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This week brings us to the heights of ... a season. Whether it be summer or winter in your part of the world, a columnist in Nature this week reminds us that science happens globally. Indeed, this is especially true for botany. Currently, one part of the world is experiencing the peaks of summer, and another is getting ready for spring, and the plants are displaying their foliage, blossoms and seeds according to their nature. In the spirit of global botany, I'd like to invite you to try our Hot Botany tool, where you can learn which plants are blooming near you, wherever you are, or travel digitally to somewhere new. In the meantime, we will try our best to tell stories from a global lens, no matter the season.
There'll be another email sharing what we've posted as well as the stories you're sharing on Mastodon and Bluesky, and career postings at the usual time next week.
Until then, take care,
Sarah (webmaster@botany.one)
When the Fragrance of Flowers Changes: How Global Warming Can Affect Communication Between Plants and Pollinators
Global warming could interfere with the scents that guide pollinators to flowers, threatening ecological interactions long before species disappear.
Ancient Tropical Mountaintop Plants Bet Big to Attract Pollinators
By tracking 13 species in mountain grasslands, researchers reveal how ancient Vellozia plants synchronise blooms and rely on pollinators to produce viable seeds.
Larissa Verona: Where Water, Plants and Carbon Meet
Botany One interviews Larissa Verona, an ecosystem ecologist exploring how Cerrado wetlands connect vegetation, water and the global carbon cycle.
Flowers That Please People May Also Please Pollinators
A study reveals that the flowers humans love may also be the favourites of bumblebees, but not of thrips.
Why Do Lemurs Always Return to the Same Tree?
A new study in Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park reveals that seventy percent of individual trees receive only a single visit from lemurs over a year and a half.
Navigating a Salty World: Environmental Conditions Drive Salinity Tolerance in Plants
Plants have evolved the ability to germinate in salty soils multiple times, in a case of convergent evolution.
There was also Science Shared, Sudoku Garden, and Monotropa uniflora was plant of the week. You can also see last week's Week in Botany too.
Season’s mis-greetings: why timing matters in global academia
Stop using ‘summer’, ‘winter’ and the rest when inviting researchers to events — it’s a small step, but it’s necessary and inclusive.
nature.com
Inspired by the Botanic Garden: Growing tropical plants at home
Head of Horticulture, Sally Petitt, shares her love of tropical plants and how you can grown them at home.
botanic.cam.ac.uk
Darwin Was Right: These Plants Are Carnivores
Small insects are easily trapped in the sticky glandular hairs of Saxifraga candelabrum.
nytimes.com
These 10 Aussie wildflowers have superpowers. Pick your favourite
Move over waratahs and banksias! These 10 flowers from the unsung understorey are not just pretty faces, they have surprising tricks up their sleeves.
abc.net.au
Three botany papers widely shared on Bluesky this past week were:
1. Maintenance of phenotypic divergence in two sympatric monkeyflowers with weak reproductive isolation
Arenas-Castro, H. et al. · bioRxiv · 1 post · 69 likes · 25 reposts on Bluesky
Sympatric species often exhibit permeable reproductive barriers, yet many of them coexist as phenotypically distinct entities. One way to account for this apparent paradox is that selection on loci that underlie divergent traits render them less likely to cross species boundaries. Chromosomal rearrangements can further help counterbalance the homogenizing effects of hybridization if they capture sets of locally adaptive alleles, suppressing recombination among them. Here, we extensively sequenced two young, co-occurring monkeyflower species, Mimulus glaucescens and M. guttatus , that exhibit minimal reproductive isolation and extensive gene flow, but nonetheless are phenotypically distinct.
Jenn Coughlan @jenncoughlan.bsky.social · on Bluesky
So proud of this manuscript- lead by the fantastic @henryarenas.bsky.social with two undergraduates (Cage Cochran and Quinn Evans) each doing a Herculean effort during their honors theses, and Hongfei Chen helping out tremendously with lab work.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
2. Pollen release during buzz pollination depends on vibration amplitude and floral vibration transmission, but not on spectral composition 💰
Vallejo-Marin, M., Magitteri, A., Jafferis, N. · Journal of Experimental Biology · 1 post · 54 likes · 15 reposts on Bluesky
Bees use vibrations across behavioural contexts, including a specialised foraging routine in which they vibrate flowers to release pollen (floral vibrations). Floral vibrations often have complex spectral properties, combining fundamental frequencies and their harmonics, yet their functional consequences remain unknown. We experimentally replicated bee buzzes with identical fundamental frequency (300 Hz) but different harmonic content (0, 2, or 4 harmonics) to determine their effect on pollen release, a key functional outcome for both the bee and the flower.
