đ± TWiB January 31, 2022
Happy New Year, if this is the time of year that you celebrate the New Year. It's also going to be the Winter Olympics soon. I'll be interested to watch some of that but I was a bit depressed to read that all the snow will be artificial.
This week, I've made a lot of progress on the job advert, and it would be nice to have it under review by the end of this week. I plan to run it by Lorena, the outgoing editor, to get more tips on how to apply.
I hope to bring you more news of that, as well as the links you're sharing on Twitter, next week. The only concern is that I've got an ear infection that's closed up one of my ears. If that gets worse then I might be occupied. On the plus side, muffling in one ear has improved listening to the news by 50%.
Until then, stay safe.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
In Botany One
A class of chemicals that produce many of the colours of petals also regulates root response in White Lupins â www.botany.one Flavonoids help fine-tune a lupin's response to low phosphorus availability.
A new virtual modeling environment for plant models â www.botany.one The use of Jupyter notebooks makes model creation and execution more accessible.
Can Botany help remove microplastics from the environment? â www.botany.one The answer is not a simple yes, but research suggests that plants could help clean up the planet in several different directions.
Grass finds more than one way to survive in saline soil â www.botany.one A study of two species of grass in China finds that they have developed different methods to cope with the stress of saline-alkali soils.
Deep learning techniques used to predict missing data â www.botany.one A new model produces 3D trees that are close to reality using predicted data.
News & Views
Beinn Eighe: Regenerating rainforests on UK oldest reserve - BBC News â www.bbc.co.uk The rainforests on the UK's oldest national nature reserve in Wester Ross are being left to regenerate naturally for the first time in its history.
What fuelled an ancient empireâs rise? Potatoes and quinoa â www.nature.com The Andean superpower Tiwanaku developed with the help of a stable source of nutrients, including llama meat.
Species Spotlight: The Ê»Ćlulu, a Rare Hawaiian Plant That Depends on Humans for Survival â therevelator.org The cliff-growing Brighamia insignis was pronounced extinct in the wild in 2020, but it persists thanks to the hard work of botanical gardens and other collections.
An Indigenous scientist's perspective on conservation In her new book, Indigenous scholar and scientist Jessica Hernandez explains why caring for a landscape is different than conserving it.
Irelandâs rainforests hiding in plain sight Imagine if Ireland suddenly discovered an entirely new, and very rare, ecosystem right beneath our noses. It sounds impossible. And yet it is precisely what has been happening over recent years as more and more people have come to realise that this island has managed to cling on to a unique and endangered natural habitat called the oceanic temperate rainforest.
California redwood forest returned to native tribal group "I know our ancestors are happy. This was given to us to protect," said Priscilla Hunter, chairwoman of the Sinkyone Council.
A hard graft problem solved for key global food crops â www.nature.com Grafting has long been used to join tissues of different plants in horticulture and research. Methods have now been devised to extend the technique to plants called monocotyledons, which include major crops such as cereals and bananas.
An expedition to the Cairngorms to rescue the rare and endangered Alpine Sow-thistle â stories.rbge.org.uk
Cicerbita alpina, colloquially named Alpine Sow-thistle is a Nationally Rare plant that is confined within the UK to Scotland, where it is at the very western edge of its European distribution. It is the tallest alpine perennial herb that is encountered by adventurous botanists above 700m altitude, reaching 50 to 150cm in height.Â
Sri Lanka to pay $200m compensation for failed organic farm drive A million farmers whose crops failed under a botched scheme to establish the worldâs first 100-percent organic farming nation will be compensated.
Scientific Papers
A CRISPR way for accelerating improvement of food crops â www.nature.com
Zhang et al. provide a brief overview of CRISPR technology, its most important applications for crop improvement and several technological breakthroughs. We also make predictions of the applications of CRISPR technology to food crops, which we believe would provide the potential for synthetic biology and domestication of crops.
