News

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  Scientists Discovered Regulatory Mechanisms of Photoprotection and Normal Chloroplast Development in Maize

  Mar 03, 2026
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  Key role of moss in supplementing nitrogen for plant growth under warming in permafrost ecosystems

  Feb 27, 2026
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  Elucidation of the Molecular Mechanism of TEF6 in Regulating High-Light-Induced PSII Repair

  Feb 12, 2026
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  Scientists Report Increased Rather Than Decreased Soil Carbon Accumulation in Boreal Sphagnum Peatlands Under Warming

  A recent study shows that warming enhances soil carbon accumulation in boreal Sphagnum peatlands through increased plant productivity and iron protection as well as inhibited microbial decomposition. These responses stand in sharp contrast to the warming-enhanced soil carbon mineralization in boreal forests and tundra, demonstrating the vital but overlooked role of Sphagnum peatlands in counteracting boreal carbon loss under future warming

  Feb 10, 2026
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  Chinese Scientists Discover Genetic "Molecular Target" Module for Wheat Flowering Time in Response to Climate Change

  A research team led by Professor CHONG Kang from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with the research group of Professor GUO Zifeng, has identified a molecular regulatory module that controls flowering time. This finding provides key genetic targets for the genetic improvement and adaptive breeding of wheat cultivars

  Feb 09, 2026
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  CAS PIFI Distinguished Scientist Josep G. Canadell Visited IBCAS

  On 5-14 January, Prof. Josep G. Canadell, a Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) Distinguished Scientist, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, visited the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) and delivered an invited lecture at the Hongye Forum. The forum was chaired by Prof. FENG Xiaojun, Deputy Director of IBCAS, and attracted more than 100 faculty members and students from multiple institutions

  Jan 19, 2026
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  Researchers Publish First High Resolution Global Atlas of Specific Leaf Area Under Climate Change

  A study led by Prof. XU Zhenzhu from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has constructed the first high-resolution (1 km²) continuous spatial atlas of specific leaf area (SLA) across the globe, mapping its current distribution projecting future changes. The study reveals that under both present and future climate conditions, high-SLA plant species prevail in mid- to high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Under the worst climate scenario (SSP5-8.5), SLA is projected to increase across most of the world’s biomes between 2021–2040 and 2081–2100. The work also reports global average SLA values, including observed estimates and variability ranges.

  Jan 21, 2026
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  High-Latitude Permafrost Regions Show Stronger Temperature Sensitivity of Soil Organic Matter Decomposition Than High-Altitude Permafrost Regions

  A recent study has revealed strong regional differences in the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil organic matter decomposition between high-latitude and high-altitude permafrost regions. The researchers found that Q10 values in high-latitude soils were about 1.8 times higher than those in high-altitude soils. The findings, recently published in National Science Review, suggest that high-latitude permafrost regions could be substantially more vulnerable to soil carbon loss than high-altitude permafrost regions under future warming scenarios

  Jan 17, 2026
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  Canopy Structure: A Hidden Pathway to Stronger Grassland Carbon Sinks

  A research team led by Prof. LIU Lingli from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS), has revealed the vital role of canopy structure in regulating ecosystem carbon use efficiency (CUE) in semi-arid grasslands. The findings, published in Journal of Ecology, provides compelling evidence that deepened snow cover enhanced the ecosystem CUE by improving the photosynthetic carbon uptake relative to respiratory loss in a temperate grassland. Notably, this response resulted from two main interacting pathways: resource-mediated physiological processes and canopy structure-mediated biophysical processes.

  Jan 12, 2026
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  Ecological Insights from 30 Years of Forest Biodiversity Experiments

  An international team of experts led by Prof. MA Keping and Prof. LIU Xiaojuan from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) provide ecological insights from 30 years of global forest biodiversity experiments in a new synthesis of empirical work in the journal Nature Reviews Biodiversity.

  Jan 04, 2026