Changes in climate affect the timings of various points in the life cycle of plants, including when flowers bloom in spring and when leaves wither in autumn.
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Climate change is modifying the timing of recurrent life-cycle events with critical consequences on ecological and economic levels.
A man tends to his plot at a community garden in Santa Monica, Calif., in April 2020.
Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
As lockdowns went into effect in the spring of 2020, many people took up gardening as a coping mechanism. But will a hobby born out of a crisis recede as life returns to normal?
Meat has been a marker of class and gender divides and has sparked scientific revolutions.
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Meat has been a marker of class and gender divides, sparked scientific revolutions and has been at the centre of wars.
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Variegated plants can be more expensive than their all-green counterparts. But there are ways to protect your investment.
Climate change stresses plants, forcing them to turn off the cellular machinery that helps them grow.
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The climate crisis makes it important to investigate and understand the mechanisms of plant growth if we are to keep agricultural crops sustainable.
Fungi that live on plant roots can help with the uptake of nutrients.
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Plants communicate with the fungi on their roots, but the effects on the ecosystem of deliberately adding fungi as a fertilizer are unknown — and might be harmful.
A farm in South Africa’s Eastern Cape struggles with woody encroachment.
Collin Bennet
Maintaining ecological balance in savannas is essential
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When plants moved from living in water to land, they had to adapt. How that happened can help address food security.
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Fussy about moisture and temperature, ferns are excellent indicators of environmental change.
Russell Wait in his Eremophila garden.
Rachael Fowler
Without these older Australians, my research wouldn’t be where it is today. So let’s meet a few of them.
Homes overlook a forest in the wildland-urban interface in Arizona.
Marius von Essen
A new study maps vegetation’s fire risk across the West and shows where population in the highest-risk areas from California to Texas is booming.
Roman Chazov/Shutterstock
Though you might not think so to look at them, plants have a busy day.
Interior green walls can improve air quality and reduce noise levels, improving the health and well-being of those who work there.
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Green buildings can cost more than conventional structures, but the small increase has noticeable benefits for those working and living within them.
Zhang Kaiyv/Unsplash
Maidenhair trees, Ginkgo biloba, can live for over 1,000 years and grow 35m tall. While they’re beautiful to look at, they’re also notorious for their vomit-smelling seeds.
Allium schoenoprasum , better known as chives.
Andreas Rockstein/Flickr
Plants need light to feed themselves, so they grow in ways that help them collect as much of it as they can. Sometimes that’s straight up, but not always.
Romolo Tavani/Shutterstock
David Attenborough’s new BBC documentary The Green Planet shows plants are stranger than they first appear.
Future Christmas dinners could see slaughter-free meat, algae sides and insect pies.
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The future of Christmas food could include artificial meat, soil-free veg and hybrid protein treats.
American mistletoe’s genus Phoradendron means ‘thief of trees’ in Greek.
Joe Decruyenaere/Wikimedia Commons
This evergreen plant has some tricky ways to get ahead, but it’s a valuable part of the ecosystem.
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Tree sunburn tends to occur during hot spring days or in early summer, when trees are full of moisture. So why does it happen? And which trees are most vulnerable?
Increasing numbers of people are choosing plant-based diets.
Pxhere
Menus that are three-quarters vegetarian help meat eaters choose more climate-friendly options, a tactic that restaurants could use to help fight climate change.