Cho et al. have discovered a novel bacterium, Ochrobactrum haywardense H1 (Oh H1), that is capable of efficient plant transformation. Ochrobactrum is a new host for Agrobacterium-derived vir and T-DNAâmediated transformation. Oh H1 is a unique, non-phytopathogenic species, categorized as a BSL-1 organism. They engineered Oh H1 with repurposed Agrobacterium virulence machinery and demonstrated Oh H1 can transform numerous dicot species and at least one monocot, sorghum.
Chloroplast development in green plant tissues: the interplay between light, hormone, and transcriptional regulation We use this conceptual framework to identify points of regulation that could be harnessed to modulate chloroplast abundance and increase photosynthetic efficiency of crops, and to highlight future avenues to overcome gaps in current knowledge.
Introducing plant biology graduate students to a culture of mental wellâbeing
Currently, an estimated 20%â40% of graduate students have depression and anxiety. In addition, more than half report experiencing high chronic stress. Thus, organizations such as the Plant Science Research Network have highlighted the need to prioritize trainee well-being. This has led to a search for strategies to introduce this cultural change into scientific training. However, for faculty who do not have experience with this topic area, there are few readily available resources from which to draw. Dewa et al. describe how two graduate groups, one focused on plant biology and the other on genomics and genetics approached this challenge together by introducing a course on mental and emotional well-being to their incoming first-year graduate students.
Translation initiation landscape profiling reveals hidden open reading frames required for the pathogenesis of tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus using tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (TYLCTHV, genus Begomovirus) as a model system, we identified genes beyond the annotated gene sets by experimentally profiling in vivo translation initiation sites (TISs). We found that unanticipated AUG TISs were prevalent and determined that their usage involves alternative transcriptional and/or translational start sites and is associated with flanking mRNA sequences.
Cell wall thickness and composition are related to photosynthesis in Antarctic mosses
In order to explore the role of cell wall composition in determining both Tcw and gm in mosses, Roig Oliver et al. tested six species grown under field conditions in Antarctica. They performed gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, an anatomical characterization, and a quantitative analysis of cell wall main composition (i.e., cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins) in these six species. They found the photosynthetic rates to vary between the species, and they also presented differences in anatomical characteristics and in cell wall composition.
Exponential rise in the discovery of endemic plants underscores the need to conserve the Indian savannas â onlinelibrary.wiley.com
One key assumption underlying the devaluation of Indian savannas against Indian forests is the presumed absence of endemic species. Through a systematic review, Nerlekar et al. test this assumption by collating data of plants endemic to the peninsular Indian savannas and analyze their spatiotemporal discovery patterns. They found that the Indian savannas contain 206 endemic plant species, of which 43% were described in the last two decades.
Modifying root-to-shoot ratio improves root water influxes in wheat under drought stress
Drought intensity as experienced by plants depends upon soil moisture status and atmospheric variables such as temperature, radiation, and air vapour pressure deficit. Although the role of shoot architecture with these edaphic and atmospheric factors is well characterized, the extent to which shoot and root dynamic interactions as a continuum are controlled by genotypic variation is less well known. Bacher et al. targeted these interactions using a wild emmer wheat introgression line (IL20) with a distinct drought-induced shift in the shoot-to-root ratio and its drought-sensitive recurrent parent Svevo. Using a gravimetric platform, they show that IL20 maintained higher root water influx and gas exchange under drought stress, which supported a greater growth.
In green tissues transcription factors, light signalling and hormone signalling form a complex network regulating the transcription of chloroplast- and photosynthesis-related genes to control the development and number of chloroplasts per cell. Cackett et al. use this conceptual framework to identify points of regulation that could be harnessed to modulate chloroplast abundance and increase photosynthetic efficiency of crops, and to highlight future avenues to overcome gaps in current knowledge.
LeafNet: A Tool for Segmenting and Quantifying Stomata and Pavement Cells
Li et al. introduce LeafNet, a tool that automatically localizes stomata, segments pavement cells (to prepare them for quantification), and reports multiple morphological parameters for a variety of leaf epidermal images, especially bright-field microscopy images. LeafNet employs a hierarchical strategy to identify stomata using a deep convolutional network and then segments pavement cells on stomata-masked images using a region merging method.
