Old crops in new places - Nature Plants

All over the world, farmers are finding new ways to adapt to climate change. But these innovations risk severing connections to the land that have been shaped over millennia.

nature.com

Marcos Fernández-Martínez receives the 'Ángeles Alvariño' national research award for his contribution in the field of ecology

Marcos Fernández Martínez, ERC researcher at CREAF, who has received the “Ángeles Alvariño” national research award in the category of Natural Resources Sciences and Technologies.

creaf.cat

Researcher in Soil Science for the Sustainable Field Crops Program - IRTA

We are an agri-food Research Institute under the Government of Catalonia, where over 1000 professionals work, with commitment, across 19 research areas to contribute to the future and to society.

talent.irta.cat

PhD Candidate for a project about drought resistance of crop roots - IRTA

We are an agri-food Research Institute under the Government of Catalonia, where over 1000 professionals work, with commitment, across 19 research areas to contribute to the future and to society.

talent.irta.cat

‘Best job in the natural world’: seed collector enlisted as modern-day Darwin to document the world’s plants

Newly appointed expedition botanist Matthew Jeffery feels ‘daunted’ but inspired by his unique globetrotting role collecting wild species

theguardian.com

‘This wasn’t obvious’: the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor, researchers find

Hybridisation event took place about 9 million years ago, helping to ‘spark the emergence of a new organ’

theguardian.com

PhD Candidate for a project about drought resistance of crop roots - IRTA

We are an agri-food Research Institute under the Government of Catalonia, where over 1000 professionals work, with commitment, across 19 research areas to contribute to the future and to society.

talent.irta.cat

Water sources shape drought effects on mammal activity in mediterranean woodlands - Mammalian Biology

Drought frequency and severity have notably increased in the Mediterranean basin throughout the 20th century, thereby impacting freshwater sources and forest regrowth, which are crucial for woodland m...

link.springer.com

Quality of scientific papers questioned as academics ‘overwhelmed’ by the millions published

Widespread mockery of AI-generated rat with giant penis in one paper brings problem to public attention

theguardian.com

jobs.ethz.ch

toxicitat en organismes i ecosistemes

Cultura Mataró. Agenda cultural

culturamataro.cat

Environmental and Ecological Statistics Conference

Co-organised by Glasgow University and Lancaster University

envecostats.wordpress.com

Plant domestication does not reduce diversity in root microbiomes

Domestication has profoundly shaped human civilization and the genetic makeup of numerous plant and animal species. While the effects of plant domestication at the genetic and phenotypic levels are well-documented, its impact on plant microbiome remains less understood. Root microbiomes play crucial roles in nutrient acquisition, pathogen defense, and biotic stress tolerance, yet the influence of domestication on their diversity and assembly is still debated. Two primary hypotheses have been proposed: 1) the reduction in microbial diversity resulting from the domestication process, and 2) the diminished ability of host plants to control their microbiomes. To evaluate these hypotheses, we conducted a meta-analysis of multiple crops, comparing the root microbiomes of domesticated plants and their wild relatives. Our results indicate that the effects of domestication are species-specific and context-dependent, with most domesticated plants exhibiting increased microbial diversity and more structured communities, while others show no significant change. Overall, this study provides evidence that plant domestication does not lead to a uniform reduction in microbial diversity or a consistently diminished ability of plants to influence their microbiomes. Based on these findings, we discuss new perspectives and the need for future studies incorporating native soils and host genetic variation in such experiments, analyzing not only diversity but also microbiome function, and considering how root morphology might affect microbiome recruitment. Finally, we highlight the need for research on the potential adaptive or maladaptive consequences that introgression between wild and domesticated plants could have from a microbiome perspective. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

doi.org