Lifereborn - The Life Weavers Retreat

Platismatia lacunosa 

Crinkled rag lichen

Why is she so shape? I don't know. One of the many perplexing mysteries of the lichen kingdom.

images: source

“Chironomid larvae are opportunistic omnivores (they can eat pretty much anything that can be eaten) but they are also classified by their main feeding modes; collector-gatherers, collector-filterers, scrapers, shredders, engulfers and piercers. Of course, one species can fit in multiple feeding strategies!

These larvae play an important role in aquatic ecosystems since they're a major food source for fish, frogs, birds and semi-aquatic mammals. They also are litter decomposers, rock cleaners and are important for nutrient recycling. Chironomid larvae are also very sensitive to polluants such as pesticides and are thus used as bio indicators of freshwater quality!”

for real though imagine being one of the first botanists to study fern and lycophyte sex and you put the sex water (the water in which they are having sex bc they love it soooooo much) under the microscope and theyre cranking out these damn Doohickies that swim like people sperm.... what is going On down there

by mermaid_danii

Plant Immune System Part 3

The plant immune system is the topic of my PhD thesis, which I'm currently writing following several years of lab-based research as a PhD student at Imperial College London under the supervision of Professor Colin Turnbull.

Here's an introduction to my research, which focused on how certain plants defend themselves against aphids.

Aphids are an important insect pest that threaten agriculture worldwide. As we learned in the previous post, plant resistance (R) genes control resistance to specific pests and pathogens through interaction with effectors from the invaders. Since examples of R gene-dependent aphid resistance have been documented in different plant species, aphid-specific R genes may enable the development of resistant crops.

In the model plant Medicago truncatula, there are some varieties that are resistant to aphids and other varieties that are susceptible to Pea Aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum). Whether the plant is resistant also depends on the variety of aphid. In my project, the A17 plant is resistant to PS01 aphids but not to N116 aphids, while the DZA plant is susceptible to both aphid varieties.

What is the key difference in the resistant versus susceptible plants? Resistant A17 plants have a portion of their genome “Resistance to Acyrthosiphon pisum 1” (RAP1) which determines resistance to PS01 aphids, but the genes controlling the defence response and physiological defence mechanisms remain unknown. Two candidate R genes located in RAP1, designated “RAP1A” and “RAP1B”, may control resistance.

My main objective in my PhD project has been to determine whether RAP1A and RAP1B control aphid resistance, and to investigate the RAP1-mediated defence response. I look forward to sharing the findings in publications and in talks next year!

Image credit: Original diagram by Katia Hougaard with images from the Turnbull Lab.

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People keep following me idk why haha- I haven't posted on this acc in months.