversity and climate change resilienceā, Bern
The research group āStomatal Biologyā is welcoming applications for a post-doctoral position (2 + 1 years). Our research group investigates how grasses and succulents form ābreathing poresā or stomata on leaves and how different stomatal forms contribute to gas exchange physiology.
Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Molecular Biology, Lausanne
In our team, we aim to elucidate the genetic and cell biological adaptations required to accommodate high densities of bacteria inside these organs. We are searching for a new team member passionate about organismic interactions and with a strong background in transcription factors, transcriptional regulation and plant molecular biology.
Post Doctoral Fellow - 12 Month, Arkansas
The successful candidate will assist in leading agricultural service and soil-testing programs that support applied nutrient management research and extension programs. Specific responsibilities will include organizing data, archiving soil samples, preparing and submitting research reports, publishing research papers, and helping manage research grants.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Soybean Genetics and Molecular Biology-Disease Resistance and Stress Resilience, Missouri
Conduct research to understand the molecular basis of soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance and develop gene-edited soybean lines to improve nematode resistance and root system architecture for stress resilience.
Assistant/Associate Professor - Plant Nematology, Kansas
The Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Kansas State University, is recruiting an Assistant or Associate Professor with expertise in the area of plant nematology. This Faculty position is a 12-month, tenure-track appointment with an approximately 90% Research and 10% Teaching distribution of effort.