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How sunlight influences species diversity in grasslands
The factors that determine plant species diversity in grasslands is still being explored. Some of the factors commonly cited include atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate. A new study indicates that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) might be another major determinant of species diversity in a grassland environment. Previous studies have shown that photosynthesis is positively correlated…
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A pink-off in the savanna: Eragrostis and Muhlenbergia
I wanted to see whether the C4 fall season grasses had flowered and so I visited the Nature Conservancy’s Disney Preserve earlier this week. Unfortunately, it seems I had come too early this year (perhaps the cold at the beginning of the season had pushed back development), and I contented myself with taking macros of…
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How grasses supercharged energy storage via a unique starch biosynthetic pathway
Plants produce glucose using carbon dioxide and water from the environment. This glucose is then used to power cell metabolism and keep plants alive. However, glucose is an osmotically active material, and is hard to store, so plants link together glucose molecules to form a carbohydrate called starch. Starch is compact and insoluble, and is…
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The assault resumes: rapid expansion of an invasive grass in Florida
I was in the area, and decided to visit an old site in Kissimmee, FL where I had been reporting the expansion of a large cluster of Imperata cylindrica (cogon grass) since Spring 2021. During the last visit, the cogon grass had managed to go around a large tree blocking its way, and I wanted…
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White Gold: How sugar and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) powered the transatlantic slave trade that killed millions
During hikes in Virgin island National park in St. John, US Virgin islands, we sometimes encountered the ruins of old structures that had been reclaimed by the surrounding flora. Many were just groups of aged stone that seemed to rise pitifully up from the vegetation, as if thrown haphazardly like the toy blocks of some…
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Tigers in Toyland
Going to Disney World is always a lot of fun, although the size of the crowds sometimes dampens even the most enthusiastic Mickey Mouse fanatic. The Hollywood Studios theme park is a favorite of ours. The Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge area of that park is an amazing immersive experience, one that I would highly recommend,…
Sejarah Poaceae (Volume 2)
The Story of Grasses – Grasslands and Grassy Open Ecosystems