News

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  Phosphorus Addition Reshapes Phosphorus Cycling Across Global Terrestrial Ecosystems

  Phosphorus (P) is an important element that limits plant growth and the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. A recent study published in Global Change Biology reveals that P addition systematically reshapes P cycle in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, shifting ecosystem from P recycling systems toward acquiring and alleviating ecosystem P limitation.

  Apr 16, 2026
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  New Insights into the Enigma of Transposable Element Abundance in Arabidopsis

  A recent comprehensive review summarizes the key factors driving transposable element (TE) abundance enigma in Arabidopsis and offers new insights and new directions for future research in the field.

  Apr 14, 2026
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  Wetland Drainage Triggers Divergent Soil Carbon Responses in Carbon-Poor versus Carbon-Rich Wetlands

  A recent study published in Global Change Biology reveals a transcontinental divergence in soil carbon stock responses to decades of wetland drainage, challenging the widely accepted assumption that drainage generally causes wetland soil organic carbon (SOC) loss.

  Apr 06, 2026
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  Phylogenetically Diverse Central China Proposed as Newest Global Biodiversity Hotspot

  Researchers led by Prof. LU Limin and Prof. CHEN Zhiduan from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with partners from the United Kingdom and Australia, have identified a previously overlooked global biodiversity hotspot in Central China.

  Mar 31, 2026
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  How a Simple Genome Led to Phenotypic Complexity: Insights from Genomic and Epigenomic Studies in Aristolochia fimbriata

  A research team led by Prof. JIAO Yuannian from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has created a high-resolution map of the centromeric architecture and three-dimensional (3D) epigenomic landscape of the magnoliid species Aristolochia fimbriata, offering new insights into how regulatory network rewiring drives the evolution of its specialized floral traits. The study was published in Genome Biology.

  Mar 28, 2026
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  Mr. Meeuwes Brouwer, Chief Phytosanitary Officer of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, and his delegation visited IBCAS

  Mar 20, 2026
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  Forest Canopy Leaves Absorb Atmospheric Nitrogen Through Age-Dependent Mechanisms

  A recent study led by Dr. WANG Xin from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, quantified the foliar nitrogen uptake capacity of dominant canopy trees in natural tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems and revealed distinct regulatory mechanisms across leaf ages.

  Mar 09, 2026
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  Scientists Predict the Future of the Arctic flora Under Climate Change

  A team led by Prof. WANG Wei from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has predicted quantitatively the potential dynamic changes of the entire Arctic flora from now until 2100 under four greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The study was published in National Science Review.

  Mar 07, 2026
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  Scientists Discovered Regulatory Mechanisms of Photoprotection and Normal Chloroplast Development in Maize

  A research team led by Prof. WANG Baichen at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS), has identified regulatory mechanisms of photoprotection and normal chloroplast development in maize. This finding discovered a "magical" phenomenon in maize, where the leaves exhibit stripes that change with the day-night cycle, unveiling the molecular secrets behind it. This is all due to a malfunction in an internal "quality control system" within the chloroplast known as the Clp protease complex.

  Mar 03, 2026
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  Moss-Associated Nitrogen Fixation Helps Sustain Plant Growth in Warming Permafrost Ecosystems

  Climate warming can increase plant growth in permafrost regions by lengthening the growing season, speeding up plant metabolic processes, and allowing deeper root penetration as permafrost thaws. However, the capacity for additional vegetation to offset the carbon released during permafrost thawing depends on nitrogen supply.

  Feb 27, 2026