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Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "November 2019, Vol.224, No.3". The background shows a group of purple flowers, tristylous Eichhornia paniculata.

New Phytologist: Special Issue

The ecology, evolution, and genetics of plant reproductive systems

Reproduction forms the link between generations and is fundamental to the evolution and ecology of organisms. During the past four decades we have witnessed an explosion of research on plant reproductive systems that has enriched the study of ecology and evolution. This impressive synthesis has in large part been led by Professor Spencer Barrett and his many students, postdoctoral fellows and collaborators. Fittingly, the idea behind this Special Issue arose from a symposium that celebrated Spencer's retirement from the University of Toronto (Canada) after 40 years, and from the recognition that as the field continues to grow it is an opportune moment to take stock of recent developments and new directions.

  • Published: 21 October 2019

  • Daniel J. Schoen,  Marc T. J. Johnson,  Stephen I. Wright
P3 Special Collection Access And Benefit Sharing

Open-ended Special Collection

Access and benefit sharing of biodiversity data

Join our evolving Special Collection – open for further submissions on these topics. Negotiations around the potential inclusion of biodiversity data within the scope of access and benefit sharing mechanisms of international treaties on genetic resources have been contentious. Uncertainty persists around which data might be included and the impacts of this on the ability to advance science. This special collection provides a range of evidence and viewpoints contributing context to these negotiations and the underlying scientific issues involved.  

  • Published: 20 January 2022

  • Eric von Wettberg, Colin K. Khoury
Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "June 2022, Vol.234, No.6". Background shows a poplar root colonized by endophytic and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Fungal hyphae are stained in green and root cells are false coloured in magenta.

New Phytologist: Special Issue

Impact of global change on the plant microbiome

Plant-associated microorganisms may be invisible to the naked eye, yet they play a key role in the future sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. It is now widely recognized that global environmental changes dramatically impact plant diversity, fitness and physiology. However, plants are not living alone, they are supra-organisms hosting a wide range of commensal, beneficial and detrimental microorganisms. Describing, understanding and predicting the impacts of anthropogenically-driven environmental changes on plant–microbe interactions, plant adaptions and microbial functions is therefore a scientific and societal challenge. This Special Issue provides a platform for discussion on this topic and the papers in this collection are intended to highlight and further stimulate research on the functioning and role of the plant microbiota, and its interaction with plants under global environmental change stress. The articles cover interactions of plants with a wide range of microbes, including above- and below-ground interactions, and from the molecular to ecosystem-level scale.

  • Published: 22 May 2022

  • Stéphane Hacquard,  Ertao Wang,  Holly Slater,  Francis Martin
P3 Special Collection Plants And Policy

Plants, People, Planet Open-ended Special Collection

Plants and policy: Generating societal impact to address global challenges

Since 2022, we have been celebrating societal impact at Plants, People, Planet by showcasing articles that have informed or influenced policy in our evolving special collection ‘Plants and policy: generating societal impact to address global challenges’ (see Hiscock et al., 2022; Hiscock et al., 2023, Hiscock et al., 2024).

  • Published: 23 October 2022

  • Simon Hiscock,  Sarah Lennon,  Bennett Young
Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "December 2023, Vol.240, No.4". The background shows sunlight shining through leaves in a dense, green forest.

Joint Special Collection

Global plant diversity and distribution

This Special Collection seeks to explore the patterns and processes of plant diversity and distribution at global and regional levels, highlight current risks to plant diversity, and inform future agendas for research and conservation. It is also a celebration of the first version with geographic data for all accepted taxa of the World Checklist of Vascular Plants released by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and was co-released with the State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2023 report.

  • Published: 9 October 2023

  • Alexandre Antonelli, Rafaël Govaerts, Eimear Nic Lughadha, Renske E. Onstein, Rhian J. Smith, Alexander Zizka
Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "June 2024, Vol.241, No.4". Background shows dense vegetation with sunlight shining through and steam from a river behind.

New Phytologist: Virtual issue

Methane emissions from tree stems – current knowledge and challenges

Until recently, tree stem surfaces were thought to be inert to methane (CH4) exchange with the atmosphere. However, technological advances in CH4 analysis and development of stem chamber systems for gas flux determination have enabled intensive field measurements of CH4 fluxes, not only from soils but also from tree stem surfaces. In contrast to long-standing assumptions, tree stems have often been detected as emitters of CH4 with emission rates affected by factors including tree species, forest type, and environmental conditions. The mechanisms, spatial and temporal patterns, and environmental drivers behind the net flux of CH4 are complex, yet the potential implications for the global carbon cycle are large. This Virtual Issue highlights papers from a broad and interdisciplinary set of authors that contribute to our new understanding on methane emissions from tree stems and sets out the Key challenges and opportunities for future research.

  • Published: 24 January 2024

  • Josep Barba,  Paul E. Brewer,  Sunitha R. Pangala,  Katerina Machacova
Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "May 2024, Vol.242, No.4". Background shows a soil mycorrhizal community.

