🌻 The Week in Botany September 23, 2024
It’s felt like an uphill week, with the nights growing longer in the northern hemisphere. I hope it feels downhill for everyone in the southern hemisphere. The effort has paid off though. I have, by the end of the week caught up with my schedule, so I can say that next week we’ll have a mysterious masked seed disperser, Dracula playing trick and treat, and more research showing that gardening is good for you.
There’ll be another collection of the stories and papers you’re sharing on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads, at the same time next week. Until then, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
Unraveling the Mechanisms of Photoinhibition in Plants
Recent research emphasizes the critical role of photoprotection mechanisms in helping plants cope with excess light, which can impair photosynthesis.
Loïc Rajjou: “Plants have the potential to address global challenges”
Botany One interviews Dr. Loïc Rajjou to learn more about his passion for seeds and their role in tackling various societal challenges.
News & Views
The amazing flowers growing in pavement cracks and why you shouldn’t pass them by
In spring and summer flowers pop up spontaneously in lawns, playgrounds, fields and even cracks in the pavement. But what do you see: weeds or wildflowers?
Wood gets 50% more interesting
Living in a world of binary choices – e.g. of up/down, in/out, hot/cold, 1/0 – we get used to, and can cope with, an either/or situation. A good botanical dichotomous example is the classification of the wood of trees into ‘hard’ or soft’.
Forest staff deployed in Nilgiris to protect Neelakurinji plants
The blooming of the Strobilanthes species, believed to be Strobilanthes kunthiana has been reported from two parts of the Nilgiris – near Udhagamandalam and Kotagiri, officials said.
Can agave help solve California’s agricultural dilemma? Some farmers are betting big
Some California farmers are banking on a “magical crop” in response to drought and climate change.
Experts call for urgent action as invasive species threatens Brazil mangroves
The Sonneratia apetala plant is native to India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, yet biologists have found hundreds of specimens permeating the mangroves in the south of Brazil.
Community forest grows by 240,000 trees in a year
Almost 240,000 trees have been planted over the past year by a community forestry project for East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
The Arctic Seed Vault Shows the Flawed Logic of Climate Adaptation
The difficulties of the Svalbard seed repository illustrate why we need to prevent climate disaster rather than plan for it.
Supporting bees as easy as planting flowers
This September beekeepers are asking New Zealanders to support hard-working bees.
Scientific Papers
The impact of thermogenesis on the origin of insect pollination ($)
Peris et al suggest that thermogenesis has probably occurred in seed plants for at least the past 200 million years, long before the origin of angiosperms.
ReadCube: https://rdcu.be/dUKtk
Heatwaves exacerbate pollen limitation through reductions in pollen production and pollen vigour (OA)
Rosenberger et al exposed developing flowers to either control temperature (25C:20C) or extreme heat (35C:20C) over 72 hours. They then hand pollinated them with either crossed or self-derived pollen from the same temperature treatment to determine direct and interactive effects of simulated heatwaves on pollen tube growth and resulting seed set.
A mathematical model of photoinhibition: exploring the impact of quenching processes (OA)
Nies et al present a mathematical model with a dynamic description of the photosynthetic electron transport chain, non-photochemical quenching and photoinhibition.
Do local and landscape context affect the attractiveness of flower gardens to bees? (OA)
Eldridge et al compared the relative effects of local floral resources and surrounding urban land-use on the abundance of bees on flowering plants in common gardens in eastern Tennessee, USA.
Fungus gnat pollination in Arisaema urashima: the interplay of lethal traps and mutualistic nurseries ($)
Suetsugu et al investigated interactions between A. urashima and its pollinating fungus gnats, given that A. urashima is closely related to A. thunbergii. Specifically, they tested whether decaying A. urashima serve as brood-sites for some pollinators and whether these pollinators can escape seemingly lethal floral traps.
Free version at ResearchGate.
Expert assessment of illegal collecting impacts on Venus flytraps and priorities for research on illegal trade (OA)
Margulies et al drew on qualitative expert stakeholder elicitation to contextualize the threat of illegal collecting to the long-term conservation of Venus flytraps in relation to other anthropogenic threats.
The enduring world forest carbon sink ($)
To provide a ground-based long-term assessment of the contribution of forests to terrestrial CO2 uptake, Pan et al synthesized in situ forest data from boreal, temperate and tropical biomes spanning three decades. They found that the carbon sink in global forests was steady, at 3.6 ± 0.4 Pg C yr−1 in the 1990s and 2000s, and 3.5 ± 0.4 Pg C yr−1 in the 2010s.
ReadCube: https://rdcu.be/dUdAS
Who pollinates exotic plants? A global assessment across native and exotic ranges (OA)
This systematic review explores the diversity of floral visitors observed at exotic plants worldwide while also assessing whether these plants tend to attract native or exotic animals.
