♻️🆓: Epiphytes as leading indicators of climate and other changes. A commentary on ‘Interactions of moisture and light drive lichen growth and the response to climate change scenarios – experimental evidence for Lobaria pulmonaria’
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
♻️🆓: Plant kleptomaniacs: geographical genetic patterns in the amphi-apomictic Rubus ser. Glandulosi (Rosaceae) reveal complex reticulate evolution of Eurasian brambles
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
♻️🆓: Niche and phenotypic differentiation in fern hybrid speciation, a case study of Pteris fauriei (Pteridaceae)
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
🎉🆕📰🎉: Exploring the role of β-1,3-glucanase in aerenchyma development in sugarcane roots
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
🎉🆕📰🎉: Morphological innovation and lineage-specific history drive disparification in the aggregated pollen of mimosoid plants
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
✅📄Now Free Access: Does pollination interact with the abiotic environment to affect plant reproduction?
Get the Paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
🙌 Don’t forget to read Jerónimo’s recent article doi.org/qs3t at @annbot.bsky.social and our related thread
👉 botany.fyi/x9pb3z
#AoBauthors #PlantScience #Botany (9/9)
What do people usually get wrong about plants? "Many people think that seeds only need water to germinate, as if you could simply bury a seed and a plant would immediately grow. However, seeds are more sophisticated than that. They respond to environmental signals such as temperature, light, winter chilling (cold stratification), moisture pulses, smoke or fire cues, soil chemistry and even signals from microbes or animals. Seeds essentially 'wait' for the right combination of conditions to ensure that they do not germinate at the wrong time, when seedlings would be unlikely to survive. This makes plant regeneration far more complex and interesting than it might seem."
What do people usually get wrong about plants? “Many people think that seeds only need water to germinate, as if you could simply bury a seed and a plant would immediately grow. However, seeds are more sophisticated than that.” (8/9)
What advice would you give young scientists considering a career in plant biology? "There are two things I would like to point out. Firstly, science is both a career and a community. Find mentors who can help you grow in a positive environment. Be generous with your collaborators and surround yourself with colleagues who are supportive and encourage your professional grow. Secondly, remember that plant biology is not just about academia/universities. Careers in NGOs, the public sector, or industry can be just as meaningful and rewarding. Some of the work that has given me the greatest personal satisfaction has involved collaborating with local communities on hands-on projects while working for NGOs. If you choose an academic career, don't worry if your path is non-linear. A scientific career does not have to follow a strict sequence from undergraduate studies to faculty positions. Staying flexible and following what genuinely interests you can lead to a more fulfilling and rewarding career."
What advice would you give young scientists considering a career in plant biology? “Firstly, science is both a career and a community. Find mentors who can help you grow in a positive environment…Secondly, remember that plant biology is not just about academia/universities.” (7/9)
Could you share an experience or anecdote from your work that has marked your career and reaffirmed your fascination with plants? "I have many stories like this, one of the perks of loving fieldwork and being easily impressed by plants. I could mention witnessing a massive bamboo (Olmeca recta) flowering event in the jungles of Mexico, finding Aboriginal rock art in the Australian outback while searching for native Sorghum, or joining expeditions where species new to science were discovered. Those are objectively cool. But the moment that truly convinced me I might belong in plant science happened during my undergraduate thesis fieldwork. I recorded Sedum minimum, a small stonecrop, in the alpine grasslands of Cofre de Perote Mtn. as a new species record for Veracruz State and eastern Mexico. I remember thinking, this looks unusual, keying it out, showing it to experts, and realising I had found something new for the region. It felt like a small but deeply satisfying personal milestone. You might argue that it is just a tiny plant found in a few other places, but it gave me a real confidence boost. After all, Humboldt and several other renowned botanists had visited that same site and missed it… and I didn’t. Sometimes botany is about discovering new species, and sometimes it is about noticing the small plants everyone else walked past."
Could you share an experience or anecdote from your work that has reaffirmed your fascination with plants? “I could mention witnessing a massive bamboo (Olmeca recta) flowering event in the jungles of Mexico, finding Aboriginal rock art in the Australian outback…” (6/9)
Are any specific plants or species that have intrigued or inspired your research? If so, what are they and why? "For some reason, conifers have always attracted me. This might be because I grew up surrounded by pines (Pinus montezumae and P. pseudostrobus) and cypresses (Cupressus lusitanica), or because, as a child, I was amazed by “El Árbol del Tule”, a Taxodium mucronatum individual in southern Mexico that is famous for having one of the largest trunk circumferences in the world (around 42 meters!). Later in my career, this interest deepened through my work on high-altitude pine forest restoration (Pinus hartwegii), the conservation of endangered conifers such as the Mexican yew (Taxus globosa) and Hickel’s fir (Abies hickelii), and studying the regeneration of the beautiful mountain plum-pine (Podocarpus lawrencei) in the Australian Alps. Conifers may not be the most fashionable plants, but their evolutionary history and ecological importance in the places I have worked make them particularly compelling study systems. And, admittedly, I also enjoy pine nuts."
