Annals of Botany

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International journal publishing novel and rigorous research in all areas of plant science, managed by the Annals of Botany Company, a not-for-profit educational charity.

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Annals of Botany@annbot· 29d

Despite their importance, major knowledge gaps remain. Very few studies have measured how rhodolith beds contribute to: 🐟 Fisheries productivity 🌊 Coastal protection 💧 Water quality 😊 Human well-being (8/9)

Figure showing present ecoregions with >10 publications, hence there is a difference in scale on y-axis between b and c. Some publications provide data from multiple ecoregions and are included in more than one region.

Annals of Botany@annbot· 29d

Rhodolith beds provide nursery grounds, shelter and recruitment habitat for microbes, seaweeds, invertebrates and fish, making them valuable for fisheries and aquaculture. (6/9)

Figure showing how rhodolith beds benefit people and nature. Rhodolith beds provide a wide range of ecosystem services. They support fisheries and aquaculture by offering nursery, feeding and shelter habitats for fish, shellfish and other marine life. They contribute to nutrient cycling, oxygen production and the formation of calcium carbonate, helping build complex seafloor habitats. Rhodolith-derived carbonate is also used as a mineral supplement in agriculture and industry. In some areas, carbonate sediments originating from rhodolith beds help stabilize beaches and coastlines. These habitats also support abundant seaweeds and provide opportunities for recreational activities such as fishing. The colored circles indicate different types of ecosystem services: green = provisioning services (products obtained from nature), pink = regulating and maintenance services (processes that sustain healthy ecosystems), and blue = cultural services (non-material benefits such as recreation).

Annals of Botany@annbot· 29d

The review highlights key ecosystem functions, including: 🪨 Carbon storage and cycling 🌊 Nutrient cycling 🫧 Oxygen production 💧 Water filtration ⚪ Calcification 🏖️ Sediment stabilization Together, these functions support rich marine biodiversity. (5/9)

Maerl from Sweden showing coralline algal thalli that are unattached to any other substrata. Photo by Alexander Ahl.

Annals of Botany@annbot· 29d

Rhodolith beds are formed by free-living coralline red algae that create complex seafloor habitats, sometimes called maerl beds. They occur across the globe and can persist for centuries, supporting life in coastal oceans. (3/9)

Rhodoliths from Zanzibar showing coralline algae encrusting small pebbles and shells. Photo by Lina Rasmusson

Annals of Botany@annbot· 29d

🌊 Check the newly published article ‘An assessment of rhodolith bed ecosystem services’ in @annbot.bsky.social by Lina Rasmusson and co-authors🧵(1/9) 👉 doi.org/rdn2 #AoBpapers #MarineEcology #CorallineAlgae #EcosystemServices #OceanConservation #BlueCarbon #Phycology

An assessment of rhodolith bed ecosystem services. Photo: Norwegian maerlbed supporting echinoderms in a high biodiversity hotspot, by Elias Neuman

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 9

Instead of consistently increasing in colder conditions, stored carbohydrates varied between sites and often decreased in taller trees. The expected build-up of carbon reserves was not consistently observed. (6/8)

Figure showing non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations (%) in Nothofagus pumilio growing along temperature gradients in two sites in the southern Andes of Chile. NSC concentrations were measured in leaves, twig sapwood and stem sapwood, and compared among trees growing at different elevations, among trees of different relative heights within each elevation, and between the lower and upper parts of the same tree crown (leaves and twig sapwood only). Different letters indicate statistically significant differences in NSC concentrations (p < 0.05), with bold letters referring to Cerro Castillo National Park and regular letters to Coyhaique National Reserve.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 9

Growth told a clear story: 📉 Wood growth declined with increasing elevation. 📈 Taller trees generally grew more than shorter ones. But carbon storage showed a much more complex pattern. (5/8)

Figure showing growth of Nothofagus pumilio across temperature gradients in two sites in the southern Andes of Chile. The graphs show current-year shoot length (cm) and basal area increment over the past 10 years (BAI₁₀; cm²). Different letters indicate statistically significant differences in growth among temperature gradients (p < 0.05), with bold letters referring to Cerro Castillo National Park and regular letters to Coyhaique National Reserve.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 9

Researchers tested this idea across three natural temperature gradients: 🌄 Elevation 🌳 Tree height 🌿 Twig position within the canopy They measured non-structural carbohydrates (stored sugars and starch) and tree growth. (4/8)

Nothofagus pumilio treeline in the southern Andes of Chile. The treeline here is composed of tree individuals not taller than 3 m. The lower layer of short shrubs is composed of Gaultheria pumila and Empetrum rubrum (Ericaceae); b) a Nothofagus pumilio krummholz near
the temperature station pole.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 9

What determines the upper limit of forests on mountains? 🌄 This new study tests whether cold temperatures limit tree growth by preventing the use of carbon reserves in Patagonia's southern beech, Nothofagus pumilio. (2/8)

Nothofagus pumilio forest in Patagonia, in autum. Credits: Canva.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 9

