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Researchers assess woodland condition at Alice Holt Forest

No evidence that England’s new ‘biodiversity boost’ planning policy will help birds or butterflies

28 June 2024

A new legal requirement for developers to demonstrate a biodiversity boost in planning applications could make a more meaningful impact on nature recovery if improvements are made to the way nature’s value is calculated, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. The study led by Dr Cicely Marshall , a member of the...

Agnes Arber plaque unveiling at the Botanic Garden with Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, Penny Heath, Lucy Pollard and Cllr Baiju Thittala Varkey

Pioneering Cambridge botanist remembered with a blue plaque and a new PhD prize

10 June 2024

This year the Department of Plant Sciences is celebrating 300 years since the appointment of the first Professor of Botany at Cambridge. As part of the celebrations, pioneering Cambridge botanist, Agnes Arber is being remembered with a blue plaque and a new PhD prize. Agnes Arber (1879 – 1960) was a plant morphologist and...

David Edwards on a field trip in the tropical rain forest in Borneo

Rainforest wildlife under threat as below-canopy temperatures rise

3 June 2024

Assumptions that tropical forest canopies protect from the effects of climate change are unfounded, say researchers A new study, co-authored by Professor David Edwards , head of the Tropical Ecology and Conservation group, shows that crucial strongholds for biodiversity are under threat as temperatures are rising in...

Confocal 3D projection of DAPI- and Phalloidin-labelling; image by Dr Alexis Sperling

Unprecedented genetic diversity discovered in plant-parasitic nematodes

29 May 2024

A recent discovery from the Crop Science Centre has revealed unprecedented genetic variation in plant-parasitic nematodes. This research, published in the journal Cell Genomics , helps us better understand how these tiny but destructive parasitic worms evolved. The team behind this research, led by Dr Sonawala , discovered...

Two Department of Plant Sciences academics awarded prestigious European Research Council Advanced Grants

12 April 2024

Two Department of Plant Sciences academics awarded prestigious European Research Council Advanced Grants The funding provides leading senior researchers with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. ‘Many congratulations to Beverley and Ian... It is...

Banana cultivation in Benin, West Africa

Cambridge partnership set to prepare and protect Central and West African countries against epidemics of virus diseases in banana and cassava through new investment

2 April 2024

Cambridge partnership set to prepare and protect Central and West African countries against epidemics of virus diseases in banana and cassava through new investment Researchers in the Epidemiology and Modelling Group join a new international programme aimed at increasing the resilience of 10 Central and West African...

Confocal image of Marchantia meristem displaying multiple fluorescent reporters from the promoter collection

A “bright” new map of the bryophyte development

28 February 2024

A “bright” new map of the bryophyte development All plants on land undergo a unique reproductive cycle, alternating between generations. Unlike vascular plants, bryophytes—a group encompassing liverworts, mosses, and hornworts—feature a dominant haploid phase, with only one copy of each chromosome. This fundamental...

Portraits of Bablington, Marshall Ward and current Professor of botany Ottloline Leyser

Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first Professor of Botany

22 January 2024

Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first Professor of Botany at Cambridge 2024 marks the three-hundredth anniversary of the appointment of the first Professor of Botany at Cambridge, and will be a year of celebration for the department. Three hundred years ago the study of botany, or plant sciences as it has since...

ransversal section of a Hibiscus trionium petal (CryoSEM). The adaxial epidermis cells have ridges on their surface.

New BBSRC grant will grow our understanding of petal diffraction gratings

12 January 2024

New BBSRC grant to grow our understanding of petal diffraction gratings development A new grant from BBSRC will enable Professor Beverley Glover’s Evolution and Development group to deepen our understanding of the development of petal diffraction gratings and their role in attracting pollinators. Diffraction gratings are...

CRISPR: The Cutting-Edge Solution to Tackle Parasitic Plant Threats

13 December 2023

CRISPR: The Cutting-Edge Solution to Tackle Parasitic Plant Threats Scientists from the Crop Science Centre, Dr Min-Yao Jhu and Dr Evan Ellison, have released a research review article shedding light on the pivotal role of CRISPR gene-editing technology in combatting the destructive impact of parasitic plants on crops...

No evidence that England’s new ‘biodiversity boost’ planning policy will help birds or butterflies

Pioneering Cambridge botanist remembered with a blue plaque and a new PhD prize

Rainforest wildlife under threat as below-canopy temperatures rise

Unprecedented genetic diversity discovered in plant-parasitic nematodes

Two Department of Plant Sciences academics awarded prestigious European Research Council Advanced Grants

Cambridge partnership set to prepare and protect Central and West African countries against epidemics of virus diseases in banana and cassava through new investment

A “bright” new map of the bryophyte development

Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first Professor of Botany

New BBSRC grant will grow our understanding of petal diffraction gratings

CRISPR: The Cutting-Edge Solution to Tackle Parasitic Plant Threats

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