Are any specific plants or species that have intrigued or inspired your research? “For some reason, conifers have always attracted me. This might be because I grew up surrounded by pines and cypresses or because, as a child, I was amazed by “El Árbol del Tule” (5/9)
What is your favourite part of your work related to plants? "That’s a difficult question, because I genuinely enjoy my work and feel lucky to do what I do. But if I had to choose one, it would be fieldwork. Being outdoors, observing plants in their natural environments, and experiencing firsthand the environmental conditions they are exposed to is incredibly rewarding. Every time I return from a field campaign, I come back with new questions and research ideas. Fieldwork is what sparks my curiosity and keeps my enthusiasm for science alive. That said, more recently, due to the nature of my research, I’ve also grown to appreciate laboratory work. I’ve learned that even large germination experiments, which can initially seem overwhelming with thousands of seeds and Petri dishes and feel repetitive (mostly counting seeds), can be surprisingly enjoyable while listening a good podcast or chatting with colleagues."
What is your favourite part of your work related to plants? “... if I had to choose one, it would be fieldwork. Being outdoors, observing plants in their natural environments…Every time I return from a field campaign, I come back with new questions and research ideas...” (4/9)
What motivated you to pursue your current area of research? "My interest in plant regeneration emerged later in my career while I was working for Pronatura Veracruz, a conservation NGO (www.pronaturaveracruz.org). At the time, I was managing ecological restoration projects in temperate and cold mountain of east Mexico, where project success often depended on whether new plants could successfully establish in degraded areas. Collecting seeds, learning how to germinate them and break dormancy, growing seedlings in nurseries, and tracking seedling survival across species and sites made me start asking deeper questions about why some plants establish while others fail. This growing curiosity about plant regeneration ultimately influenced my decision to pursue this topic through scientific research. What began as a practical conservation challenge has evolved into the central scientific question that continues to guide my research today: why do plants grow where they do? Why do some species successfully regenerate while others fail? And what controls plant regeneration in a rapidly changing world?"
What motivated you to pursue your current area of research? "My interest in plant regeneration emerged while I was working for Pronatura Veracruz…I was managing ecological restoration projects, which success often depended on whether new plants could establish in degraded areas"
What made you become interested in plants? "Two key periods in my life influenced my decision to become a plant scientist. The first was simply growing up outdoors. I grew up outside Mexico City, where my home was surrounded by a mosaic of milpa fields (a traditional agricultural system involving the cultivation of maize, beans, pumpkins and other crops in the same space), grasslands and patches of pine–oak forest. Climbing trees, eating capulines (the fruit of Prunus capuli) and learning to avoid nettles (Urtica dioica) were all part of my everyday childhood adventures. These early experiences with nature left a lasting impression on me. On rainy days when I couldn’t go outside, watching National Geographic and David Attenborough documentaries further cultivated my passion for plants. The second key moment came during my undergraduate studies. Initially, I had a broad interest in biodiversity conservation. This changed when I met two botanists, Miguel Cházaro-Basáñez and Héctor Narave-Flores. Through their lectures and plant-hunting excursions, they inspired me to pursue plant science. Their passion, mentorship, and generosity in sharing their knowledge were a major influence and ultimately paved the way for my career in this field."
What made you become interested in plants? “...The first was simply growing up outdoors…The second was when I met two botanists, Miguel Cházaro-Basáñez and Héctor Narave-Flores…they inspired me to pursue plant science.” (2/9)
Jerónimo Vázquez Ramírez
🎉Meet @jeronimovazquez.bsky.social ,plant ecologist & conservation biologist at University of Copenhagen. Get to know him & his passion for plant regeneration, conservation, and understanding how alpine and Arctic plants respond to a climate change.
