In this episode of “A Botanical Podcast!” host Shiran Ben Zeev and Dr. Jessica Savage have a wide-ranging conversation about how flowering plants respond to shifting seasonal changes in temperatures, especially when those changes are unpredictable—early warming periods (false springs), followed by light or hard freezes. What is the difference between plants that flower and those that wait? What is the impact of freezing on plants in flower? Jessica draws on research by her and people in her lab who are working to help us better understand the physiological basis of plant phenology and seasonality.

Jessica is a whole plant physiologist with expertise in vascular physiology, floral physiology, phenology, and physiological ecology in seasonally cold climates. She has a strong disposition toward research tied to the phloem (she must have a sweet tooth!). She is an Associate Professor at a primary undergraduate institution and has a passion for mentoring undergraduate and graduate students (especially master’s students). She developed and runs a community-engaged research program focused on tree phenology in coastal forests around Lake Superior and is the Chair of the Physiological and Ecophysiological Section of BSA. Before starting as a faculty member, she was a Putnam Research Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum and a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. She received her PhD from the University of Minnesota in Plant Biological Sciences. The research discussed in the podcast was funded by the National Science Foundation (IOS 1656318).

Jessica A. Savage
University of Minnesota - Duluth
Website bit.ly/savageplantphys
BlueSky @savageplantphys.bsky.social

Disclaimer

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) has produced and provides this podcast for people who love plants, plant research, and BSA journals. The information presented is based on current scientific understanding and may be subject to change as new research emerges. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are the personal views of the host and guests, and not the views, policies, or opinions of BSA or any of its officials. The appearance of any host or guest does not imply an endorsement by BSA of them, their employer, any entity they represent, or any view or content they express or create outside of this podcast. Reference to any product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BSA. This podcast may not be republished or repurposed without the consent of the BSA.

Websites / Social Media Handles

Botanical Society of America Bluesky
Botanical Society of America Instagram

Botanical Society of America
American Journal of Botany

Applications in Plant Sciences

Plant Science Bulletin

...

Is it better/more advantageous to be a juvenile or an adult? As with humans, in plants, "it’s complicated"! In this episode of “A Botanical Podcast!” host Shiran Ben Zeev and Erica Lawrence-Paul discuss vegetative phase change in plants, i.e., the transition between juvenile and adult phases of vegetative growth. This transition can be visually subtle and easy to overlook in many species; however, morphological and physiological differences between juvenile and adult phases can lead to meaningful differences in plant and tissue function.

Dr. Erica Lawrence-Paul is an NSF postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jesse Lasky’s lab in the Department of Biology at the Pennsylvania State University. She earned her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, studying the ecophysiological significance of the plant developmental transition, vegetative phase change, with a particular focus on photosynthetic and leaf carbon economic traits. Her current work focuses on understanding how natural variation in the timing of vegetative phase change and phase-specific differences in stress tolerance contribute to plant abiotic stress response and local adaptation.

Erica Lawrence-Paul, Pennsylvania State University

BlueSky: @ehlawrence-paul.bsky.social

Disclaimer

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) has produced and provides this podcast for people who love plants, plant research, and BSA journals. The information presented is based on current scientific understanding and may be subject to change as new research emerges. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are the personal views of the host and guests, and not the views, policies, or opinions of BSA or any of its officials. The appearance of any host or guest does not imply an endorsement by BSA of them, their employer, any entity they represent, or any view or content they express or create outside of this podcast. Reference to any product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BSA. This podcast may not be republished or repurposed without the consent of the BSA.

Websites / Social Media Handles

Botanical Society of America Bluesky
Botanical Society of America Instagram

Botanical Society of America
American Journal of Botany

Applications in Plant Sciences

Plant Science Bulletin

...

In this episode, the host Shiran Ben Zeev and guest Jordan Dowell nerd out on a discussion of how plants choose to defend themselves against predators and/or manipulate other organisms to help them live their best lives, and how plants use chemistry to communicate---and what we can learn from that. They talk about the special challenges of surviving and thriving in harsh environments and touch on the evolution of chemical diversity and the effects of chemical diversity on organismal interactions across spatial and temporal scales.

