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Sequencing of historic and modern specimens reveals cryptic diversity in the red alga Nothogenia |
Article by Sandra Lindstrom, Paul Gabrielson, Jeff Hughey, Erasmo Macaya and Wendy Nelson. This project is not something I ever envisioned. How did someone who is interested in the biogeography and phylogeny of seaweeds occurring on the West Coast of North America end up leading a project that revised the taxonomy of a genus of… |
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How would grasslands change in response to the loss of song birds and small mammals? |
Article by Bill Harrower, Lauchlan Fraser and Roy Turkington Grasslands of British Columbia’s southern interior mountains provide stunning landscapes and host many of the provinces at risk species of plants and animals. Hot dry sagebrush and bunchgrass ecosystems occupy the valley bottoms and grade to the cool wet grasslands with increasing elevation. The structure of… |
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Occam’s tree: the simple way that trees and other plants move billions of tons of lignin |
Article by the Samuels lab Trees and other plants need strength to stand upright and move water effectively from their roots to their leaves. That strength comes from the cell walls that plant cells build around themselves as they grow. Cell wall material makes up most of the mass of plants. Trees that live for… |
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Researchers ID the high-efficiency hacks cannabis cells use to make cannabinoids |
Originally published by UBC Science on August 2, 2022 For the first time, plant biologists have defined the high-efficiency “hacks” that cannabis cells use to make cannabinoids (THC/CBD). Although many biotechnology companies are currently trying to engineer THC/CBD outside the plant in yeast or cell cultures, it is largely unknown how the plant does it naturally. “This really… |
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Preventing autoimmunity in plants |
Article by Xin Li lab Like animals, plants are constantly exposed to bacteria, viruses, and fungi that have the potential to cause diseases. To remain healthy plants possess a complex immune system which relies on immune receptors that are able to recognize pathogens and respond before an infection is established. If a pathogen is able to… |
