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Department of Plant Sciences

 
Read more at: Botanic Gardens must team up to save wild plants from extinction
Cambridge University Botanic Garden  Credit: Howard Rice

Botanic Gardens must team up to save wild plants from extinction

27 January 2025

The world’s botanic gardens must pull together to protect global plant biodiversity in the face of the extinction crisis, amid restrictions on wild-collecting, say researchers. A major study of botanic gardens around the world has revealed their struggles with one fundamental aim: to safeguard the world’s most threatened...


Read more at: Early warning tool will help control huge locust swarms
Locust swarm fills the skies in Ethiopia. Credit: Keith Cressman, FAO.

Early warning tool will help control huge locust swarms

23 December 2024

A new tool that predicts the behaviour of desert locust populations will help national agencies to manage huge swarms before they devastate food crops in Africa and Asia. Desert locusts typically lead solitary lives until something - like intense rainfall - triggers them to swarm in vast numbers, often with devastating...


Read more at: Naturally regenerated rainforests more wind-resistant than plantations, new study in Hong Kong shows
Forests in Hong Kong. Photo by Aland Chan.

Naturally regenerated rainforests more wind-resistant than plantations, new study in Hong Kong shows

23 December 2024

Research into forest dynamics under the influence of typhoons in Hong Kong shows that natural rainforests in East Asia are surprisingly resilient to the storms. Currently, nearly half of the forest restoration commitments globally are achieved by monoculture plantations. Previous research has shown that monocultures fail...


Read more at: Study reveals widespread impact of wildfires on plant-soil water relations
Prescribed burning to maintain scrubby flatwood habitat at Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA. Photo by Courtney Currier.

Study reveals widespread impact of wildfires on plant-soil water relations

19 December 2024

A study into global wildfires and ecosystem water cycling has shown for the first time the large-scale effects of fire on plant and soil water dynamics. The research team from the University of Cambridge used microwave satellite datasets to observe the effects of fire on plant and soil water content across the globe. They...


Read more at: Alumni stories: Trisna Tungadi
Trisna Tungadi on Kit Mikayi rock in Kenya when she worked with John Carr on a postdoctoral project in collaboration with bean growers in Kenya.

Alumni stories: Trisna Tungadi

9 December 2024

Studying Plant Sciences at Cambridge can open up a wealth of career opportunities. In this series, we hear from Plant Sciences alumni about their experiences of studying here, how it shaped their careers and what they are doing now. If you would like your alumni story featured, please email us at alumni@plantsci.cam.ac.uk...


Read more at: Centre for Global Wood Security website goes live
Tropical forest logging concessions

Centre for Global Wood Security website goes live

5 December 2024

The Centre for Global Wood Security has launched a new website to promote and support the Centre’s work. The cross-disciplinary research centre led by Professor David Edwards from the University of Cambridge brings together over 50 partners from academic, industry, NGO and policy organisations. The aim is to deliver...


Read more at: Insights into how photosynthesis evolved could help develop climate-resilient crops
Electron microscopy images of cross sections of sorghum leaves. Credit: Dr Tina Schreier

Insights into how photosynthesis evolved could help develop climate-resilient crops

21 November 2024

A study into how plants evolved to cope with climate changes millions of years ago could help scientists develop modern-day crops that are more productive and resilient to global warming. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the SALK Institute in California have uncovered genetic changes in the evolution of a...


Read more at: Could global warming increase the risk of European spruce bark beetle to UK forests?
Forest destruction caused by spruce bark beetle

Could global warming increase the risk of European spruce bark beetle to UK forests?

21 November 2024

The spread of bark beetle could have a major impact on the UK’s forestry industry and cause significant ecological damage, particularly in Scotland where around 75% of spruce trees in Britain are grown. Researchers from the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Forest Research have been supporting the UK government...


Read more at: Alumni stories: Luke Browning
Luke Browning in the lab at Xampla. Photo by Georgios Gkotsis.

Alumni stories: Luke Browning

19 November 2024

Studying Plant Sciences at Cambridge can open up a wealth of career opportunities. In this series, we hear from Plant Sciences alumni about their experiences of studying here, how it shaped their careers and what they are doing now. If you would like your alumni story featured, please email us at alumni@plantsci.cam.ac.uk...


Read more at: New temperatures in two thirds of key tropical forest
66% of tropical forests have transitioned to novel temperature regimes, including hyperdiverse cloudforests in the Colombian

New temperatures in two thirds of key tropical forest

15 October 2024

Two thirds of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in tropical forests are experiencing new temperature conditions as our climate changes, research co-authored by David Edwards from the Department of Plant Sciences shows. KBAs identify the most important places on Earth for species and their habitats. The new study – by Exeter...