News

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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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  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
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  Asteroid Named after Chinese Botanist Kuang Tingyun

  An asteroid has been officially named after Kuang Tingyun, a distinguished Chinese botanist renowned for her long-standing research on photosynthesis, the Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) said Tuesday

  Dec 30, 2025
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  Leaf Elementomes Reveal Close Links with Water-Use Strategies Across Forest Ecosystems

  A recent study published in Plant, Cell & Environment demonstrates that leaf elementomes are closely linked to intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), revealing key mechanisms underlying plant water-use strategies across diverse forest ecosystems. Led by Prof. YAN Zhengbing from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team systematically collected canopy leaf samples from 82 tree species spanning China's three major forest types, quantifying iWUE variability and its associations with maximum carboxylation capacity (Vc,max), stomatal conductance (gs), leaf elementomes, and leaf reflectance spectroscopy.

  Dec 18, 2025
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  Fungal Allies: Unsung Heroes of Seedling Survival in Subtropical Forests

  A recent study published in Ecology Letters sheds new light on the mechanisms underlying plant community assembly and biodiversity maintenance, revealing that plant-associated microorganisms play a pivotal yet underappreciated role in mediating species coexistence.

  Dec 18, 2025
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  Leaf Economic Strategies Drive Global Variation in Plant Responses to Phosphorus Enrichment

  A global study published in Nature Communications provides the strongest evidence yet that leaf economic strategies are the key drivers of how terrestrial plants respond to phosphorus (P) enrichment worldwide. Led by Prof. YAN Zhengbing from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team synthesized 5,548 observations draw from 317 publications to quantify how individual plant biomass and biomass allocation respond to experimental

  Dec 15, 2025
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  Delegation from the Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Visited IBCAS

  On 27 November, a delegation led by Prof. Tuvshintogtokh Indree, the Director of the Botanic Garden and Research Institute of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (BGRI-MAS), visited the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS). The two sides held in-depth discussions on global climate change, plant community dynamics of the Mongolia steppe, and the ecological restoration of degraded grasslands. During the visit, IBCAS and BGRI-MAS renewed the cooperation agreement. Prof. YANG Yongfeng, the Secretary of the Party Committee of IBCAS, together with relevant staff from IBCAS participated in the exchange activity

  Dec 03, 2025
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  Chinese Scientists Reveal that 14-3-3 Protein Acts as a Key Modulator of Soybean Seed Weight and Quality

  By cloning and characterizing the GmSMS6 gene, a team led by Prof. HE Chaoying at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS), has identified a crucial modulator of soybean seed weight and quality. Published in Nature Communications, the findings demonstrate that targeted gene knockout can increase soybean yield, revealing significant potential for breeding high-yield and high-quality soybeans.

  Nov 30, 2025