Researchers have digitized 106 years of growth data on the birth, growth and death of individual plants on Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Ariz., making the information available for study by people all over the world. The permanent research plots on the University of Arizona's Tumamoc Hill represent the world's longest-running study that monitors individual plants. Knowing how plants respond to changing conditions over many decades provides new insights into how ecosystems behave.

Written By:  Jim Low

Actions of the Missouri Conservation Commission at its meeting April 25 and 26

The Conservation Commission met April 25 and 26 at Conservation Department Headquarters in Jefferson City. Commissioners present were:

Don C. Bedell, Sikeston, Chair

James T. Blair, IV, St. Louis, Vice Chair

Becky L. Plattner, Grand Pass, Secretary

Don R. Johnson, Festus, Member

The Commission:

 Received presentations from:

• Education Programs Supervisor Kevin Lohraff regarding the Discover Nature Schools Program.

• Outreach and Education Division Chief Mike Huffman regarding the Range and Outdoor Education Center Program.

Key Messages: 

Missourians care about conserving forests, fish and wildlife.

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Scientists have developed a physical map of wheat's wild ancestor, Aegilops tauschii, commonly called goatgrass. It's the first huge step toward sequencing the wheat genome -- a complete look at wheat's genetic matter. The work showed among other things, that most resistance genes seem to lie at the ends of chromosomes and can be easily accessed. The findings can lead to breeding of more productive and sustainable wheat varieties.

North America isn’t known as a hotspot for crop plant diversity, yet a new inventory has uncovered nearly 4,600 wild relatives of crop plants in the United States, including close relatives of globally important food crops such as sunflower, bean, sweet potato, and strawberry.

A smart combination of different crops, such as beans and maize, can significantly cut the use of crop protection agents and at the same time reduce the need for fertilizers. Integrating ecological knowledge from nature with knowledge of crops opens up the prospect of a sustainable strategy that will increase yield per hectare at reduced environmental costs.

Erythrina schliebenii is a Critically Endangered tree species endemic to Tanzania. This charismatic and beautiful species was thought to be Extinct. Recently rediscovered, E. schliebenii is now in cultivation and a ceremonial planting is planned for next year.

Arbor Day is an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the importance of trees to our lives and promote tree planting and care. Read more about Arbor Day and planned activities in arboreta across the USA.

The European Union cannot meet its goals in agricultural policy without embracing genetically engineered crops. That's the conclusion of scientists based on case studies showing that the EU is undermining its own competitiveness in the agricultural sector to its own detriment and that of its humanitarian activities in the developing world.

Mathematics is everywhere in nature, and this is illustrated by the spiral patterns in plants such as pine cones, sunflowers or the arrangement of leaves around a stem. Most plants produce a new bud at 137 degrees from its predecessor, and this mathematical precision leads to observable helices. Normally, the relative position of organs does not change during growth, because the stems grow straight.  But if the connection between the cytoskeleton and cellulose is removed, the cellulose fibres are synthesized in a tilted fashion and the stems start to twist. As a result, the angle between successive flowers disappears, and is instead replaced by other mathematical patterns that prove to be equally robust. Incidentally, this work suggests that in the absence of regulation, all plant stems should twist rather than grow straight.

Scientists have used hybridized forage grass to combine fast root growth and efficient soil water retention. Field experiments show Festulolium cultivar reduces water runoff by up to 51 percent against nationally-recommended cultivar. Potential for the hybrid to capture more water and reduce runoff and likelihood of flood generation.

BGCI, RBG Edinburgh & the Rhododendron Specialist Conservation Group jointly hosted a conference to develop an action plan to save threatened Rhododendrons. The conference brought together the most knowledgeable & influential group of international Rhododendron experts ever assembled under one roof.

Ants play a variety of important roles in many ecosystems. As frequent visitors to flowers, they can benefit plants in their role as pollinators when they forage on sugar-rich nectar. However, a new study reveals that this mutualistic relationship may actually have some hidden costs.

Written By:  Bill Graham

Fish that swam when dinosaurs roamed provide challenge for anglers, and financial boost for community billed as “Paddlefish Capitol of the World.”

Warsaw, Mo. – Paddlefish are an ancient creature playing a modern role in Missouri. The fish that swam when dinosaurs roamed provide a rewarding challenge for anglers, and a financial boost for Warsaw -- the community billed as the “Paddlefish Capitol of the World.”

Paddlefish grow to huge sizes even though their food is tiny zooplankton that they filter from the water. Missouri’s state record paddlefish topped 139 pounds. With their long, flattened snouts stretching out the body length, they’re truly a trophy fish.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Written By:  Jim Low

Turkey expert says the season’s best hunting likely is still ahead.

JEFFERSON CITY–In spite of less than ideal weather, hunters shot 21,437 turkeys during the first week of Missouri’s three-week spring hunting season.

This year’s first-week harvest is 328 fewer than last year, a 1.5-percent decrease. That small difference is fairly insignificant, according to Resource Scientist Jason Isabelle with the Missouri Department of Conservation. He says the first-week harvest number is encouraging considering the weather that many hunters had to contend with.

Key Messages: 

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt and fish.

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Julia Willison, BGCI’s Director of Education, traveled to Syracusa, Sicily, to participate in the Conference ‘GARDMED, the network of Mediterranean Gardens’ from 5-6 April.

Scientists create the first model of legume iron transportation aimed at maximizing nitrogen fixation, even in poor soil.

The water-filled pool within a pitcher plant, it turns out, is a tiny ecosystem whose inner workings are similar to those of a full-scale water body. Whether small carnivorous plant or huge lake, both are subject to the same ecological "tipping points," of concern on Earth Day -- and every day, say scientists.

BGCI would like to thank the Taipei Representatives Office in the UK for its generous donation of $8,000 towards the Ecological Restoration Alliance

Scientists have discovered why Heteroxenia corals pulsate. Their work resolves an old scientific mystery.

How can growing your own vegs bring communities together, generate environmental change and feed the world? Saturday 1st June, 10am-5:30pm at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, join scientists, writers, award-winning gardeners and green-fingered experimenters to discover the future of food.