The bud scales of resting buds (buds that form at the end of a growth season which lie dormant until the next growth season) of temperate trees are thought to provide essential winter protection. However naked buds (buds without bud scales) are often considered rare occurrences in temperate climates.
In a study in New Phytologist PhD candidate Kristel Schoonderwoerd and Ned Friedman show that there many more species with naked buds in temperate...
Congratulations to Professor Andrew Davies and postdoctoral fellow Tyler Coverdale awarded Harvard's Star-Friedman Challenge for Promising Scientific Research for their proposal, “Anthropocene Savannas: The Future of Humans, Wildlife & Livestock".
African savannas are among the world’s last ecosystems to support historical densities and diversities of wild, large herbivores, which are central to the ecology and economy of the continent. These same savannas are increasingly being called upon to support growing human and...
In a new study in Current Biology, a team of researchers led by Liming Cai ('20) and Prof. Charles Davis presented the most complete genome yet assembled of one of the major Rafflesiaceae lineages, Sapria himalayana.
The genetic analysis revealed an astonishing degree of gene loss and surprising amounts of gene theft from its ancient and modern hosts. These findings bring unique perspectives into the number and kind of genes it...
How do you do botany fieldwork for a course during COVID when classes are online? Prof. Charles Davis developed an online botany course, Plant Biodiversity in the Digital Age, taught at the University of Michigan. Instead of conducting research at the University's Biological Station (UMBS) as usual, students used smartphones and an AI-powered app to identify flora in their own homes. Prof. Davis also...
The evolution of novel features - traits such as wings or eyes - helps organisms make the most use of their environment and promotes increased diversification among species. Understanding the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms involved in the origin of these traits is of great interest to evolutionary biologists.
The flowering plant Aquilegia, a genus of 60-70 species found in temperate meadows, woodlands and mountain tops around the world, is known for a novel feature - the nectar spur, which is important for pollination, and for the ecology and...
Congratulations to Benton Taylor, winner of the 2020 Star-Friedman Challenge for his project, “Volcanic CO2 vents: windows into the future of tropical forests.” A virtual event featuring presentations from this year’s awardees is scheduled for July 10, 2020 from 2:45-4:00pm. Please register here to receive login information.
N. Michele Holbrook, Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry and Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology has been appointed as eighth Director of Harvard Forest.
Pollination is often a mutual relationship between flowering plants and insects. Understaning how these plants entice diverse insects to pollinate has major implications across evolutionary, ecological, organismal and conservation biology. One mechanism that can provide a window into ancient insect pollination, before the rise of flowering plants, are Cycads. Cycads are primary seed-producing plants and represent one of the oldest lineages of seed plants. These plants rely on insect pollination, yet do not display the colorful visuals that signals to pollinators, which is...
Trees typically experience mid-day water depressions due to water evaporating out of the plant's stomata (a tiny opening or pore in plant leaves that intakes carbon dioxide, which is needed for photosynthesis). To understand how the water stress influences carbon's movement from the leaves (where production begins) to the roots, trunk and shoots (where the water is needed), PhD candidate Jessica Gersony (Holbrook Lab) measured carbon and water traits of five mature red oak trees over the course of 24 hours at Harvard Forest.
Congratulations to Robin Hopkins, recipient of the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Graduate Mentoring Award! The award, sponsored by GSAS Student Council, honors faculty who go out of their way to mentor graduate students. Recipients are chosen based on GSAS students nominations.