Mario Vallejo-Marin @nicrodemo.bsky.social · on Bluesky
Did you know that bee buzzes on flowers are rich in harmonics? We investigated how harmonics, which give musical instruments their unique sounds, affect buzz pollination. Very happy to see this paper published @jexpbiol.bsky.social Thanks @hfspo.bsky.social for the support! doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
View on Bluesky →3. Fijiyama: a registration tool for 3D multimodal time-lapse imaging
Fernandez, R., Moisy, C. · Bioinformatics · 3 posts · 28 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky
Fijiyama, a Fiji plugin built upon biomedical registration algorithms, is aimed at non-specialists to facilitate automatic alignment of 3D images acquired either at successive times and/or with different imaging systems. Its versatility was assessed on four case studies combining multimodal and time series data, spanning from micro to macro scales. Availability and implementation Fijiyama is an open source software (GPL license) implemented in Java.
Cédric Moisy @cedric-moisy.bsky.social · on Bluesky
2/3 – 🌱 Nature doesn't have a pause button...
Fortunately, Fijiyama does the next best thing: it aligns 3D scans over time so scientists can follow the same tissues as plants grow. 👀
A time-lapse — in 3D. 🔬🌱🍇
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/bioi...
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.pl...
#Science #Time #Fiji #3D #SMIYC
View on Bluesky →You can see the full list with more details at Science Shared: August 8.
Please note these are not jobs I am offering. Nor can I help you with any visa requirements. At time of writing there are around 117 other jobs posted at Botany One.
Postdoctoral researcher for dynamic vegetation modeling and satellite-based fire analysis // Leiden University
careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/Postdoct...
You will quantify fire dynamics and its impacts on vegetation and climate at regional scales
PhD position in modeling the mechanical regulation of plant development and regeneration // Leiden
careers.universiteitleiden.nl/job/PhD-posi...
The opening is within the field of mathematical or theoretical biology, computational physics, applied mathematics or computational science.
PhD: Plant tissue lifespans // Western Sydney University
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
You will investigate how variation in tissue lifespans shapes whole-plant strategies and ultimately scales up to ecosystem processes such as carbon storage.
John Otto Haas Molecular Ecologist // University of Pennsylvania
www.bgci.org/job/john-ott...
The John Otto Haas Molecular Ecologist will conduct research at Morris Arboretum & Gardens with a focus on techniques that integrate fieldwork and herbarium collections.
Cover Image: Larissa Verona doing fieldwork. Photo by Guilherme Alencar.
Ecosystems
To germinate in India's dry forests, some seeds must pass through a sloth bear's gut. Its digestion softens rock-hard seeds to regenerate native flora, but with an unexpected twist: it also unintentionally helps spread an invasive plant.
Ecosystems
Researchers discover the first case of floral mimicry in South America, showing how a nectarless orchid poses as a Jacaranda to deceive pollinators.
annals-of-botany
Plants have evolved the ability to germinate in salty soils multiple times, in a case of convergent evolution
The Week in Botany
Lemurs, people-pleasing flowers, interactions between plants and pollinators, an interview with Larissa Verona and more.
Plant of the Week
Something strange in your neighbourhood? Who you gonna call? Skip the Ghostbusters and try a botanist.
Science Shared
This week: Difference in Monkeyflowers, Strange Harmonics in Bees and more
Puzzles
Celebrating International Cats
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Global warming could interfere with the scents that guide pollinators to flowers, threatening ecological interactions long before species disappear.
Ecosystems
By tracking 13 species in mountain grasslands, researchers reveal how ancient Vellozia plants synchronise blooms and rely on pollinators to produce viable seeds.
Meeting Plant Scientists
Botany One interviews Larissa Verona, an ecosystem ecologist exploring how Cerrado wetlands connect vegetation, water and the global carbon cycle.
