Tag: photosynthesis
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Chapter 4 21st century botany gets Classical
The text explores the ancient four elements—earth, fire, air, and water—highlighting their critical roles in plant biology. It discusses how modern botany acknowledges these elements’ contributions while noting plants’ remarkable adaptability to environmental changes. Understanding these elements provides a perspective on plant life, linking ancient concepts with contemporary science.
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Chapter 2 Oxygen, the planet’s most precious waste product
Plants, through photosynthesis, produce vital oxygen and organic compounds that support life on Earth and enabled the evolution of complex organisms. This chapter highlights the importance of photosynthesis in ecosystems and discusses potential improvements to increase efficiency for a growing human population, emphasising the need for more plant scientists in…
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Introduction to Mr Plant Cuttings’ book project
This post highlights Mr P Cuttings’ ambition for a book about plants. Highlighting 10 need-to-know facts about our green neighbours, topics include plant diversity, structure, and senses, photosynthesis, agriculture, and cultural and wellbeing impacts of plants. By emphasising plants’ historical – and continuing – impact on human life, it hopes…
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Photosynthesis operating above par…
Lazzarin et al. (2025) show that far-red light (701-750 nm), previously considered outside of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), can enhance photosynthesis in tomato plants. While research suggests revising PAR definitions to include far-red wavelengths, the role of this light in plant life remains complex and requires further investigation to fully…
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Shedding light on marine algae…
Dakota McCoy et al. (2024) demonstrate how heart cockles (Corculum cardissa) utilize specialized windows in their shells to focus sunlight onto symbiotic dinoflagellates for photosynthesis. The windows transmit 11–62% of photosynthetically-active radiation while filtering harmful UV rays, suggesting an adaptive advantage for both the molluscs and their symbionts.
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Pollution produces photosynthetic part-timers…
The post discusses how plants work harder than commonly believed and how atmospheric aerosol pollution affects their productivity.
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Can seaweed boost tobacco photosynthesis?
Researchers are working to increase photosynthesis efficiency in plants to support the growing global population. With insights into the structure of RubisCO in a red seaweed they have genetically-altered that enzyme in tobacco and improved its photosynthetic efficiency and enhanced its growth. It is anticipated that development of this approach…
Plant Cuttings 