Careers
Post-Doctoral Researcher The Post-Doctoral Researcher will focus on the development of functional genomic tools for investigating sex chromosome function. The ideal candidate will have interest and experience in plant genomics, construct design, tissue culture, and plant transformation techniques.
Sainsbury Laboratory Horticultural Specialist The successful applicant will be a dynamic, driven horticultural professional with a keen interest in plant science. This is an important role at the interface between TSL scientific research groups and John Innes Centre Horticultural Services. You will work closely with TSL scientists to provide technical advice and guidance in all aspects of horticulture. You will also be expected to perform a range of standard horticultural tasks required for growing plants of good quality and consistency.
Postdoctoral Job in Plant Bioinformatics We are searching for highly motivated applicants with a PhD in bioinformatics or a similar field in computational biology. Applicants should be proficient in programming (Java, C/C++ etc.) or scripting and should have experiences in the analysis of next-generation sequencing data and in the use of a high-performance compute cluster.Â
Herbarium Curator (Plant Collector) As Herbarium Curator (Plant Collecting) you will be a vital part of the project, through collection, recording, and preparation of specimens for deposit in the herbarium. You will also be organising the annual collecting programme, liaising with living collection holders at RHS and other gardens and supervising and coaching a team of volunteers based in the RHSâs gardens.
Project Coordinator in Higher Education The Project Coordinator for Higher Education will organise and coordinate engagement activities with plant science for post-16 and undergraduate audiences. This varied and creative role would suit an experienced communications professional and event manager who takes pride in maintaining high standards. You will work closely with members of the GPSEP team and contractors to administer ambitious student engagement projects that aim to inspire the next generation of plant scientists.
Botanist â nrmjobs.com.au Biosphere Environmental Consultants is seeking to employ a Botanist to support our team on a range of exciting projects in north-eastern Australia. You'll collaborate with and support Biosphere's ecology team and draw on their knowledge of zoology, botany, microbiology, veterinary medicine, and social science. Your work will include flora survey, conservation, impact assessment and monitoring projects, across a broad range of ecosystems.
Horticulturist (Greenhouse) This position is located in the Smithsonian Institutionâs (SI) Office of Facilities, (SF). The incumbent reports to the Supervisory Horticulturist of the Greenhouse Nursery Operations (GNO), Smithsonian Gardens (SG) and serves as a Horticulturist.
Visiting Assistant Professor in Paleobiology The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis, invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor to teach undergraduate courses and conduct research during the 2022-2023 academic year, with the possibility of renewal through academic year 2023-2024. Candidates must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in Paleobiology, Geosciences or a related field. Preference will be given to candidates who have a background in the fields of Paleobiology and who demonstrate an interest in and ability to conduct research in Paleobiology and/or Paleoecology in an Earth science context.
Managing Director Plant Sciences Group The Managing Director holds final responsibility for the strategy and functioning of PSG in the areas of research, education, business development, marketing, finance, organisational development, personnel, communication and culture within the complex organisation of Wageningen University Research. The Managing Director leads on the development of an inspiring vision for PSGand creates support for this vision across the Science Group. S/he will promote and ensure a structurally strong scientific position as well as a national and international market orientation for PSG.
Assistant Professor of Strawberry Breeding and Genetics and Director Elect of the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program â recruit.ucdavis.edu The Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant Professor of Strawberry Breeding and Genetics and Director-Elect of the Strawberry Breeding Program. This is an academic-year (9-month), tenure-track position with teaching, research, outreach/engagement, and service responsibilities.
Senior Research Technician The Senior Research Technician will be responsible for planning, organizing, and conducting biodiversity monitoring across temperate (Virginia and Tennessee) and tropical (Puerto Rico and Costa Rica) forests. This project will require the Senior Research Technician to travel for fieldwork, with laboratory work conducted primarily in Richmond.Â
12 Doctoral student positions Plants are the nutritional basis of life on earth and protein-rich foods from plants are a global megatrend essential for sustaining an increasing human population and counteracting climate change. However, little is known about crop proteomes â the entirety of proteins that execute and control nearly every aspect of life. Therefore, TUM has launched a visionary initiative with high socio-economic relevance on the topic of âThe Proteomes that Feed the Worldâ.
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