Plant ecology articles from across Nature Portfolio

The volatile compound methyl jasmonate is emitted from plant roots and has been shown to trigger the formation of biofilms of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere, which suggests an active role of plants in luring microorganisms to aid them.

Restricted rate of forest regeneration observed two years after the 2018 fires in boreal Fennoscandia coincides with higher concentrations of soil bacterial decomposers under increasing mean annual temperature, according to a survey of vegetation regrowth patterns in 49 conifers from Sweden.

The volatile compound methyl jasmonate is emitted from plant roots and has been shown to trigger the formation of biofilms of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere, which suggests an active role of plants in luring microorganisms to aid them.

Forests are fascinating ecosystems that have accompanied our history and are part of our collective tales. Let’s protect them!

A database reveals global patterns of the abundance and diversity of bacteria beneficial to plants and predicts that these vital bacteria may be threatened by future climate change. Such information is critical to sustainably address and safeguard the globe’s growing agricultural demands.

Analysis of regional-scale pollen data from southeast Australia that span the entire Holocene epoch reveals that plant functional diversity has been highly variable in time and space. A functional perspective on palaeoecological data helps us to better understand the current climate–biodiversity crisis and to predict future changes.