🎉 Good news! The paper ‘The role of elevation, tree height, and crown position on the carbon balance of trees at the southern Andes treeline’ in @annbot.bsky.social by Alex Fajardo and co-authors is now #free for 2 weeks 🧵(1/8) 👉 doi.org/rdf5 #AoBpapers #PlantScience

The role of elevation, tree height, and crown position on the carbon balance of trees at the southern Andes treeline. Image credits: Canva.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 7

🆕 The new issue of Annals of Botany is now online! 🧬 Plant genomics, pangenomics and chromosome evolution 🌍 Climate change, adaptation and conservation 🌸 Plant reproduction and pollination biology 🌱 Plant ecology and environmental responses and much more... 🔗 botany.fyi/j57duc #PlantScience

The cover illustration shows a pangenome-informed landscape of WRKY structural diversity and regulatory functions across Oleaceae. A circos plot illustrates multi-genome integration and structural variation. Bouquets of Oleaceae flowers represent pigmentation, scent, and stress adaptation, while WRKYGQK-marked butterflies depict WRKY binding and regulatory networks that connect genomic variation with downstream metabolic pathways and adaptive phenotypes. [See Fang et al., pp. 2041—2054.]

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 2

CPT includes traits from nearly every part of the plant: 🌳 Whole plant 🌱 Roots 🌿 Shoots 🍃 Leaves 🌸 Flowers 🍎 Fruits 🌰 Seeds It also covers plants from intact, degraded and restored ecosystems. (7/10)

Figure with four panels showing (A) distribution of trait records across different plant trait categories in the Cerrado Plant Trait Database. (B) The 20 plant traits with the greatest number of records. (C) Venn diagram showing how trait records overlap among different trait categories. (D) Number of species with available data for each trait category.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 2

The new Cerrado Plant Traits (CPT) database brings together: 🌱 113,859 curated trait records 🌿 2,134 plant species 🌼 150 plant families 📊 Data from 148 independent datasets (6/10)

Figure with four panels showing (A) distribution of plant trait data across the evolutionary tree of flowering plants. Blue bars indicate the amount of trait information available for each plant group, with taller bars representing more records. (B–D) The 20 plant families (B), genera (C), and species (D) with the highest number of trait records in the Cerrado Plant Trait Database.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 2

The Brazilian Cerrado is the world's most biodiverse tropical savanna and a global biodiversity hotspot. Yet until now, researchers lacked a comprehensive, standardised trait database for its flora. (5/10)

Physiognomic variation of the Brazilian Cerrado. William Bond in campo sujo (A), campo limpo in Central (B) and southeastern Brazil (C). Typical cerrado sensu stricto Cerrado (D), cerradão woodlands (E) and gallery forest (F). Overview of a Cerrado landscape showing habitat heterogeneity (G), which includes wetlands (H) and rocky outcrop vegetation (I). Cerrado Plant Traits aims to provide data on all plant organs to allow future analyses of trait integration. Photos by Alessandra Fidelis (A, C, G), Natália Medeiros (B), Davi Rossatto (D, E, F), and Lara Amaral-Garcia (I). Illustration by Raissa Jardim.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 2

🌿 Why do we know so little about the world's most biodiverse tropical savanna? A new study introduces the Cerrado Plant Traits (CPT) database, the largest open-access collection of plant functional traits for Brazil's Cerrado. (2/10)

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jul 2

🎉Great news! The paper ‘Cerrado plant traits (CPT): a database of functional traits across vegetation types in a global biodiversity hotspot’ in @annbot.bsky.social by Lara Amaral-Garcia et al. is now #free for 2 weeks 🧵(1/10) 👉 doi.org/rdct @leveg.bsky.social #AoBpapers #Botany #PlantScience

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 30

Interestingly, pollinators were not attracted to plants that lacked flowers. This suggests flowers (not traps) draw pollinators to the plant. (7/10)

Figure showing floral visitors of Drosera hookeri. A: Simosyrphus grandicornis (Diptera: Syrphidae), B: Melangyna viridiceps (Diptera: Syrphidae), C: Lasioglossum brunnesetum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), D: Geron sp. (Diptera: Bombyliidae), and E: Zizina otis (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Note the close proximity of flowers and trap leaves in A.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 30

The main victim? The hoverfly Melangyna viridiceps, which was also the most frequent flower visitor. The same insects helping reproduction often ended up becoming lunch. (6/10)

Figure showing a selection of prey from Drosera hookeri leaves. A, B and C: Simosyrphus grandicornis (Diptera: Syrphidae); D, E, and F: crane flies (Diptera: Tipuloidea), G: Zizina otis (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), H: noctuid moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae); I: crane fly (Diptera: Tipuloidea) ; J: click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae); K: muscoid fly (Diptera: Muscidae) and L: Lasioglossum sp. (Hymenoptera: Halictidae).

