From decades-long studies of humble grasses, new clues to climate resistance

A new analysis of nearly 40 years of data from three tracts of North American grassland confirms what researchers have long said: that biodiversity can be a natural defense against climate threats.

https://globalplantcouncil.org/from-decades-long-studies-of-humble-grasses-new-clues-to-climate-resistance/ via Michigan State Universty #PlantScience

Image: Big bluestem at Konza Prairie LTER. Credit: Jill Haukos

The evolutionary secret of the California poppy

The biosynthesis pathways of alkaloids and carotenoids in this flowering desert plant are the result of different evolutionary processes.

https://globalplantcouncil.org/the-evolutionary-secret-of-the-california-poppy/ via @jlugiessen #PlantScience

How an alga makes the most of dim light by rearranging ordinary chlorophyll

To survive in areas where it is difficult to photosynthesize, some organisms adopt unique strategies. Researchers have found that a freshwater alga captures far-red light as an additional energy source by arranging ordinary chlorophyll in an extraordinary way.

https://globalplantcouncil.org/how-an-alga-makes-the-most-of-dim-light-by-rearranging-ordinary-chlorophyll/ via Osaka Met Univ #PlantScience

Plant discovery could lead to new ways of producing medicines

Plants make substances called alkaloids to protect themselves, & humans have long taken advantage of these chemicals, using them in painkillers, treatments for disease and household products such as caffeine and nicotine. By understanding how plants make these substances, researchers aim to produce new & improved chemicals.

https://globalplantcouncil.org/plant-discovery-could-lead-to-new-ways-of-producing-medicines/ via Uni of york #PlantScience

Mediterranean pine needle loss analyzed for more efficient forest management

A study combines climate, field and remote sensing data to identify growth patterns associated with defoliation processes and mortality in artificial pine forests

https://globalplantcouncil.org/mediterranean-pine-needle-loss-analyzed-for-more-efficient-forest-management/ via University of Cordoba #PlantScience

Strategic tree planting could help Canada become carbon neutral by mid-century

A new study finds that Canada could remove at least five times its annual carbon emissions with strategic planting of more than six million hectares of trees along the northern edge of the boreal forest.  

https://globalplantcouncil.org/strategic-tree-planting-could-help-canada-become-carbon-neutral-by-mid-century/ via University of Waterloo #PlantScience #Science #forestry #forest #trees

Image: Jasper national park, River, Mountains image. Free for use. Credit: Jörg Vieli / Pixabay

No longer extinct, just critically endangered

Citizen science platforms including iNaturalist are leading to major new discoveries and are becoming crucial to the work of scientists.

https://globalplantcouncil.org/no-longer-extinct-just-critically-endangered/ via UNSW #PlantScience

Image: Ptilotus senarius grows in such a remote part of Australia it’s a miracle it was rediscovered at all. Credit: Aaron Bean/inaturalist.org/observations/288434421

#Webinar Announcement 📡🌱

Plant receptors detect a diverse spectrum of signalling molecules, external and endogenous, essential to control plant growth, development, and stress responses.

Join us for our next webinar, in collaboration with "The Plant Journal" The Plant Journal journal, exploring different aspects of plant receptors and receptor based signalling.

Hosted by Katherine Denby (Editor in Chief of TPJ)

🗓️ 10th March 2026
🕗 18:00 am CET

To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8817714977453/WN_uxRUXZmoTZ2OtY33c74R6w

Solving mysteries with moss

New paper examines the history of using moss as evidence in forensic cases.

Tiny plants, like moss, are easy to overlook. They’re often as small as an eyelash, and they tend to grow on the ground in dark, wet places. But these small plants sometimes turn out to be big clues in forensic cases.

https://globalplantcouncil.org/solving-mysteries-with-moss/ via Field Museum #PlantScience #Science