https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Orchids, with their captivating beauty, have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, many species are on the brink of extinction, particularly in Vietnam, due to unsustainable wild harvesting and minimal enforcement of laws restricting it. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-fresh-curb-illegal-orchid-trafficking.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:34:03 EDT news646583641 On a remote tallgrass prairie in North Dakota, a secretive orchid pokes up from the ground. You'll only find it if you know where to look. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-rare-orchid-survives-tracts-prairie.html Ecology Sat, 24 Aug 2024 03:10:01 EDT news643684191 Deep in Colombia's northwestern forests, an orchid enthusiast has gathered a colorful collection of nearly 25,000 specimens, some of which he is cloning to protect them from extinction. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-colombia-orchid-sanctuary-clones-endangered.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:20:01 EDT news640962607 The Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) is found all over the U.K. These orchids produce tiny seeds that can be carried anywhere by the wind, yet they often appear in clumps with small seedlings growing near mature plants. This phenomenon has puzzled ecologists since Darwin's time, with the exact reason remaining a mystery. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-orchid-nurture-seedlings-underground-fungal.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 29 May 2024 12:53:04 EDT news636205982 A survey of orchid bees in the Brazilian Amazon state of Rondônia, carried out in the 1990s, is shedding new light on the impact of deforestation on the scent-collecting pollinators, which some view as bellwethers of biodiversity in the neotropics. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-deforestation-biodiversity-amazon-perfume-orchid.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 10 Apr 2024 09:00:01 EDT news631956362 In China, a country hosting over 1,700 of the world's roughly 30,000 orchid species, the orchid industry has witnessed substantial growth fueled by advancements in science and technology. The journal Ornamental Plant Research has recently published a review article titled "The China orchid industry: past and future perspectives." https://phys.org/news/2024-04-china-orchid-renaissance-bridging-ancient.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:16:03 EDT news631383361 Researchers Yuta Sunakawa, Ko Mochizuki, and Atsushi Kawakita of the University of Tokyo have discovered the first orchid species pollinated by gall midges, a tiny fly species. This is the first documented case of an orchid species found to be pollinated by gall midges, and it makes the orchids the eleventh such plant family. The findings were published in the journal Ecology. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-tiny-orchid-pollinated-flies.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:00:02 EDT news630920821 Missouri Botanical Garden scientists and collaborators discovered and described a new orchid species in Central Madagascar with a record-setting nectar spur and close ties to the famous "Darwin's orchid." This novelty species needs urgent conservation action, scientists say. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-orchid-species-famous-darwin.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 14 Mar 2024 14:19:03 EDT news629644741 It is well known that animal-pollinated plants usually offer nectar or pollen to reward vectors for pollen transfer. While nectar is a kind of sugar water, pollen is protein-rich, a must-need nutrient for bee babies. The honey humans consume is made by female bee workers. Fifty years ago, German scientist Stefan Vogel first identified that droplets are non-water miscible 'nectar' but lipids in some flowering plants, discovering the so-called oil-flower, which offers oil as a reward for female bees. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-oil-floweroil-bee-pollination-mutualism.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 07 Mar 2024 16:34:03 EST news629051641 In a new study published in New Phytologist, scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, along with partners in Latin America, Asia and Australia, present an updated family tree of orchids, tracing their origins to the northern hemisphere some 85 million years ago. Not only does the study shed new light on their complex and fascinating evolutionary history, but the study's authors hope their findings will help inform future orchid conservation planning. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-orchid-family-emerged-northern-hemisphere.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:08:04 EST news627840481 In a study published in Current Biology, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with their collaborators, reveal a groundbreaking discovery: Morphology of the orchid mantis' petal-shaped femoral lobes actually serves as structures for gliding, rather than the long-held belief that these lobes mimic flowers to attract pollinating prey. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-orchid-mantises-petal-shaped-femoral-lobes.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:31:16 EST news620555473 Because the bumblebee that an orchid relies on for pollination does not exist on a remote island, the plant gets pollinated by an island wasp. Kobe University researchers found that this came at the cost of being hybridized with another orchid species adapted to being pollinated by the wasp. The finding showcases how plants in ecological relationships adapt to changing circumstances. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-orchid-pollinating-bumblebee-island-wasp.html Evolution Ecology Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616756190 Up to 45% of all known flowering plant species across the globe could be under threat of extinction with the plant family Orchidaceae (orchids) among the most threatened, according to a new report. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-state-world-orchids-revealed.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 10 Oct 2023 11:37:29 EDT news616156646 Fungi-eating orchids were found for the first time to offer their flowers to fungi-eating fruit flies in exchange for pollination, which is the first evidence for nursery pollination in orchids. This unique new plant-animal relationship hints at an evolutionary transition towards mutualistic symbiosis. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-fungi-eating-flies-team-reproduction.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:47:10 EDT news612096425 In "The Orchid Thief," author Susan Orlean wrote of a "phantom" flower hidden deep in the swamps of Southwest Florida "so bewitching that it could seduce people to pursue it year after year and mile after mile." https://phys.org/news/2023-08-rare-wild-star-florida-swamp.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:10:01 EDT news612020090 Recent research, published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, used the database to reveal that orchids show remarkable diversity of highly specialized pollination strategies that differ across global regions. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-global-database-orchid-species-diversity.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 13 Jul 2023 05:15:28 EDT news608444123 Research led by the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath looking at the evolution of terrestrial orchid species has found that global cooling of the climate appears to be the major driving factor in their diversity. The results help scientists understand the role of global climate on diversity of species, and how our current changing global climate might affect biodiversity in the future. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-global-cooling-diversity-species-orchids.html Plants & Animals Evolution Mon, 10 Jul 2023 15:00:02 EDT news608207135 Karst forests develop in a karst landform, and have complex vegetation types and high biodiversity, and are rich in endemic species. As one of the important and special plant groups in the karst habitat, many orchids have unique adaption mechanisms. However, the distribution pattern and conservation status of orchids in karst forests remain largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-efforts-orchids-karst-forests.html Ecology Fri, 26 May 2023 12:56:02 EDT news604324561 The most extensive study of the genetic relationships among orchids to date reveals that the flower's ability to grow on other plants evolved independently multiple times. A team of researchers, led by Penn State biologists, compared the sequences of 1,450 genes from 610 orchid species to reconstruct the orchid family tree and clarify the evolutionary relationships among the many subgroups of this large plant family and showed that "epiphytism"—the ability to grow on other plants—evolved at least 14 separate times. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-orchids-ability-independently-evolved-multiple.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 25 May 2023 13:01:30 EDT news604238483 Male bees display a remarkable passion for collecting scents: they deposit scents from various sources in special pockets on their hind legs, thus composing their own fragrance. This behavior has been known since the 1960s. The reason why they do it has been the subject of much speculation. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-orchid-bees-concoct-fragrance.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:53:13 EDT news600695586 Researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently presented the first study systematically investigating basic biological traits of a classic conspicuous masquerader, the orchid mantis. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-orchid-mantis-evolve.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:16:07 EDT news599310965 It is extremely rare for a new plant species to be discovered in Japan, a nation where flora has been extensively studied and documented. Nevertheless, Professor Suetsugu Kenji and his associates have recently uncovered a stunning new species of orchid whose rosy pink petals bear a striking resemblance to glasswork. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-elegant-orchid-plain-sight.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 17 Mar 2023 07:00:01 EDT news598205294 Photosynthesis is the process whereby plants turn sunlight into the energy (sugars) that they need to survive and grow. For most plants, this happens in the leaves, which contain chlorophyll; a green pigment that is essential for photosynthesis as it absorbs light. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-leaf-like-photosynthesis-roots-leafless-orchid.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:43:03 EST news597674581 If you've ever compared a frozen pizza to the photo on the box, you know the feeling of being duped by appetizing looks. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-strange-donkey-orchid-uv-bees.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 02 Feb 2023 13:25:04 EST news594566702 Everybody loves a garden. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-where-do-your-plants-come.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 02 Feb 2023 09:47:04 EST news594553622 Florida's night orchid is at risk of extinction, but backyard fruit trees could hold the key to their survival. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-rare-orchids-common-fruits-florida.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 26 Jan 2023 16:59:03 EST news593974742 Researchers have pinpointed the biggest threats to the only population of rare, endangered mule ear orchids in the U.S. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-florida-population-rare-endangered-orchid.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 25 Jan 2023 16:31:03 EST news593886661 China is well known for its medicinal use of wild plants, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. These traditional Chinese medicines include many wild orchids, some quite showy. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-china-lucrative-orchid-industry-nation.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 21 Dec 2022 12:29:04 EST news590848141 Orchids in hand and a bamboo ladder on his shoulder, farmer Musimin scans the forest at the foot of Indonesia's most active volcano to point out clusters of the indigenous flowers he has been salvaging for years. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-crowns-forest-indonesian-orchids-bloom.html Environment Sun, 18 Sep 2022 09:31:34 EDT news582712289 Elizabeth is majestic, hardy and "very fashionable", said a top Singapore flower curator—referring not to the late monarch, but to an orchid named after the queen when she visited the former British colony. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-majestic-singapore-orchid-honor-queen.html Other Tue, 13 Sep 2022 04:06:59 EDT news582260817