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 30

The results showed a clear pollinator–prey conflict. More than half (57%) of the identified prey trapped by the plants were actually pollinators. 😲 (5/10)

Figure showing prey captured by Drosera hookeri leaves across six sampling periods at Tingha in 2007. The top panel shows the number of open flowers per plant; no flowering occurred during the first three sampling periods. Subsequent panels show the total number of prey per plant and the breakdown by insect order:
Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Boxplots show the median (horizontal line),
interquartile range (box) and 1.5 x IQR (whiskers); individual data points are overlaid. Sample sizes per
period are shown at the top of each panel. The shaded region indicates the flowering period. Sampling dates in 2007 for each period are: 1 = 13 September, 2 = 20-21 September, 3 = 29 September, 4 = 3-4 October, 5 = 10-13 October, 6 = 21 October. Period 5 combines data from two consecutive census dates (11 and 13
October 2007).

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 30

Researchers monitored populations in eastern Australia over multiple years, recording pollinator visits, testing pollination biology, and measuring prey capture before, during, and after flowering. (4/10)

Figure with two panels showing A) Flower of Drosera hookeri at anthesis and B: 3 hours later when anthers have recurved towards the stigmas.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 30

In many carnivorous plants, flowers are separated from traps by distance or different visual/chemical cues, reducing the risk of capturing pollinators. But D. hookeri places its flowers right next to its sticky trap-leaves. (3/10)

Floral visitor of Drosera hookeri. Simosyrphus grandicornis (Diptera: Syrphidae).

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 30

🌼🪰Join us to learn about the newly published article “Fatal attraction: flowers lure pollinators as prey in the carnivorous Drosera hookeri (Droseraceae)” in @annbot.bsky.social by C. Gross and co-authors. 🧵 (1/10) 👉 doi.org/rcvn #CarnivorousPlants #AoBpapers #PlantScience #PlantEcology #Drosera

Fatal attraction: flowers lure pollinators as prey in the carnivorous Drosera hookeri (Droseraceae)

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 29

🌿 Thank you to everyone who followed and engaged with our #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕We hope the articles featured throughout the week contribute to ongoing scientific discussions and provide new perspectives on the role of the fossil record in reconstructing plant evolution.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 28

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 Fossil ferns of the Asian tropics: Salvinia and Acrostichum macrofossils and diverse fern spores from the early Eocene Ghazij Formation (Balochistan, Pakistan) by Spagnuolo and co-authors. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/rcm8 #Paleobotany #PlantEvolution #Botany

The discovery of Salvinia, Acrostichum, and a diverse fern-spore assemblage in the Ghazij Formation fills a major gap in the tropical Asian fossil record and shows that tropical fern ecosystems were already diverse and ecologically complex during the early Eocene.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 28

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 Revisiting the enigmatic Cheirolepidiaceae: origins, phylogenetic relationships, and a new whole-plant concept by Andruchow-Colombo & Matsunaga. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/q76z @anaac.bsky.social #Paleobotany #PlantEvolution #Botany

A remarkably complete Early Cretaceous fossil plant from Arkansas offers the clearest picture yet of the extinct Cheirolepidiaceae, revealing this widespread conifer family as a key evolutionary bridge between ancient voltzialean conifers and modern crown-group conifers.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 28

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 From Protosphagnum to Sphagnum? Additional support for M. F. Neuburg’s hypothesis on the evolution of leaf development in the Permian protosphagnalean mosses by Ignatov and co-authors. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/q76x #Paleobotany

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 27

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 On the origin of euphyllophyte roots – hypotheses from an Early Devonian Psilophyton by Doran & Tomescu. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/q76k #Paleobotany #PlantEvolution #Botany

A reanalysis of Psilophyton crenulatum suggests that early euphyllophytes may have evolved unique rooting structures much earlier than previously thought, offering new insights into how the roots of modern ferns, horsetails, and seed plants first originated.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 27

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 Late Cretaceous origins for major nightshade lineages from total evidence timetree analysis by González Ramírez and co-authors. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/q76r @ixchelgr.bsky.social #Paleobotany #PlantEvolution #Botany

Nightshades are much older than we thought. New fossil-informed analyses push their origin back nearly 100 million years, reshaping the evolutionary timeline of one of the world’s most important plant families.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 27

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 Convergent evolution in the late Permian megaphyllous leaves of the Noeggerathiales progymnosperm Paratingia and the cycad Plagiozamites by Qin and co-authors. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/q76t #Paleobotany #PlantEvolution #Botany

Some fossil leaves that resemble cycads actually belong to the distinct and now-extinct Noeggerathiales, revealing remarkable convergent evolution between unrelated plant groups. By disentangling these lookalike forms, this study refines how we identify fossil species and offers a clearer picture of plant diversity and extinction just before the Permian–Triassic crisis.

Annals of Botany@annbot· Jun 27

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek 🦕 Uncoupling of morphological disparity and species diversity in Zosterophyllum, with its new species from the Pridoli (Silurian) of West Junggar, Xinjiang, China by Wang and co-authors. #freeaccess article 👉 doi.org/q76s #Paleobotany