The ability to smell smoke is important if you're expecting a fire - but some plants have altered how they use this sense to modify how they grow.
Author - Dale Maylea
Dale Maylea
What happens to carnivorous plants when the insects bite back?
A moth could be interfering with a pitcher plant's reproduction by developing a taste for flowers - or at least parts of a flower.
Pathogens can’t hide under the covers
Research published in Phytobiomes shows that cover crops could help improve the health of crops.
It’s far from certain that peat bogs can continue absorbing carbon dioxide at current rates
A common claim is that rising carbon dioxide is actually good for plants. Research from Sweden shows that reality is more complicated.
Resilience of crops confirms that drought alone did not cause a ‘collapse’ in Mayan civilisation
In the 800s, Mayan cities in southeastern Mexico and Central America were abandoned - just as drought hit the region. But a botanical study shows that the connection between drought and depopulation was not simple.
Botanists take a step back to move forward in understanding grass
A 19th century idea of how grass grows has proven more accurate than later ideas, according to new research.
Snow cover is reducing in the Pacific Northwest, and so too is the niche for evergreen trees in the region
Snow cover can delay the growing season of plants, but reducing it can also have negative consequences.
Cuando cuidar a los polinizadores es literalmente materia de cuidado personal
La polinización manual es sorprendentemente común en la producción de cultivos comercializados globalmente, incluyendo algunos de gran importancia económica.
When looking after pollinators is literally a matter of self-interest
Hand pollination is a surprisingly common form of pollination in global commercial crop production, including for some economically important plants.
Facing the sun gives seeds a brighter future
Sunflowers might orientate their capitulum, or flowerhead, to catch the early heat of the sun, as well as to shine more brightly in the morning.
A healthy sunflower diet can help domesticated bumblebees avoid infection
Sunflower pollen can reduce parasite load for a bumblebee, but it's not clear how.
Studying plant remains at the entrance and the exit of a chimpanzee
A chimp's diet can be studied through microscopic opals.
A warming climate will change plants’ responses to herbivores in different ways
Invasive species might not always have the upper hand when temperatures rise.
When speed is a problem in mangrove restoration
Rapid restoration isn't always the best restoration, when the restoring species is invasive.