Ecosystems
A study reveals that the flowers humans love may also be the favourites of bumblebees, but not of thrips.
Ecosystems
A new study in Madagascar's Ranomafana National Park reveals that seventy percent of individual trees receive only a single visit from lemurs over a year and a half.
The Week in Botany
Photosynthesis hidden in hornworts, who works to sustain the Amazon rainforest and why plants aren't passive.
Digital Botany Focus Issue
Why digital botany matters now
Plants & People
In Borneo’s forests, fear of spirits has achieved what many laws cannot: turning the farmland mosaic into safe sanctuaries for the jungle’s largest trees.
Close Encounters
Discover how orchid bees use surprising, non-floral sources to create perfumes that attract mates in the tropical forest.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Mareike Jezek shares the latest advances on epigenetic changes in trees – changes that “allow” plants to prepare their offspring for the environments they might face.
Botany One is a blog run by the Annals of Botany Company, a non-profit educational charity. The goal of the blog is to promote Botany in all its aspects as well as discuss the human issues involved in being a botanist.
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You can read more about Botany One on our About page.
In addition to Botany One, the company currently publishes three journals, the Annals of Botany, AoB PLANTS, and in silico Plants.
The people behind our recent articles
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Why Some Plants Need a Bear's Stomach to Sprout
Andressa is a Brazilian biologist and PhD student fascinated by flowers. Her current research explores how floral traits shape plant reproduction and pollinator attraction across tropical habitats, from natural ecosystems to urban landscapes.
Latest article: Meet the Brazilian Cerrado’s Greatest Impostor
Andressa is a Brazilian biologist and PhD student fascinated by flowers. Her current research explores how floral traits shape plant reproduction and pollinator attraction across tropical habitats, from natural ecosystems to urban landscapes.
Latest article: Ancient Tropical Mountaintop Plants Bet Big to Attract Pollinators
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Why Do Lemurs Always Return to the Same Tree?
Andressa is a Brazilian biologist and PhD student fascinated by flowers. Her current research explores how floral traits shape plant reproduction and pollinator attraction across tropical habitats, from natural ecosystems to urban landscapes.
Latest article: The Amazon’s Invisible Network: How Animals and Trees Sustain the World’s Largest Rainforest
Andressa is a Brazilian biologist and PhD student fascinated by flowers. Her current research explores how floral traits shape plant reproduction and pollinator attraction across tropical habitats, from natural ecosystems to urban landscapes.
Latest article: How Climate and Pollinators Shape the Colour Palette of Brazilian Mountain Ecosystems
Juniper Kiss is a globe-trotting plant scientist and data-lover, Botany One Guest Editor and former writer, loves pretty plots, digi solutions, working with landowners, brambles and bananas.
Latest article: The Digital Biodiversity Revolution Needs More Than Data (Part 2)
Juniper Kiss is a globe-trotting plant scientist and data-lover, Botany One Guest Editor and former writer, loves pretty plots, digi solutions, working with landowners, brambles and bananas.
Latest article: The Digital Biodiversity Revolution Needs More Than Data
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: After 400 Years, Scientists May Know Only a Third of Europe’s Seed-Dispersal Network
Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Latest article: The Cross-Cultural Partnership That Rediscovered Guatemala’s Lost Passionflower
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: How Seeds Travelled Through Plant History
Juniper Kiss is a globe-trotting plant scientist and data-lover, Botany One Guest Editor and former writer, loves pretty plots, digi solutions, working with landowners, brambles and bananas.
Latest article: Editorial Reflection: Digital Botany, One Story at a Time
Ben is a New Zealand-born, London-based ecology graduate surveying mycorrhizal diversity as part of the RBG Kew team. He is passionate about natural history collections and excited to spotlight their stories as a Botany One guest writer.
Latest article: The Ecology of a Herbarium: How Te Papa connects plants, people, and data
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: How Your iNaturalist Photos Feed the Digital Botany Revolution
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Scaled Gardeners: How Fish Dictate the Future of the Amazonian Flooded Forest
Juniper Kiss is a globe-trotting plant scientist and data-lover, Botany One Guest Editor and former writer, loves pretty plots, digi solutions, working with landowners, brambles and bananas.
