Botany One

#PlantScience from #CellBiology to #Ecosystems, or what we call #Botany. Weblog of the Annals of Botany Company, a charity dedicated to promoting the study of #plants.

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Last Notes

2026-04-17 09:17:41 UTC

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@nprofile…gydw I love that. I can see why you'd thank as a group if it were on physical pages, but it's nice to see it done in PDF. And I like that the journal has accepted this too because someone could have asked "Do we need all ten thousand names?"

2026-04-17 08:00:47 UTC

How Thousands of Phone Snapshots Solved a Flower Colour Mystery
https://www.botany.one/how-thousands-of-phone-snapshots-solved-a-flower-colour-mystery/
Nearly 10,000 People Helped Confirm a Botanical Hunch. Were You One of Them?
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-31 17:16:59 UTC

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@nprofile…gt80 Interesting question.
Clearly they're not exactly the same, because there's a genetic difference between the two.
But if we were counting to see who could find the most different plants on a hike, I counted an A. alpina and then 4km away counted A. alpina again, you could be justifiably annoyed. It leads into the question: what makes a species?
I get genetic diversity in A. alpina is old news to many people (https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcr134), but it would be news to a lot of our readers.

2026-03-31 08:00:53 UTC

Why Would the Plant Next Door Smell Different?
https://www.botany.one/why-would-the-plant-next-door-smell-different/
Two populations of the same plant, just 4 km apart in the Italian mountains, produce different perfumes and attract different pollinators. Why?
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-29 08:01:35 UTC

Plant Hunt
https://www.botany.one/plant-hunt-5/
🇺🇸 What could be springing up in California?
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-28 09:00:37 UTC

Sudoku Garden
https://www.botany.one/sudoku-garden-7/
🌱 We welcome weeds
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-27 15:00:35 UTC

When Beetles Take the Lead in Orchid Romance
https://www.botany.one/when-beetles-take-the-lead-in-orchid-romance/
A rare South African orchid reveals that beetles can be refined partners in one of nature’s most intricate pollination systems.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-26 15:01:08 UTC

Introducing Hot Botany
https://www.botany.one/introducing-hot-botany/
Wondering what plants might be visible near you? There's a tool for that.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-25 15:01:20 UTC

Luiza Teixeira-Costa: Strange Lives of Plants and Their Human Stories
https://www.botany.one/luiza-teixeira-costa-strange-lives-of-plants-and-their-human-stories/
Botany One interviews Dr Luiza Teixeira-Costa, a Brazilian botanist working in the integration of botany and environmental humanities.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-24 15:01:11 UTC

Healing at What Cost? The Conservation Status of Britain’s Herbs
https://www.botany.one/healing-at-what-cost-the-conservation-status-of-britains-herbs/
Researchers reveal that while few herbal ingredients are officially endangered, most remain conservation question marks in a growing global trade.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-23 15:00:36 UTC

What if a Flower Never Needed a Pollinator at All?
https://www.botany.one/what-if-a-flower-never-needed-a-pollinator-at-all/
New research shows that one small mountain orchid secures reproduction before its flowers even open and may fare better selfing than crossing with its neighbours.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-23 07:01:15 UTC

The Week in Botany March 23, 2026
https://www.botany.one/the-week-in-botany-march-23-2026/
This week: Notes From Nature - Natural History at ROM Revealed, controlled environment agriculture, endangered plants in Brazil, bizarre floral scents and more.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-22 15:18:44 UTC

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@nprofile…qysn I saw the thermal photo, and thought it was worth sharing. It’s a very vivid demonstration of the heat they produce.

2026-03-22 15:00:29 UTC

Symplocarpus foetidus
https://www.botany.one/symplocarpus-foetidus/
Eastern Skunk Cabbage turns impatience into a virtue, bringing Spring early.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-22 09:00:58 UTC

Plant Hunt
https://www.botany.one/plant-hunt-4/
🇸🇬 What's around in Singapore?
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-21 15:00:53 UTC

Secrets of the Living Library
https://www.botany.one/secrets-of-the-living-library/
You can be the key to unlocking natural history
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-21 09:00:50 UTC

Sudoku Garden
https://www.botany.one/sudoku-garden-6/
The sun comes and the sun goes.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-20 15:00:34 UTC

Sowing for a Warmer Britain: Are Wildflower Seeds Climate-Ready?
https://www.botany.one/sowing-for-a-warmer-britain-are-wildflower-seeds-climate-ready/
A new study reveals that most UK wildflower seeds can handle rising temperatures, but a few key species may struggle to germinate in the Britain of tomorrow.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-19 19:27:47 UTC

Shh! Here's a new thing I haven't launched yet that you can peek at: Hot Botany Near You
https://www.botany.one/hot-botany/
It's a page where you can specify a location and get details on what plants have been observed nearby and what is likely to be visible soon. It's still being finished up, but it's likely to be public next week.
I'm hoping this will mean that I won't miss the bluebells this year.

2026-03-19 15:01:41 UTC

Earthworms: The Invisible Gardeners of Tropical Bryophytes
https://www.botany.one/earthworms-the-invisible-gardeners-of-tropical-bryophytes/
A new study shows that earthworms can carry viable bryophyte propagules through their guts, helping mosses and liverworts spread across tropical soils.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-19 14:59:16 UTC

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@nprofile…xjxf I'll let you know if I find anything helpful, but I think that might be a case where you have to know the art styles of the period before you can say anything.

2026-03-18 21:12:19 UTC

News for iNaturalist Botanists.
There's a webinar on identifying plants on iNaturalist on Thursday at midday NY time. This is free to anyone. If you're go to the UK branch, https://uk.inaturalist.org/home, you can also sign up for a webinar on how to identify Ranunculus on Monday evening.

2026-03-10 15:00:31 UTC

Rising From the Ashes with the Sunbirds
https://www.botany.one/rising-from-the-ashes-with-the-sunbirds/
A study from South Africa reveals that plants that flower after fires are not taking a gamble but are relying on an unexpectedly resilient alliance with sunbirds.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-10 10:30:07 UTC

Tracing the origins of Stradivari’s resonance wood
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1125786526000123?via%3Dihub
During his golden age, Stradivari shifted from varied sources to almost exclusive use of Val di Fiemme spruce.

2026-03-10 08:30:10 UTC

Understanding plant resilience by putting photosynthesis and photorespiration in the metabolic context | Planta | Springer Nature Link https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00425-026-04961-9
Walker & Schroeder explore three underappreciated roles of photorespiration: as an alternative energy sink, a marker of stress resilience, and a metabolic hub.

2026-03-10 06:30:07 UTC

From growth potential to drought survival: a trait‐ and time‐based framework for plant water economics across vascular species
https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.70922
Volaire et al. built a three-phase physiological model incorporating both plant traits and time as a gradient of decreasing water availability, which allowed the identification of traits involved in maximizing growth potential

2026-03-10 04:30:06 UTC

Productores de yerba y mandioca hacia la agricultura regenerativa https://www.primeraedicion.com.ar/nota/101085864/productores-de-yerba-y-mandioca-apuestan-a-la-agricultura-regenerativa/
(Yerba and cassava producers are committed to regenerative agriculture)

2026-03-10 02:30:04 UTC

Sulfur in Dialogue with Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Iron: Regulatory Networks in Plant Nutrient Homeostasis
https://academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jxb/erag119/8506833
This review focuses on mechanistic insights into the regulatory circuits revealed from studies with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, where the genetic and molecular resolution enabled detailed dissection of the signaling and regulatory networks.

2026-03-10 00:30:05 UTC

Time running out to rescue ‘forgotten forests’ under plantations, charity warns
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/environment/government-native-buckinghamshire-b1274004.html
Woodland Trust is calling on the Government to meet its targets to restore planted ancient woodlands before it is too late.

2026-03-09 22:30:06 UTC

Do stomatal traits modulate leaf microbiome assembly?https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.70914
Busby et al. propose that stomata are a primary filter by which plants influence the assembly of leaf-associated microbial communities. They discuss three nonmutually exclusive hypotheses for how stomatal traits influence leaf microbes.

2026-03-09 20:30:14 UTC

Can your tree do this?
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260308.html
APOD: 2026 March 8 – The Aurora Tree

2026-03-09 18:46:09 UTC

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@nprofile…qysn Yes. From my point of view outside the US, it's not all relevant, but the general approach is sound and accessible.

2026-03-09 18:30:09 UTC

getting comfortable with being uncomfortable – patter https://patthomson.net/2026/03/08/getting-comfortable-with-being-uncomfortable/
Good academic writing means sitting with a discomfort that never entirely goes away. It’s not a discomfort that comes from having nothing to say. Most of us have more than enough ideas crowding the page. Not that. This discomfort is something more unsettling.
via @colauttilab.bsky.social

2026-03-09 15:01:56 UTC

Light of the Future
https://www.botany.one/light-of-the-future/
Lettuce grown in plant factories benefit from far-red light
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-09 12:30:14 UTC

World's largest urban coffee plantation welcomes new trees in Brazil
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/worlds-largest-urban-coffee-plantation-welcomes-new-trees-brazil-2026-03-06/
The world's largest urban coffee plantation, located in Brazil's sprawling city of Sao Paulo, this week welcomed some ‌1,500 new coffee plants as researchers prepare to study their capacity to resist climate change and pests.

2026-03-09 10:30:10 UTC

Restoration of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest may hinge on market for native plants
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/restoration-of-brazils-atlantic-forest-may-hinge-on-market-for-native-plants/
New research weighs the economic potential of native plants to bolster the bioeconomics of reforestation projects, supporting conservation efforts and supporting small landowners and Indigenous communities.

2026-03-09 08:30:09 UTC

Are Weeds Hurting Your Lawn—Or Helping It?
https://www.southernliving.com/weeds-bad-for-lawn-11911525
Selective weed control balances traditional lawn aesthetics with sustainability.
(US context, but better understanding of "weeds" is something necessary worldwide)

2026-03-09 07:00:54 UTC

The Week in Botany March 9, 2026
https://www.botany.one/the-week-in-botany-march-9-2026/
This week: butterfly eyes in the tropics, seeds of the arctic, shifting time to watch blooms, travelling in time to see authentic flora, and more.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-09 06:30:05 UTC

Rare pink daffodils might be growing in your garden - could you spot one?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2140pnx46o

2026-03-09 04:30:07 UTC

Assam Faces Ecological Loss as Over One Lakh Mature Trees Felled Since 2016
https://www.rediff.com/news/report/assam-lakh-trees-chopped-impact-study-absent/20260308.htm
(note for people outside South Asia: 1 lakh = 100,000)

2026-03-09 02:30:04 UTC

Drones and AI used to help farmers tackle weeds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv6p29mr21o

2026-03-09 00:30:03 UTC

How a Brazilian botanist uses Taylor Swift to teach plant science
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2026/03/06/how-a-brazilian-botanist-uses-taylor-swift-to-teach-plant-science/88960730007/

2026-03-08 10:44:26 UTC

Las semillas de Salamanca que duermen en la bóveda del fin del mundo de Svalbard
El rompesacos de Babilafuente, cártamo de Las casas del Conde, frejol de la Virgen de Cantapino o el guisante de Tamames son algunas de las variedades charras que España ha enviado al Ártico.
https://www.salamanca24horas.com/provincia/semillas-salamanca-duermen-boveda-mundo_1_2933396.html
via @javicheztin.bsky.social
English machine translation" https://www-salamanca24horas-com.translate.goog/provincia/semillas-salamanca-duermen-boveda-mundo_1_2933396.html?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

2026-03-08 09:00:50 UTC

Rootle
https://www.botany.one/rootle/
More than a Dinosaur
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-06 20:48:53 UTC

Lights, Camera, Bloom!
https://www.botany.one/lights-camera-bloom/
Flowers may seem still, but time-lapse videos reveal their hidden movements, offering a powerful way to document plants and spark public interest in botany.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-05 15:00:35 UTC

Ancient lands beneath Neanderthal feet
https://www.botany.one/ancient-lands-beneath-neanderthal-feet/
New landscape paintings accurately bring Neanderthal-era flora to life
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-04 15:01:29 UTC

Jerónimo Vázquez-Ramírez: From Eating Capulines to Researching Arctic Seeds
https://www.botany.one/jeronimo-vazquez-ramirez-from-eating-capulines-to-researching-artic-seeds/
Botany One interviews Dr Jerónimo Vázquez-Ramírez, a Mexican ecologist who has travelled around to research how plants regenerate through seeds and how it can better inform biodiversity conservation and restoration.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-03 15:01:41 UTC

Bogotá Through Butterfly Eyes
https://www.botany.one/bogota-through-butterfly-eyes/
By tracking butterflies across urban parks, scientists uncover how city planning decisions influence not only which species survive, but how they live.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-02 09:01:31 UTC

The Week in Botany March 2, 2026
https://www.botany.one/the-week-in-botany-march-2-2026/
This week, Botany you can't see and Botany that isn't seen.
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-03-01 09:01:14 UTC

Plant Hunt
https://www.botany.one/plant-hunt-3/
9 models that aren't Arabidopsis
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-28 14:08:52 UTC

Sudoku Garden
https://www.botany.one/sudoku-garden-3/
In the footsteps of David
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-27 07:01:17 UTC

Flora in Focus: A Journey into the Microscopic Life of Plants
https://www.botany.one/flora-in-focus-a-journey-into-the-microscopic-life-of-plants/
An old tool with new precision reveals the spectacular inner life of plants
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-24 21:31:55 UTC

When Flowers Go Silent
https://www.botany.one/when-flowers-go-silent/
How Scentless Cacti Rely on Echolocation for Pollination
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-22 09:00:38 UTC

Plant Hunt
https://www.botany.one/plant-hunt-2/
🇦🇺 Flora of Western Australia
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-21 13:00:50 UTC

Will spring aid Omics?
Who can research? Who can not?
Survey needs answers
Quick Sudoku Garden: 🧩 Omics Needs Your Help
Complete in 0:44 with no hints.
Can you beat me?
https://www.botany.one/sudoku-garden-2/

2026-02-21 09:00:34 UTC

Sudoku Garden
https://www.botany.one/sudoku-garden-2/
Omics Needs Your Help
#Botany #PlantScience

2026-02-19 20:08:17 UTC

Cycads attract beetles with heat in the night
https://www.botany.one/cycads-attract-beetles-with-heat-in-the-night/
Pollination looked different at the time of the dinosaurs. Without showy flowers, heat was used to attract beetle pollinators.
#Botany #PlantScience

2025-11-04 15:20:41 UTC

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(Many edits because the link attachments didn't travel across from Buffer.)

2025-11-04 15:13:41 UTC

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Medinets, S. et al. (2025) “Nutrient asymmetry challenges the sustainability of Ukrainian agriculture,” Communications earth & environment, 6(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02826-9 (FREE)

2025-11-04 15:13:41 UTC

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“We propose that an Integrated Nutrient Management Plan for Ukraine be incorporated into the agriculture sector recovery under the Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction (URR) budget, which currently accounts for 10.5% of the total planned URR budget of USD 524 billion.” (14/15)

2025-11-04 15:13:41 UTC

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Zhang et al. (2015) show integrated management, blending organic manure with precision-applied synthetic fertilisers, can improve nutrient efficiency. The Medinets study recommends exactly this approach: recycle that wasted manure, apply fertilisers precisely, & restore soil health. (12/15)