Adaptation to soil type contributes little to local adaptation in an Italian and a Swedish ecotype of Arabidopsis thaliana on contrasting soils (OA)
Ellis & Ågren performed a factorial reciprocal-transplant experiment using locally adapted ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana at their native sites to distinguish the contributions of adaptation to soil type and climate.
Early exposure to phosphorus starvation induces genetically determined responses in Sorghum bicolor roots (OA)
Mikwa et al identified novel physiological and genetic responses to phosphorus starvation in sorghum diversity lines that augment current knowledge of breeding for climate-smart crops in Europe.
In AoBC Publications
Automated Seminal Root Angle Measurement with Corrective Annotation (OA)
New beginnings for dead ends: polyploidy, -SSE models, and the dead-end hypothesis (OA)
Careers
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh is looking for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to study the evolution and genetic regulation of phyllotaxis in the lycophyte lineage in the group of Dr Sandy Hetherington (The Molecular Palaeobotany and Evolution Group) in the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences.
Research Assistant in Plant Biology (Fixed Term), Cambridge
Applications are invited for a Research Assistant position in the research group of Dr Katharina Schiessl at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University. The Schiessl Group investigates plant organs of diverse forms and functions in the context of plant microbe-interactions.
Research Associate in Fungal Biology, Kent
A Research Associate position is available in the School of Biosciences at the University of Kent We are looking for two enthusiastic and ambitious postdoctoral researchers to join Dr Rebecca Hall’s research team which are based in the School of Biosciences.
Team Leader Facility Greenhouse Horticulture, Wageningen
As a team leader of the facility management of the Business Unit Horticulture, you are responsible for the smooth operation of the greenhouse complex at the location in Bleiswijk.
PhD student – Reconstructing Evolution of the Plant Energy Sensing System, Leuven
You will work in the Division of Molecular Biotechnology of Plants and Micro-organisms of the Biology department at KU Leuven and in Meise Botanic Garden under the supervision of prof. Filip Rolland and prof. Steven Janssens.
Assistant Professor – Controlled-Environment Agriculture, Utah
Utah State University expects this scientist to expand our understanding of whole plant physiology using controlled environments as a research tool (protected horticulture ranging from growth rooms, climate-controlled greenhouses, and high tunnels).
Professor and Chair - Environmental Horticulture, Florida
The chair administers state, national, and international programs of the department. The chair fosters shared governance, as outlined in the department bylaws, evaluates faculty and staff performance, and encourages the proactive development of strategic programs. The chair represents departmental and faculty interests with administrators, other departments, and units, and outside agencies, individuals and groups in natural resources, industry, and communities.
Postdoctoral Scientist in Cropping Systems, Colorado
Colorado State University seeks a Postdoctoral Scientist to conduct on-station and on-farm trials of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures under restricted irrigation in Western Colorado and Utah.
Post Doctoral Fellow - Plant & Environmental Sciences, South Carolina
The postdoc will investigate the effects of nitrogen fertilizers on physiological performance, yield, seed quality, and root traits in soybeans, including degree of nodulation at Clemson University. Nitrogen use efficiency will be investigated by isotope analysis. Salt-tolerant lines with good nitrogen fixation qualities will be identified and incorporated into the breeding process.
Post-doctoral Scholar - Weed Science, Pennsylvania
PennState is seeking a post-doctoral research associate to join GROW (www.growiwm.org), a dynamic research and extension network for integrated weed management. GROW conducts research on several IWM and ecological weed management tactics including cover crops and harvest-time weed seed control across a range of environments and is engaged in development of real-time weed and crop mapping systems using computer vision and artificial intelligence.
Assistant Professor - Agroecology, Massachusetts
UMass Amherst invites applications for a tenure-track position in Agroecology at the rank of Assistant Professor. This position is a full-time, 9-month appointment with a distribution of responsibilities including 40% research, 40% teaching, and 20% service.
Assistant Professor - Plant Conservation Ecology, California
California State University, Northridge is seeking a tenure-track faculty member in Plant Conservation Ecology at the rank of Assistant Professor. The successful candidate may teach courses in introductory biology for majors (BIOL 106) and in the candidate’s specialty, which may include field-based courses in Plant Ecology (BIOL 407), Conservation Biology (BIOL 456), or a new senior-level course for majors on Biodiversity and Global Change.
Postdoctoral Researcher (Agronomy, Crop Science, Sustainable Agriculture), Texas
This position will support research on sustainable crop production in controlled and field environments. The person hired will serve as a key support to the Principal Investigator of the project. The research activities will include physical activities including bending, lifting, and operating field experimental equipment and pots containing growing media amongst others.
Associate Plant Growth Assistant, Brisbane
Join the team as an Associate Plant Growth Assistant, supporting the Plant Growth organisational unit in delivering exceptional services for teaching and research. In this role, you will be responsible for maintaining and operating critical plant growth infrastructure, including glasshouses, greenhouses, and growth cabinets.