New Phytologist: Special Issue

Mycorrhizal research now

In this New Phytologist Special Issue on ‘Mycorrhizal research now: from the micro- to the macro-scale’, we bring together a collection of studies, which examine various types of mycorrhizal symbioses, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal, orchid mycorrhizal, ericoid mycorrhizal, and ectomycorrhizal associations. These studies explored the molecular, physiological, and ecological dimensions of mycorrhizal interactions, uncovering the complex conversations between plants and fungi and illuminating their broader ecological implications. By integrating molecular, physiological, and ecological perspectives, this collection endeavors to untangle the multifaceted interactions between plants and fungi and their cascading effects on terrestrial ecosystems. Through distilling the key insights from these diverse studies, our goal is to identify emerging themes and future directions for mycorrhizal research.

  • Published: 24 April 2024

  • Francis M. Martin, Maarja Öpik, Ian A. Dickie
Journal cover, title reads "Plants People Planet", text reads "July 2024, Vol.6, No.5". The background shows dense trees on a steep hill above two people in a small boat on a lake.

Plants People Planet: Virtual Issue

Urban horticulture: Challenges and opportunities

Urban horticulture, the growing of fruits and vegetables in cities, provides a healthy food source to millions of people globally. Whilst there is growing evidence that urban horticulture could further support more sustainable and resilient cities, there remain important scientific, engineering and socio-cultural challenges that must be overcome to successfully integrate food growing into cities more widely. This special collection showcases the interdisciplinary nature of the challenges and opportunities presented by the expansion of urban horticulture and provides insight, research direction and focus on the rationale for and remaining knowledge gaps to successful integration.

  • Published: 29 April 2024

  • Jill L. Edmondson
Journal cover, title reads "Plants People Planet", text reads "September 2024, Vol.6, No.5". The background shows a black and white image of two men in lab coats studying tomatoes in a lab.

Plants People Planet: Special Issue

The history of crop science and the future of food

This special issue examines the historical role of crop sciences and scientists in the uneven and often inequitable development of today’s global food system. The fourteen papers in this special issue explore a range of crops, countries, and cultures, focusing on the dynamic historical relationships among ecologies, societies, knowledge systems, and technologies that have produced the institutions and insights of crop science and, as such, condition the possibilities for the future of food.

  • Published: 1 August 2024

  • Helen Anne Curry,  Ryan Nehring
Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "November 2024, Vol.244, No.3". The background shows a cross-section of an infected maize leaf.

New Phytologist: Virtual issue

The chemical language of plant–microbe–microbe associations

The chemical language between plants and microbes is a sophisticated system of signal exchange involving a diverse array of molecular compounds that regulate complex host–microbe interactions. This intricate communication network encompasses primary and specialized metabolites that underpin host–microbe nutrient exchange, host–microbe assembly processes, or plant–soil feedbacks that ultimately explain host–microbiota associations, as well as plant health and disease states. In this Virtual Issue, we present a collection of New Phytologist articles that illustrate how the chemical language between plants and microbes, as well as among microbes, is critical for understanding high-level biological organization, beneficial plant–microbiota associations and ecosystem function, but is also a prerequisite for advancing agricultural sustainability and innovation.

  • Published: 2 October 2024

  • Stéphane Hacquard,  Francis M. Martin
Journal cover, title reads "New Phytologist", text reads "December 2024, Vol.244, No.5". The background shows a kelp forest.

New Phytologist: Virtual Issue

Marine macrophytes in a changing world: mechanisms underpinning responses and resilience to environmental stress

Marine macrophytes, such as seagrasses and macroalgae, are widely distributed across the world’s coastlines, where they function as foundation organisms in nearshore ecosystems by providing habitat, food and shelter for a wide diversity of organisms and altering local environmental conditions. The coastal habitats they create have massive ecological and socioeconomic benefits and underpin ecosystem services worth trillions of dollars annually. Increasingly, however, marine macrophytes are impacted by a range of anthropogenic stressors and a better understanding of how they are responding to environmental change, and the underlying mechanisms that mediate their resilience to increasing stressors, is needed to inform approaches to their management and conservation. In this Virtual Issue we bring together some key papers published in New Phytologist over the past decade, which have shed new light on the responses of seagrasses and habitat-forming macroalgae to environmental change, and the biological processes underpinning such responses. Knowledge gaps and research priorities are identified along with a call for a greater research focus on marine macrophyte foundation species.

  • Published: 4 November 2024

  • Dan A. Smale,  Nathan G. King
A forest with sun shining through the trees and a woman and child holding hands walking along a path in the middle.

Plants, People, Planet: Virtual Issue

Trees, society, and the path toward resilient ecosystems

Over 3 trillion trees occupy the Earth’s land surface, mostly in tropical and subtropical forests. These trees provide vital ecosystem services, such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration, and habitat and food provision. Trees are also deeply interconnected with humans, offering social and cultural values. The interdependence between trees and humans underlines the urgency to understand and protect trees in both natural and urban ecosystems amid climate change and other environmental pressures, including deforestation, land degradation, and pollution. This virtual issue examines five critical themes of trees and forests and their societal impact. Each theme provides insights into cultural significance, ecosystem contributions, resilience and restoration, and technological innovations in conservation.

  • Published: 16 December 2024

  • Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez