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Image: A water flea under the microscope. The light colors in the lake influence its food source: microalgae Credit: Sebastian Neun / Universität Oldenburg

News Plant Science

Algae and water fleas in lakes: Light colour influences food webs

Phytoplankton is the basic food source for many aquatic organisms. A new study shows that the light spectrum is more important for these microalgae and for lake ecosystems than previously assumed.

Isabel13/11/2025

Image: The plant species that produce iridoids and possess a gene copy of the cyclase include (top row from left to right) icepac Carapichea ipecacuanha, fever tree (Cinchona pubescens), golden trumpet (Allamanda cathartica), princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa), (bottom row, from left to right) Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica), and devil pepper (Rauvolfia tetraphylla). Credit: Eva Rothe, greenhouse of the MPI f. Chemical Ecology (ipecac plant: Maite Colinas)

News Plant Science

Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated

Iridoid-producing plants use a cyclase to synthesize the characteristic double-ring structure of this important class of defense compounds and medically relevant substances.

Isabel03/11/2025

Image: Haemodorum subg. Gemina. Dissected flowers exposing the purple and white/cream stamens of selected populations of Haemodorum spicatum. A – Mt Lindesay. Credit: Nuytsia—The journal of the Western Australian Herbarium (2025). DOI: 10.58828/nuy01088

News Plant Science

Global project unearths new species of wildflowers

A long-term study compiled from field work on four continents over five decades has unearthed new species of kangaroo paws and related genera.

Isabel27/10/2025

Image: Volcano, Natural, Cloud image. Free for use. Credit: Kanenori from Pixabay

News Plant Science

A volcano erased an island’s plants. Their DNA revealed how life starts over

Scientists have determined the genetic lineage of a now extinct plant population from Nishinoshima, a volcanic island whose frequent eruptions periodically "reset" the vegetation. While they traced the lineage to a nearby island, they discovered distinct genetic quirks due to…

Isabel17/10/2025

Image: Using data from known protein structures and sequences, scientists developed an artificial intelligence (AI) workflow to predict the structures and functions of unknown proteins, including how these proteins would interact with metals such as zinc. In this example, predicted to be a zinc-binding protein, the model of the protein shows that four cysteine residues are directly involved in the interaction with zinc. Credit: Qun Liu/Brookhaven National Laboratory

News Plant Science

Scientists Use AI to Predict (Plant) Protein Structure and Function

Researchers developed an artificial intelligence workflow that could help them grow biofuel crops on infertile soil and protect the plants from infectious diseases.

Isabel07/10/2025

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Algae and water fleas in lakes: Light colour influences food webs

Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated

Global project unearths new species of wildflowers

A volcano erased an island’s plants. Their DNA revealed how life starts over

Scientists Use AI to Predict (Plant) Protein Structure and Function

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