Dr. Jordan Dowell is an assistant professor at Louisiana State University and an Associate Editor of the BSA's Applications in Plant Sciences. He studies the evolutionary ecology of plant-plant chemical communication and the impacts of multifunctional traits on biotic interactions from single-cells to landscapes using various techniques, from metabolomic and genomic approaches to remote sensing and field-based studies.

Jordan Dowell, Louisiana State University

https://jordandowell.github.io/

BlueSky: volatileorganic.bsky.social

Disclaimer

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) has produced and provides this podcast for people who love plants, plant research, and BSA journals. The information presented is based on current scientific understanding and may be subject to change as new research emerges. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are the personal views of the host and guests, and not the views, policies, or opinions of BSA or any of its officials. The appearance of any host or guest does not imply an endorsement by BSA of them, their employer, any entity they represent, or any view or content they express or create outside of this podcast. Reference to any product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BSA. This podcast may not be republished or repurposed without the consent of the BSA.

Websites / Social Media Handles

Botanical Society of America Bluesky
Botanical Society of America Instagram

Botanical Society of America
American Journal of Botany

Applications in Plant Sciences

Plant Science Bulletin

...

In this episode* of A Botanical Podcast, Dr. Andrea E. Berardi from James Madison University joins show host Dr. Shiran Ben Zeev to discuss the evolution of flower color and why plants change their colors. They discuss the role of plant-pollinator interactions and environmental relationships. This topic ties into the upcoming “Paradigm Shifts in Flower Color” special issue of the American Journal of Botany (https://botany.org/home/publications/ajb/ajb-special-issue-call-for-papers-paradigm-shifts-in-flower-color.html).
*Note: At 18:15, Dr. Berardi mentioned that nectar is an efficiency trait when in fact nectar is a reward trait. We thank her for pointing this out in post-production.

Andrea Berardi is an Assistant Professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is a plant evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on evolutionary, genetic, and ecological processes underlying speciation, specifically focusing on how floral traits play a role in reproductive isolation and adaptation to the environment. Her favorite traits to study are floral color and plant secondary/specialized metabolites. She is co-editing a special issue of American Journal of Botany on "Paradigm Shifts in Flower Color," along with Justen Whittall, Eduardo Narbona, and José Carlos del Valle García.

Andrea Berardi homepage
Andrea Berardi Instagram

This podcast is hosted and produced by BSA member Dr. Shiran Ben Zeev. He is a postdoctoral fellow at Penn State University who studies plant–plant interactions in crops.

Disclaimer

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) has produced and provides this podcast for people who love plants, plant research, and BSA journals. The information presented is based on current scientific understanding and may be subject to change as new research emerges. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are the personal views of the host and guests, and not the views, policies, or opinions of BSA or any of its officials. The appearance of any host or guest does not imply an endorsement by BSA of them, their employer, any entity they represent, or any view or content they express or create outside of this podcast. Reference to any product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BSA. This podcast may not be republished or repurposed without the consent of the BSA.

Websites / Social Media Handles

Botanical Society of America Bluesky
Botanical Society of America Instagram

Botanical Society of America
American Journal of Botany

Applications in Plant Sciences

Plant Science Bulletin

...

BSA Publications Director Amy McPherson and host/producer Dr. Shiran Ben Zeev offer a preview of the first season of the BSA's new podcast: "A Botanical Podcast"! The podcast features conversations with botanists explaining their research and their passion for plants (and allied organisms). We’re focused on authors who choose to publish in Society journals, such as the American Journal of Botany, Applications in Plant Sciences, and Plant Science Bulletin---and we’ll include some surprises along the way!

Disclaimer

The Botanical Society of America (BSA) has produced and provides this podcast for people who love plants, plant research, and BSA journals. The information presented is based on current scientific understanding and may be subject to change as new research emerges. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are the personal views of the host and guests, and not the views, policies, or opinions of BSA or any of its officials. The appearance of any host or guest does not imply an endorsement by BSA of them, their employer, any entity they represent, or any view or content they express or create outside of this podcast. Reference to any product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by BSA. This podcast may not be republished or repurposed without the consent of the BSA.

Websites / Social Media Handles

Botanical Society of America Bluesky
Botanical Society of America Instagram

Botanical Society of America
American Journal of Botany

Applications in Plant Sciences

Plant Science Bulletin

...