2025-11-04 15:13:40 UTC

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Worse, the FAO/World Bank found Ukraine's chernozems were already degraded by poor management and erosion, losing 500 million tonnes of soil yearly. That's 10 tonnes of soil eroded for every tonne of grain produced. The war is turning a chronic problem into a catastrophe. (10/15)

2025-11-04 15:13:40 UTC

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Sergiy Medinets and colleagues looked at three key nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), for wheat, maize and sunflowers. The authors find a gradual decline in NPK in the soil, then the war started and things changed dramatically. (4/15)

2025-11-04 15:13:40 UTC

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Medinets et al look at modernisation. Modern agriculture treats manure as a waste product not a resource. Livestock farms & crop farms operate separately, making it difficult to recycle nutrients. In Ukraine, this separation means 90% of manure produced, worth $2.2bn, never reaches cropland. (11/15)

2025-11-04 15:13:39 UTC

🌻🪖 War is turning Ukraine’s fertiliser problem into a catastrophe 🧪
Long-term declines in nutrients, and soil damage, have been turbo-charged by the Russian invasion. But a new plan may help restore some of the world’s most fertile soils.
#Botany #PlantScience 🧵 (1/15)
https://cdn.masto.host/botanysocial/media_attachments/files/115/492/075/365/810/470/original/873f2e9ae8ac9559.jpeg

2025-11-04 15:13:39 UTC

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The World Food Programme says that Ukraine’s exports of wheat, sunflower oil, and peas, help feed 400 million people worldwide. The WFP is working to overcome attacks on Black Sea ports, & ship food to Africa & the Middle East. This new study, by Medinets and colleagues finds a new challenge. (3/15)

2025-11-04 15:13:39 UTC

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Bioengineer.org reports on a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment that shows the war in Ukraine is causing its soils to lose vital crop nutrients. It threatens to leave Ukraine with a long-term drop in crop production, & the repercussions could be felt far beyond Europe. (2/15)

2025-10-13 14:30:16 UTC

Everyone agrees we should save pollinators, but do we only consider the cute ones? Andrés Pereira-Guaqueta on a pollinator for Balanophora tobiracola.
https://botany.one/2025/10/eccentric-pollinating-mates-for-an-eccentric-flowering-plant/
#Botany #PlantScience 🧪
Image by zachcheng / iNaturalist CC-BY-NC https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247311620
https://cdn.masto.host/botanysocial/media_attachments/files/115/367/333/978/449/638/original/e305f4d6569b4e3b.jpeg

2025-07-26 17:25:45 UTC

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Though I should add change might not be visible immediately. My boss suggested the site should have a mailing list, and I think it took about three years for me to work out a way to produce a mailing list that added value for the readers.

2025-07-26 17:22:59 UTC

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This has worked out particularly well for this thread. Finding images of Red Stringybark is not too difficult but, thanks to iNaturalist and Rosalie Lawrence, I’m able to include actual trees from the spot this thread is talking about, trees 500km from their nearest relatives. I really don’t think it would have occurred to me to look again at iNaturalist for images, if @NatureMC@mastondon.online hadn’t raised her concerns. So, thank you. (2/2)
https://botany.social/deck/@botanyone/114920427826433020

2025-07-26 17:22:41 UTC

By the way, if you think we could be doing something better, please tell us. As an example @NatureMC@mastondon.online commented on our use of Canva, and asked why we didn’t use something that isn’t leaning into AI. Unfortunately, we’re not able to drop it yet - but it has got me re-examining iNaturalist. I don’t know if they’ve made their filters more visible, or if I wasn’t very observant before, but I am now finding useful CC licenced images through their site. (1/2)

