Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

Water availability regulates tree growth and can have ‘legacy effects’ long after conditions change.

Marcus Schaub, Group Leader, Forest Dynamics and Ecophysiology, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) • conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 • ~11 min

Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards

A biologist explains what to focus on if you’re designing a garden with pollinators in mind − and what you don’t need to worry about.

Laura Russo, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Jan. 7, 2025 • ~7 min

Plants that evolved in Florida over millennia now face extinction and lack protection

The future of scrub mints could be in jeopardy because of climate change, development and misclassification.

Andre A. Naranjo, Botanical Curator, Florida International University • conversation
Jan. 6, 2025 • ~7 min

In the Arctic, planting more trees actually makes the world warmer

Tree planting can help address the climate and biodiversity crises – but only in the right circumstances.

Jeppe Aagaard Kristensen, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Global Change Ecology, Aarhus University • conversation
Jan. 2, 2025 • ~7 min

A Guide to Recovering Overgrown Garden
VOA Learning English • voa
Dec. 29, 2024 • ~7 min

The secret world of plants living in our limestone pavements

The first survey since the 1970s into the plants that grow in the cracks in limestone pavements has thrown up some fascinating results.

Carly Stevens, Lecturer, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University • conversation
Dec. 24, 2024 • ~6 min

Climate change is making plants less nutritious − that could already be hurting animals that are grazers

Rising carbon dioxide levels in the air are making plants grow larger and faster, but diluting their nutritional content. This could threaten the health of herbivores worldwide.

Ellen Welti, Research Ecologist, Great Plains Science Program, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
Dec. 20, 2024 • ~9 min

Federal protection for monarch butterflies could help or harm this iconic species, depending on how it’s carried out

Will protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act improve their chance of surviving? Not necessarily, 2 entomologists caution.

Michael Crossley, Assistant Professor / Agricultural Entomologist, University of Delaware • conversation
Dec. 19, 2024 • ~9 min

A new method to detect dehydration in plants

Sensors developed by SMART researchers are capable of detecting pH changes in plant xylem enable farmers to detect drought stress up to 48 hours before visible physical symptoms manifest.

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology • mit
Dec. 16, 2024 • ~7 min

Ferns’ ability to evolve ‘backward’ offers insights into the meandering path of evolution

Evolution is often depicted as a steady forward march from simple to complex forms. But new research shows that certain ferns can evolve ‘backward.’

Jacob S. Suissa, Assistant Professor of Plant Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Dec. 13, 2024 • ~9 min

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