Check botany.fyi/42c2ae for full answers 1/9
♻️🆓: Phylogeny, biogeography and ecological diversification of New Caledonian palms (Arecaceae)
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
🎉🆕📰🎉: An interlamellar lipophilic layer regulates hygroscopic movements in moss peristomes
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
✅📄Now Free Access: Elevational shifts in reproductive ecology indicate the climate response of a model chasmophyte, Rainer’s bellflower (Campanula raineri)
Get the Paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
🎉🆕📰🎉: An interlamellar lipophilic layer regulates hygroscopic movements in moss peristomes
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
✅📄Now Free Access: The flower does not open in the city: evolution of plant reproductive traits of Portulaca oleracea in urban populations
Get the Paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
✅📄Now Free Access: Effects of experimental warming on floral scent, display and rewards in two subalpine herbs
Get the Paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
#PlantScience
🌍 Alpine ecosystems are already climate-sensitive. If early life stages are compromised, long-term persistence of alpine species could be at risk.
Climate change doesn’t just affect adult plants, it reshapes the next generation. (9/9)
👉 doi.org/qs3t
#SeedEcology #PlantScience #AoBpapers
🔎 Future alpine climates may significantly reduce plants’ ability to regenerate from seed. And responses differed among species, meaning community composition and diversity could change.(8/9)
Figure showing seedling survival under different experimental conditions. (A) Overall patterns of seedling death across the different treatments. Values are averaged across all species, study sites, and years. (B) Mortality rates for each individual species. In the species-specific graphs, letters shown within or above the error bars indicate significant differences between treatments at the end of the experiment. In the combined “all-species” graph, letters mark significant differences during each time period. (See Supplementary Data Table S7 for detailed statistical results.)
🌿 Stage 3 — Seedling establishment
Post-fire conditions strongly reduced survival.
Warmer & drier conditions also had negative effects.
Even mortality timing shifted relative to current climate. (7/9)
Figure with two panels showing how germination changed under different experimental conditions. (A) Overall germination patterns under the different treatments. Results are averaged across all study sites and years. (B) Germination responses for each individual species. The letters above the bars show when the final percentage of germination was significantly different between treatments. In the combined “all-species” graph, letters inside the bars indicate significant differences during each time period (see Supplementary Data Table S4 for detailed statistical results).
🌱 Stage 2 — Germination
Germination declined under:
• Warmer & drier conditions
• Post-fire conditions
And timing shifted: seeds germinated at different moments compared to controls. (6/9)
Figure with six panels showing how future climate conditions affect seeds and seedlings. Plants were exposed to simulated future climate conditions while their seeds were developing. We then measured: (A) seed weight, (B) seed size, (C) how many seeds germinated, (D) how long germination took, (E) the size of the first leaves (cotyledons), and (F) how green those leaves were. The panels on the left show how each species responded. Each coloured line connects results from the same species under current and future climate conditions, showing whether values increased or decreased. Dashed lines indicate changes that were statistically meaningful (P < 0.05). The panels on the right summarize the overall differences between plants grown under current versus future climate conditions. These results are grouped by plant type and regeneration strategy, and the bars show the average difference along with the uncertainty around those estimates (95% confidence intervals).
🌾 Stage 1 — Seed development
Warmer & drier conditions reduced:
• Seed mass
• Seed size
• Cotyledon area
Climate stress began before seeds even hit the soil. (5/9)
Figure with four panels showing experiment timeline and illustration of some of the methods used for the study of (A) seed development, (B) seed germination and (C) seedling establishment.
Across 13 alpine species.
Researchers ran a 2-year factorial field experiment using:
🔥 Controlled burns (post-fire conditions)
🌡️ Modified open-top chambers (warmer & drier microclimate)
Then they tracked seeds and seedlings through multiple stages. (4/9)
Figure with four panels showing locations of Bogong High Plains within Australia (A) and study sites within the Bogong High Plains (B), experimental design within each site and experimental site showing some of the established plot (C), detail of fire treatment (D) and OTC after snow shower (E).
🌱Most research focuses only on warming and germination. But regeneration is more than germination. This study tested effects on:
• Seed development
• Germination
• Seedling establishment (3/9)
Image showing the field experiment in the Australian Alps.
🌄 How will climate change affect alpine plants before they even become adults? This new field experiment in the Australian Alps examined how warmer, drier, and post-fire conditions influence plant regeneration from seed. (2/9)
Climate change may alter seed and seedling traits and shift germination and mortality patterns in alpine environments. Background image by Jerónimo Vázquez-Ramírez
🌿Check the newly published article “Climate change may alter seed and seedling traits and shift germination and mortality patterns in alpine environments” in @annbot by Jerónimo Vázquez-Ramírez @jeronimovazquez.bsky.social & Susanna Venn. 🧵 (1/9)
👉 doi.org/qs3t
#PlantScience #AoBpapers
