Endangered Plants News

January 26, 2025

Top Headlines

Plants More Likely to Be 'Eavesdroppers' Than Altruists When Tapping Into Underground Networks

Jan. 22, 2025 — A new study has used a modelling approach to show that it is unlikely that plants would evolve to warn other plants of impending attack. Instead of using their communication networks to transmit ...

Plant's Name-Giving Feature Found to Be New Offspring-Ensuring Method

Jan. 23, 2025 — 130 years after a fungus-eating plant received its name, a researcher has uncovered the purpose of the structure that inspired its name -- revealing a novel mechanism by which plants ensure ...

Researcher Studies the Power of Native Plants to Combat Road Salt Pollution

Jan. 17, 2025 — Salt pollution from road deicing salts threatens freshwater ecosystems and urban green infrastructure. New research on salt-tolerant plants like cattails highlights their potential role in mitigating this pollution, though broader strategies are ...

Microbial Cell Factories May Help Get to the Root of Understudied Plant Molecules

Jan. 16, 2025 — A new tool could make it easier to study scarce plant molecules. Researchers have developed so-called microbial cell factories -- using E. coli and yeast -- to produce a special class of plant ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:16am EST

How Climate Change May Alter Hydrology of Grassland Ecosystems

Jan. 16, 2025 — New research reveals that drought and increased temperatures in a CO2-rich climate can dramatically alter how grasslands use and move water. The study provides the first experimental demonstration of ...

How Cryogenic Microscopy Could Help Strengthen Food Security

Jan. 15, 2025 — A research team reports on a novel observation of a plant protection mechanism in response to salt stress. The study opens new avenues of research to strengthen food ...

Could This Fundamental Discovery Revolutionize Fertilizer Use in Farming?

Jan. 15, 2025 — Researchers have discovered a biological mechanism that makes plant roots more welcoming to beneficial soil ...

What Makes Some Plant Species 'Ripe' for Domestication

Jan. 14, 2025 — Researchers have proposed that some wild plant species possess certain attributes which make them more suitable for human cultivation than ...

Study on Hemp May Lead to More Sustainable Farming Methods

Jan. 14, 2025 — A new study of hemp microbes may lead to more sustainable farming methods, using nature to boost the growth of the plant which has become increasingly popular for its versatile uses: CBD-rich ...

Study Shows How Plant Roots Access Deeper Soils in Search of Water

Jan. 10, 2025 — Scientists have discovered how plants adapt their root systems in drought conditions to grow steeper into the soil to access deeper water ...

Study Suggests RNA Present on Surfaces of Leaves May Shape Microbial Communities

Jan. 3, 2025 — Biologists have shown that the surfaces of plant leaves are coated with a diverse array of RNA molecules. The finding suggests that the RNA present ...

Rapid Return of Water from Ground to Atmosphere Through Plants

Jan. 9, 2025 — A new study provides the first comprehensive global estimates of the amount of water stored in Earth's plants and the amount of time it takes for that water to flow through them. The information is a ...

Two-in-One Root Armor Protects Plants from Environmental Stressors and Fights Climate Change

Jan. 9, 2025 — Scientists have created the first single cell genomic atlas of mature plants' outer armor layer, called the periderm, and its carbon-capturing ...

Plant Cells Gain Immune Capabilities When It's Time to Fight Disease

Jan. 8, 2025 — Scientists have created a new atlas of plant cells during immune response, in turn discovering a new rare cell state, called Primary IMmunE Responder (PRIMER), that acts as an immune response hub to ...

Tiny Plants Reveal Big Potential for Boosting Crop Efficiency

Jan. 6, 2025 — Scientists have long sought ways to help plants turn more carbon dioxide (CO2) into biomass, which could boost crop yields and even combat climate change. Recent research suggests that a group of ...

Hornwort Genomes Provide Clues on How Plants Conquered the Land

Jan. 6, 2025 — Over 450 million years ago, plants began the epic transition from water to dry land. Among the first pioneers were the ancestors of humble hornworts, a group of small, unassuming plants that have ...

Pollinators, Pollen and Varieties Determine Fruit Quality

Jan. 3, 2025 — Pollination by animals contributes to a third of global food production, but little research has been done into the extent to which the identity of pollinators, pollen and crop varieties influence ...

