Children are not exact copies of their parents, instead they get a mix of traits from both parents. This is due to trait reassortment that occurs during the formation of eggs and sperm.
The same is true for plants. How does this happen? What can go wrong? What does it mean for crops?
This talk will look at what happens with parental traits when plants reproduce through seed, ask how seedless fruit are made and talk about recent discoveries in trait reassortment control that can help breeders improve crops.
Hidden beneath the surface of every lake, river, stream and pond live trillions of diverse and ecologically important microorganisms. Invisible to the naked eye, these bacteria and fungi play a critical role in decomposing dead plant material and smaller biomolecules, such as cellulose, starch and peptides, that are washed into aquatic systems.
It is common knowledge that plants generate oxygen via photosynthesis. Have you ever challenged this knowledge? And, if so, how much oxygen do they generate? In my talk I will discuss the generation of oxygen from photosynthetic organisms and describe a simple method for measuring it. I will also discuss how the electrons generated by photosynthesis can be used to create electricity.
Land plants evolved about half a billion years ago from algae, and have since transformed the planet. They have become bigger (or smaller) and more complex, evolving branches and roots, leaves and flowers, and various ways to survive in a changing environment.
How did all these complex plants evolve?
Cultivated tulips are a common sight in Spring gardens around the world, but have you ever considered where wild tulips grow?
Discover complex, intriguing and challenging stories about power within our collections.
Join us for The Power Walk series - an opportunity to share and exchange stories and ideas linked to the University of Cambridge Museum's investigation of the legacies of empire and enslavement, power and memory with our communities and audiences.
Discover complex, intriguing and challenging stories about power within our collections.
Join us for The Power Walk series - an opportunity to share and exchange stories and ideas linked to the University of Cambridge Museum's investigation of the legacies of empire and enslavement, power and memory with our communities and audiences.
This 5-day intensive course introduces flowering plant families to committed amateurs, undergraduates, graduates and professionals. The aim is to develop an understanding of the evolution and systematics of the major plant families and the practical skills needed when approaching the identification of plant material. Teaching is through a combination of practical sessions and lectures covering exemplars of major flowering plant families.
The grass family is one of huge ecological and economic importance. Grasses play a dominant role in the landscape and provide food for a vast variety and number of animals including humankind. Their role in evolution and throughout history cannot be overestimated. On top of all this they enhance our lives with their grace and elegance. This course is designed to help the beginner to develop a taste and a confident passion for these beautiful plants. By mid-June many of the grasses will be flowering when they are at their most attractive.
The English landscape garden, for all its aesthetic ideals and painterly compositions, was ultimately intended for leisure and relaxation. Small-scale garden buildings lent themselves to lofty architectural experimentation, but practically they provided for picnics, teas and candlelit soirees.