2025-06-28 08:00:25 UTC

The distinctive flavour of brassicas comes from their chemical defences that they use to dissuade herbivores. So how come some caterpillars don't merely survive but actually thrive on them? It turns out they have a trick to slip by those defences.
https://wp.me/pdRZhH-m8Y
#Botany #PlantScience 🧪
https://cdn.masto.host/botanysocial/media_attachments/files/114/759/933/730/874/774/original/5a0874e5831bf5a8.jpeg

2025-05-31 14:00:36 UTC

📰 The Swindle That Left Tea With a Bitter Taste 🧵
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyg59yn10mo
How did a fake Scottish tea plantation fool the finest hotels?
#Botany #PlantScience 🧪 #InBrief (1/11)

2025-04-07 20:41:48 UTC

Meet Dr. Adriana Corrales, forest ecologist studying tropical mycorrhizal associations. "If you see a plant, you have to think of fungi. The microbiome of plants is made up of many fungi necessary for plant survival."
Read her story at wp.me/pdRZhH-lRM
#Botany #PlantScience 🧪
https://cdn.masto.host/botanysocial/media_attachments/files/114/298/618/236/921/320/original/41c69d92c57dd34a.jpeg

2025-04-04 04:00:00 UTC

Building pollinator-friendly cities requires understanding how urbanisation affects species interactions. New study on hummingbirds offers insights for creating greener urban spaces that support diverse pollinators.
Read more: https://wp.me/pdRZhH-lPg

2025-04-02 12:00:11 UTC

New research reveals how city life is changing hummingbird feeding habits. Urban areas host fewer species with different traits, while non-native plants play a surprising role in sustaining these iconic pollinators.
Read more: https://wp.me/pdRZhH-lPg

2025-04-02 03:00:00 UTC

From lab to field, new Rubisco measurement techniques are helping researchers improve crop productivity.
See how this enzyme research could impact global food security at https://wp.me/pdRZhH-lR9

2025-04-01 18:25:06 UTC

I'm experimenting with sill.social for tracking links. If something appears on Bluesky, I can tap repost there, and the original poster gets credit, but I can't do that here, so that's why you're seeing some Via @name.bsky.social posts.
If something from Mastodon gets reposted by me on Bluesky, you'll get credit there, possibly over two posts because the character limit there is only 300 characters.

2025-04-01 18:22:45 UTC

Via @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social‬
Latest paper from
@philcarella.bsky.social
lab! Pseudomonas viridiflava as a naturally occurring pathogens of Marchantia.
▶️ T3SS matters
▶️ conserved effectors for infection in angio and Marchantia
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00300-8

2025-04-01 18:17:43 UTC

Via ‪@tanjaslotte.bsky.social‬
We have an open 4-year PhD position in the Slotte lab at Stockholm University, to investigate genomic signatures of selection associated with pollination mode shifts.
Full ad: https://su.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:805144/where:4/
Apply by April 22, 2025 via the University application portal (link).

2025-04-01 04:00:02 UTC

From dusk till dawn, Bauhinia galpinii flowers perform a carefully timed dance with swallowtail butterflies. New research reveals how these African blooms schedule nectar production to maximize pollination success.
Read more at https://wp.me/pdRZhH-lPr

2025-03-30 16:00:06 UTC

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WSB controls the development of myrosin cells through another gene called CCS52A1. WSB can switch on CCS52A1, and then CCS52A1 causes the myrosin cells to experience endoreplication, so the cell replicates its DNA multiple times without dividing, causing it to grow much larger.

2025-03-30 16:00:06 UTC

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"Beyond offering new insights for crop improvement strategies, we believe our future work will help answer one of biology's most fundamental questions: How have plants achieved such remarkable diversity with a limited number of genes?" adds Dr. Shirakawa.

2025-03-30 16:00:06 UTC

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"This discovery is particularly interesting because it highlights how gene repurposing allows plants to develop new survival strategies without evolving entirely new genes," says co-author Toshiro Ito in a press release. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1078409

2025-03-30 16:00:06 UTC

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The research has important agricultural implications. Since FAMA regulates both gas exchange (through stomata) and defence (through myrosin cells), it shows breeding for certain traits, such as increased gas exchange efficiency could also have knock-on effects elsewhere, such as defence.

