Liana

Long cherished by Indigenous peoples for its medicinal and stimulating properties, guaraná remains a key element of Brazilian identity.

A biotechnology startup has developed a revolutionary new treatment for bee disease that could have wide applications for agriculture.

Poison ivy demands respect and challenges our epidemic of "plant blindness." It's getting more noxious with rising carbon dioxide levels.

More than 85% of the world's bird, mammal, and amphibian species live in mountains, particularly in forest habitats, but researchers report in the journal One Earth on March 17 that these forests are disappearing at an accelerating rate. Globally, we have lost 78.1 million hectares (7.1%) of mountain forest since 2000—an area larger than the size of Texas. Much of the loss occurred in tropical biodiversity…

Scientists are figuring out the best strategies to regrow lost forests

Tropical forest covers 12% of the planet's land surface yet hosts around two thirds of all terrestrial species. Amazonia, which spans the vast Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield in South America, is the largest extent of remaining tropical forest globally, home to more species of animal than any other terrestrial landscape on the planet.

A major study into landscape changes in the Brazilian Amazon sheds new light on the many environmental threats the biome faces -- but also offers encouraging opportunities for ecological sustainability in the world's most biodiverse tropical forest. The study's findings are critical because as the Amazon moves closer towards a 'tipping point', they provide a robust evidence base to inform urgently needed…

It is projected that by the year 2050, the global food supply will need to increase by 50-80% to keep up with the growing population. Researchers all over the world have been working to find ways to sustainably grow food crops to meet this need, and improving photosynthesis in plants holds great possibilities to solving these issues.

A new study found direct and considerable reductions in songbird populations and offspring viability as a result of fear. The work highlights important understandings about the predator and prey dynamic in wildlife conservation.

An author of a recent study about lightning's effect on trees in Panamanian forests says his team has gotten a large, positive response from people, including those who call the trees inspirational.

It is "the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant," biologist Isabelle Laumer told NPR. She says the orangutan, called Rakus, is now thriving.

Many tropical forests are experiencing increases in lightning and lianas, thanks in part to global change. This one-two punch is likely causing an increase in the death of small trees, which could lead to shifts in composition of tropical forests and their ability to store carbon. A paper in the journal New Phytologist reports on this development.

The discovery of an 80-million-year-old fossil plant pushes back the known origins of lamiids to the Cretaceous, extending the record of nearly 40,000 species of flowering plants including modern-day staple crops like coffee, tomatoes, potatoes and mint.

Woody climbing plants, known as lianas, are more likely to infest smaller trees in Malaysian forests and therefore stop them growing to their full potential, which may have implications for climate change.

Hodgsonia is a small genus of fruit-bearing vines in the family Cucurbitaceae. It consists of only two species, Hodgsonia heteroclita and Hodgsonia macrocarpa. Prof. Cai Citao, founder of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, studied H. macrocarpa in early 1960s and found pyrenes with three of four seeds, which is even more complicated.

A major study into landscape changes in the Brazilian Amazon sheds new light on the many environmental threats the biome faces—but also offers encouraging opportunities for ecological sustainability in the world's most biodiverse tropical forest.

Tropical forests host a rich diversity of plant and animal life and process vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, researchers have been particularly interested in how these ecosystems might be affected by climate change. Some have hypothesized that the rise in atmospheric CO2 is promoting carbon uptake by these forests, making them important carbon sinks. Evidence is mounting, however, that the balance…

Lianas are an important component of subtropical forests. Studies of subtropical lianas have made strides in identifying their composition and diversity. However, the distribution patterns of subtropical lianas are still unclear, which hampers the further understanding of the liana community across the world.

Invasive species are often looked upon with suspicion.

Lions, tigers, bears: this creature sends all of those beasts running for the hills.