Conifers are gymnosperm plants within the division Pinophyta, characterized by woody stems, predominantly evergreen habit, and reproduction via exposed seeds borne on cones rather than enclosed within ovaries. They typically possess needle-like or scale-like leaves with adaptations for reduced water loss, such as thick cuticles and sunken stomata. Conifers exhibit secondary growth via a vascular cambium, producing substantial xylem (softwood). Their life cycle features dominant diploid sporophytes and reduced gametophytes, with wind-mediated pollination. Ecologically, conifers dominate many boreal and montane forests, and biologically they are key models for studying long-lived perennials, wood formation, and gymnosperm reproductive biology.
The once-majestic oak tree is all but dead: battered by repeated heat waves, it has shut down vital functions to conserve water and is slowly dying in a French forest.
Ecology
May 29, 2026
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If you look at the trees as you're driving on the Trans-Canada Highway toward Banff National Park, you will see Englemann spruce on the cooler, wetter northeast-facing slopes of the Three Sisters. Across the valley—on the ...
Plants & Animals
May 26, 2026
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16
Mixing tree species can lead to better growth in the forest—at least above ground. A new study published in Nature shows that mixed forests had lower activity in the complex belowground ecosystems than previously thought. ...
Ecology
May 7, 2026
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In his office at Michigan State University, forestry professor David Carter shows off an image of a virtual forest on his laptop. It's not just any forest. It's a computerized replica, or "digital twin," of a loblolly pine ...
Ecology
May 4, 2026
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12
As he threaded his way through the scrub in Serbia's southern hills, Slobodan Velickovic stopped to inspect the small indigo berries that have made the Balkans a key part of the global gin industry.
Agriculture
Apr 24, 2026
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11
Prescribed burning, when combined with tree retention, can effectively support natural regeneration in managed boreal forests, new research shows. The study demonstrates that post-fire seedling establishment remains strong ...
Ecology
Apr 15, 2026
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26
With the arrival of spring a few weeks ago, new buds and colors on the trees started to appear. Along with that new growth, a UBC Okanagan researcher has determined that some trees in spring also provide simple, visual clues—raised ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 1, 2026
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72
What can the world's longest living individual teach us about longevity? A team of scientists coordinated by the University of California, Davis, sequenced the Great Basin bristlecone pine genome, which could help unlock ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 23, 2026
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96
The temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range are home to a spectacular array of life: iridescent blue lizards, tiny wild cats called kodkods, and curly vines of waxy red bellflowers. Towering over this biodiversity ...
Ecology
Mar 3, 2026
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347
A new national monitoring program provides, for the first time, area-representative knowledge of semi-natural grasslands in Norway. The results show that this habitat covers a larger area than previously mapped, but that ...
Ecology
Feb 16, 2026
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