2025-03-30 16:00:06 UTC

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Shirakawa, M., et al. (2025). Co-option and neofunctionalization of stomatal executors for defence against herbivores in Brassicales. Nature Plants, 11, 483-504. https://doi.org/g897b6 (FREE)
Image: Canva.
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2025-03-30 16:00:06 UTC

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However, it also shows that there may be opportunities to get a double-win by improving how plants use FAMA. Better FAMA genes could lead to more efficient stomata in a warming climate AND improve resistance to invasive pests that are also migrating with the changing temperatures.

2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

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The FAMA protein was already known from experiments on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, where it was found to regulate gene expression for gas exchange. So it appears that the genes that help regulate defence are in part repurposed from genes involved in respiration.

2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

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Opening and closing of stomata for gas exchange depends on guard cells that guard the holes in a leaf. They’re very different to myrosin cells, the cells that help create the chemical defences against herbivores. Yet they share a master regulator gene called FAMA which controls their development.

2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

📝 The Genetic Secret Behind Wasabi's Defensive Kick 🧵
https://doi.org/g897b6
The genes that help plants draw in carbon dioxide also help plants kick out poisons when herbivores visit.
#Botany #PlantScience 🧪 #InBrief
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2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

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If you poison someone feeding on you, you don’t want to poison yourself in the process. Myrosin cells produce a chemical called myrosinase. These cells are near sulphur rich cells. When a herbivore attacks, the chemicals get mixed so the poison is only in the plant when it’s needed.

2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

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Shirakawa and colleagues identified a gene called WASABI MAKER (WSB) that's directly activated by FAMA and is the essential trigger for myrosin cell development. Plants without WSB completely failed to form these defence cells, making WSB a key link in a genetic cascade to make these cells.

2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

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A clue to WSB’s origin as a stomata gene is found in plants where it is missing. It is found across flowering plants on the land, but not in marine plants, such as seagrasses. Zostera marina doesn’t have stomata and it has lost genes connected with stomata, as well as WSB.

2025-03-30 16:00:05 UTC

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Plants in the cabbage family didn’t intend to be so tasty. The taste is part of a defence against herbivores. Now scientists in Japan have found the genes for this defence are repurposed genes that originally controlled stomata, the pores in leaves that plants “breathe” through.

2025-03-28 04:00:01 UTC

Research on green flower adaptations provides insights into plant evolution and potential responses to environmental change.
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2025-03-27 21:02:44 UTC

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Cover image: Starr Environmental / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0.
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2025-03-27 21:00:05 UTC

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Jihwan Park and colleagues have taken a step towards de-fanging dodder by examining its genes. When they silenced the MID1-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY 1 (CcMCA1) gene, the plant's ability to form haustoria dramatically decreased, potentially offering a new way to control this pest.

2025-03-27 21:00:05 UTC

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Using a technique called host-induced gene silencing, researchers confirmed CcMCA1's crucial role. When silenced, dodder produced fewer haustoria with greater spacing between them. This significantly hampered its ability to effectively parasitize host plants.

2025-03-27 21:00:05 UTC

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These findings help explain how plants can sense touch. By revealing how parasitic plants detect hosts, researchers open new possibilities for protecting crops. Targeted approaches disrupting this touch-sensing pathway could limit dodder's spread without harming beneficial plants.

2025-03-27 21:00:05 UTC

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Park, J., Morinaga, K., Houki, Y., Tsushima, A., & Aoki, K. (2025). Involvement of MID1-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY 1 encoding a mechanosensitive ion channel in prehaustorium development of the stem parasitic plant Cuscuta campestris. Plant and Cell Physiology, pcaf009. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcaf009 (FREE)