Celebrating Plants and People
-
“Good” Soil Bacteria Help Protect Plants From Harmful Soil Microorganisms
“We have demonstrated that the immune system of plants alone is not sufficient for protection against soil-derived and root-associated fungi and oomycetes, and that root-associated bacteria provide extended immune function which is needed for plant survival in nature” (Click on title for full story).
-
The Path To Health After A High Fat Diet? Ginger
Significant reduction of body weight in the HPG group was observed at 5 weeks after beginning the HPG diet. The total fat mass containing epididymal and perirenal adipose tissue was lower in the HPG group than that in the HF group. These results suggested that HPG efficiently inhibited body weight gain in HF diet-fed rats. (Click on title for full story.)
-
Be As Flexible As The Stone Cress: It Produces Two Kinds Of Fruit So Seeds Will Thrive Anywhere
“We revealed two very contrasting dispersal mechanisms, employed by the same plant, at the same time. The slimy seeds adhere to the soil, effectively preventing their dispersal, while the small fruit disperses in its entirety by wind or water currents, thereby promoting its dispersal.” (Click on title for full story.)
-
Non-native Invasive Birds Trained To Save Endangered Plants
“We’ve shown that, yes, you can attract birds into an area. But not only that, you can stimulate them to foster fruit removal, and potentially seed dispersal,” (Click on title for full story)
-
Mystery Solved? Old Assumptions Debunked? Why Are Tropical Forests So Diverse?
“This study is the first demonstration on such a large scale that escaping from the area of one’s parent greatly increases the chance that a seed will survive to become a parent tree itself,” (Click on title for full story.)
-
Almost Too Late? Endangered Tropical Plant Found To Have Valuable Human Tumor-Fighting Chemicals
The rainforest plant Alangium longiflorum Merr. (Cornaceae) is threatened with extinction and currently on the Red List of Threatened Species created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). A crude organic extract from the leaves of A. longiflorum displayed broad cytotoxicity with more specific antiproliferative effects against the growth of leukemic cell lines (Click on title for full story)
-
The Overlooked Liverwort That Produces A Cannabis-like Chemical
Why a liverwort, which lives and reproduces quite differently from a plant like Cannabis, would make this molecule remains a mystery. What we now know, however, is the cannabinoid from liverwort and the one in Cannabis are almost exactly the same and have quite similar effects in the mammalian brain. (Click on title for full story.)
-
When Humans First Domesticated Cacao For Chocolate 3,600 Years Ago.
The researchers looked at “the prince of cocoas,” Criollo — rare, flavorful and the first to be domesticated. They found that it was domesticated in Central America 3,600 years ago, but originated in the Amazon basin, near the modern-day border of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador, from an ancient germplasm known as Curaray. Chances are it was introduced to Central America by traders, (Click on title for full story.)
-
Domino Effect? Invasive Plant Species Favor Invasive Animal Species
“Specifically, by altering the chemistry of aquatic environments, we found that invasive plant species increased the success of an invasive species, but harmed the native species. These results are consistent with the invasional meltdown hypothesis, which suggests that the presence of an invasive species may actually encourage the spread and establishment of other invasive species.” (Click on title for full story.)
-
For This Bird, At Least, Native Plants May Be A Requirement
Her analysis found that chickadees could only sustain their population when at least 70 percent of plants in a nesting area were native. For species like warblers, vireos, and flycatchers that are even more reliant on bug and insects, “that number is going to be higher,” (Click on title for full story.)