Latest article: María Susana Sánchez Chávez on EDGE, data and conserving Pinus culminicola on the ground in Mexico
Magda (she/her) trained as a field ecologist, but made the pivot to herbarium digitisation and curation in 2023 at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. She will be joining Trinity College Dublin this autumn.
Latest article: Interview with Bob Allkin about Name Games: How to Untangle the Web of Plant Names and Uses?
Ana is a Mexican scientist, with a background in biotech, plant breeding and data analysis currently living in Madagascar. Curious by nature, she loves exploring new topics, especially about plants.
Latest article: Unravelling Human-Plant Connections
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: The Plants Closest to Extinction Are the Ones Science Often Knows Least
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Will State Flowers and Insects Leave Home?
Magda (she/her) trained as a field ecologist, but made the pivot to herbarium digitisation and curation in 2023 at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. She will be joining Trinity College Dublin this autumn.
Latest article: Lights, Camera, Action! Behind the lens of Kew’s mass herbarium digitisation project
Magda (she/her) trained as a field ecologist, but made the pivot to herbarium digitisation and curation in 2023 at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. She will be joining Trinity College Dublin this autumn.
Latest article: Heather Cole: Best Tricks, Equipment and Software for Digitisation
Ben is a New Zealand-born, London-based ecology graduate surveying mycorrhizal diversity as part of the RBG Kew team. He is passionate about natural history collections and excited to spotlight their stories as a Botany One guest writer.
Latest article: How Digitisation Gives Specimens More Meaning: The Fungal Collections and Networks of Greta Stevenson
Filippo Guzzon is a plant biologist working on seed biology and genebank management, with a side interest in ethnobotany. He has worked with different organisations across Europe, Latin America and the South Pacific.
Latest article: How to Keep Track of 2 million Crop Accessions
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: The Fragrant Library: Can a Perfume Bottle Save a Rainforest?
Ana is a Mexican scientist, with a background in biotech, plant breeding and data analysis currently living in Madagascar. Curious by nature, she loves exploring new topics, especially about plants.
Latest article: Turning Plants into Data: A Deeply Human Experience
Juniper Kiss is a globe-trotting plant scientist and data-lover, Botany One Guest Editor and former writer, loves pretty plots, digi solutions, working with landowners, brambles and bananas.
Latest article: Introducing Botany One’s Digital Botany Special Focus Issue
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Have We Forgotten the Names of Plants?
Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Latest article: What Would a Flower Need an Elephant’s Trunk For?
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: The Silent Partner: The Real Value of Pollination in Daily Life
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
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Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
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Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
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Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: What It Takes to Get Europe Watching Flowers
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Smells Like Green City?
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
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Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Healing at What Cost? The Conservation Status of Britain’s Herbs
Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
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Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Lights, Camera, Bloom!
Juniper Kiss is a globe-trotting plant scientist and data-lover, Botany One Guest Editor and former writer, loves pretty plots, digi solutions, working with landowners, brambles and bananas.
Latest article: Plant Hunt
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: More Heart than Logic: What Drives a Scientist to Pursue Botany?
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: The Guardians of the Fig: How Borneo’s Spirits Protect a Keystone Tree
Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Latest article: The Buzz Behind Your Favourite Morning Aroma
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Three Words for Forest: When Forestry Meets the Stage
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: From Deep Time to Urban Nature: How the Natural History Museum Reimagined Its Gardens
You can now be a guest author on Botany One. We're happy to publish anything of interest to plant scientists.
Latest article: The Seed Dispersal Crisis
Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Latest article: Trees Vs. Bugs: Novel Twists in A Timeless Plant Drama
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Your Eyes and Ears Are Better At Detecting Biodiversity Than You Think
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Nigeria’s Silent Libraries of Plant Life
Andrés is a Colombian biologist fascinated by plant-animal interactions and eager to share nature stories and scientific knowledge beyond academia. He holds a master’s degree in ecology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Latest article: Eccentric Pollinating Mates for An Eccentric Flowering Plant
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: Bringing Darwin’s Botanical Work Into the Spotlight
Erika is a Colombian biologist and ecologist passionate about tropical forests, primates and science communication. She holds an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation and works with @cienciatropical to connect people with biodiversity.
Latest article: The Global Shift To Keep Holotypes Closer to Home