Quantity Over Quality? Different Bees Are Attracted to Different Floral Traits

Jan. 2, 2025 — When it comes to deciding where they're going to get their next meal, different species of bees may be attracted to different flower ...

These Bacteria Perform a Trick That Could Keep Plants Healthy

Jan. 2, 2025 — Engineers showed that some types of soil bacteria can influence a plant's balance of growth and defense. The bacteria produce an enzyme that can lower a plant's immune activity and allow ...

Six New Tree Species Named: 3 from Panama, 3 from Colombia

Dec. 23, 2024 — Researchers have named six new tree species based on comparisons made among collections of dried plant specimens from across the Neotropics. Of these six, three of the new species have only been ...

Growing Safer Spuds: Removing Toxins from Potatoes

Dec. 20, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a way to remove toxic compounds from potatoes and tomatoes, making them safer to eat and easier to store. The breakthrough could cut food waste and enhance crop farming in ...

An Inexpensive Fix for California's Struggling Wildflowers

Dec. 19, 2024 — California's native wildflowers are being smothered by layers of dead, invasive grasses. A new study shows that simply raking these layers can boost biodiversity and reduce fire ...

Researchers Identify a Mysterious Fossil Seed to Reveal New Chapters in Climate History of Los Angeles

Dec. 19, 2024 — Scientists have successfully identified a previously unknown species to Southern California from fossilized seeds, revealing a drought-fueled dance between two species of juniper with lessons for the ...

Evolutionary Study Reveals the Toxic Reach of Disease-Causing Bacteria Across the Plant Kingdom

Dec. 19, 2024 — The capacity of bacteria to spread disease across the Plant Kingdom may be much more widespread than previously suspected, according to new ...

Conserving High-Elevation Grasslands in Peru Is Key to Protect Andean Bears

Dec. 18, 2024 — Andean bears carefully select the best foraging locations and plants to maximize nutrition and avoid livestock, according to a new ...

Shrubs Can Help or Hinder a Forest's Recovery After Wildfire

Dec. 16, 2024 — When and where to plant tree seedlings to restore forests after wildfires has a lot to do with shrubs, finds a new ...

Botanists Name Beautiful New Species of 'Lipstick Vine' from the Philippine Rainforest

Dec. 12, 2024 — Scientists have today announced the discovery of a species of lipstick vine completely new to science, from the depths of the Philippine rainforest. The team of botanists made the discovery during an ...

Biodiversity at Risk in Most Rainforests

Dec. 9, 2024 — New research has revealed less than a quarter of the remaining tropical rainforests around the globe can safeguard thousands of threatened species from ...

Breakthrough AI Model Can Translate the Language of Plant Life

Dec. 9, 2024 — A pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) powered model able to understand the sequences and structure patterns that make up the genetic 'language' of plants, has been launched by a ...

Conservation Paradox: Invasive Species Are Often Threatened in Their Native Range

Dec. 6, 2024 — Non-native species introduced by humans are among the main causes of global species decline -- they were partly responsible for 60 percent of the species that have become extinct worldwide in recent ...

Climate Change Threatens Global Food Supply: Scientists Call for Urgent Action

Dec. 5, 2024 — As climate change accelerates, scientists are sounding the alarm about its potentially devastating impact on the world's food supply. Researchers warn that without rapid changes to how we ...

Durian Helps Rice Plants Thrive in Salty Soil

Dec. 5, 2024 — Extreme weather and pollution have increased the salt content in some soil, making growing conditions harsh for salt-sensitive crops like rice. Now, researchers detail a possible solution that ...

Lifesaver for Wild Bees: The Importance of Quarries

Dec. 4, 2024 — A research team has investigated the importance of limestone quarries for wild bee conservation. Diverse landscapes with good connectivity between quarries and calcareous grasslands proved to be ...

Insects Wearing Two Hats Solve Botanical Mystery

Dec. 4, 2024 — The discovery of a unique case where the same insect species both pollinate a plant and distribute its seeds not only solves a long-standing botanical mystery. The find also stresses the diverse ...