In Defense of Plants Podcast

By In Defense of Plants

Natural Sciences Science & Medicine

What's In Defense of Plants Podcast about?

Plants are everything. They are also incredibly interesting. From the smallest duckweed to the tallest redwood, the botanical world is full of wonder. Tune in for a podcast celebrating everything botany.

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Ep. 439 - Inside the Illici...

09.17.2023

Succulent poaching is a global black market business. The demand for succulents of all kinds is putting undue pressure of myriad species, many of which are on the brink of extinction. Join me and Dr. Jared Margulies as we talk ...

In Defense of Plants Podcast episodes:

09.17.2023 Ep. 439 - Inside the Illicit Succulent Trade Succulent poaching is a global black market business. The demand for succulents of all kinds is putting undue pressure of myriad species, many of which are on the brink of extinction. Join me and Dr. Jared Margulies as we talk ...
09.10.2023 Ep. 438 - Dinosaurs & Plants Revisited Who hasn't marveled at the fossilized remains of a dinosaur? Though their lineage lives on today in the form of birds, historically, dinosaurs were once far more diverse. Needless to say, they shaped the world around them just as much ...
09.03.2023 Ep. 437 - Save the Shoal Lily The shoal lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) is a truly special plant. It is found in only a few rivers throughout southeastern North America where it will only grow in rocky shoals. It makes its living by wedging its bulb and contractile ...
08.27.2023 Ep. 436 - Red Spruce Restoration Plants are habitat! This means that to restore ecosystems, we would be wise to start with plants. Such is the case for the spruce-fir forests of southern Appalachia, which are among the rarest habitat types on the continent. Join me ...
08.20.2023 Ep. 435 - Chara Revisited Chara represent the earliest stages of true plant evolution. They are also model organisms for a wide variety of research questions. Join me as we revisit an intriguing discussion with Dr. Mary Bisson from the University at Buffalo. This episode ...
08.13.2023 Ep. 434 - Moths are Important Pollinators This episode celebrates moths as pollinators. We ignore or even malign moths at our own peril. Dr. Stephen Robertson joins us to talk about how even crop pests can act as important pollinators. From their bewildering numbers to the ways ...
08.06.2023 Ep. 433 - What Drives Orchid Diversity? What drives orchid evolution? Why are places like Colombia so rich in orchid diversity? What constitutes a species across different orchid genera? Questions like these are what drive Dr. Tatiana Arias' research. Join us as we explore how she is ...
07.30.2023 Ep. 432 - The Importance of Seagrass With approximately 60 species spread across four families, seagrasses are a wonderfully diverse group of marine aquatic plants. They are also extremely important both ecologically and economically. From supporting massive fisheries and reducing erosion to sequestering massive quantities of greenhouse ...
07.23.2023 Ep. 431 - The Mysteries of Lycopod Evolution Lycopods and their relatives enjoy a nearly global distribution today, but extant diversity is still a mere shadow of what it once was. My guest today is Paleobotanist Meg Nibbelink and she is working to understand just how much this ...
07.16.2023 Ep. 430 - Seedlings in the Mycorrhizal Network What affects mycorrhizal communities? How do these communities influence trees and their seedlings? Do the relationships differ between angiosperms and gymnosperms? Where do we draw the line between science and conjecture? These questions and more are what drive Dr. Justine ...
07.09.2023 Ep. 429 - Ancient Leaf Homes Revisited Plants and arthropods have a long evolutionary history that involves plenty of interaction. If you know where to look, evidence of such history can be found in fossil plant remains. We revisit a discussion with Dr. Gussie Maccracken who discovered ...
07.02.2023 Ep. 428 - Bama Flora Alabama is known for things like football, but thanks to the efforts of people like Dr. Brian Keener, it is also coming to be known for its bewildering plant diversity. North America's glacial past coupled with Alabama's unique geology means ...
06.25.2023 Ep. 427 - Unraveling the Mysteries of Mycorrhizal Networks In this episode, we continue our journey in the world of mycorrhizal interactions with Dr. Jason Hoeksema. Join us as we investigate the ecological and evolutionary consequences of interactions between trees and mycorrhizal fungi and learn how complex and complicated ...
06.18.2023 Ep. 426 - Plants and Habitat Fragmentation How does habitat size affect plant populations? What happens to plants and insects when two smaller habitats are connected by a habitat corridor? These are the kinds of questions Dr. Julian Resasco likes to ask. Join us for a discussion ...
06.11.2023 Ep. 425 - What Data Tell Us About the "Wood Wide Web" The concept of the wood wide web in which trees are connected with one another via underground fungal networks has captured imaginations around the globe. The idea that trees may be sharing resources and communicating in seemingly altruistic ways is ...
06.04.2023 Ep. 424 - Uncovering the Mysteries of Galls Galls are perplexingly complex and, in many ways, mysterious structures. Galls are induced by another organism living within the tissues of the host plant. They can occur on a variety of plant organs and come in variety of shapes, sizes, ...
05.28.2023 Ep. 423 - Plant-Microbe Interactions are Complex It is impossible to make broad generalizations about the complex relationships between plants and microbes, but such challenges have not stopped Dr. Anny Chung from studying them. As you will here, there is a wide spectrum of possibilities between pest ...
05.21.2023 Ep. 422 - Investigating Invasiveness What makes some plants invasive? This is an extremely complex question with many possible answers, but that hasn't stopped Dr. Kali Mattingly from tackling a piece of the puzzle. From leaf, root, and flower traits to DNA and hybridization, Dr. ...
05.14.2023 Ep. 421 - Pawpaw & Floral Mimicry Revisited The world of floral mimicry really busts open traditional views on pollination. This spectrum of strategies involves things like poop and carrion mimicry, sexual mimicry, and possibly even fruit mimicry. That is where today's guest comes in. We revisit a ...
05.07.2023 Ep. 420 - Botany in the Big Apple As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, understanding how plants adjust to such conditions has never been more important. Cities like New York have a lot to teach us about urban botany. Join me and Botanist Marielle Anzelone as we explore ...
04.30.2023 Ep. 419 - Ant Dispersal Revisited What started as a question about some strange "seeds" in ant ant nest turned into an explosion of scientific investigations into the links between oaks, gall wasps, and ants. We revisit a conversation with Dr. Robert Warren in which we ...
04.23.2023 Ep. 418 - Resisting the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid The hemlock woolly adelgid has devastated hemlock populations throughout eastern North America and climate change is only going to make things worse for native Tsuga species. Understanding how to combat such invasive pests is vitally important for species survival and ...
04.16.2023 Ep. 417 - Coping with Change as an Alpine Plant Environmental change is something that all organisms must deal with throughout their life. This is especially true for long-lived plants. Adapt or die is often the only options available for most plants, but predicting their responses can be extremely difficult. ...
04.09.2023 Ep. 416 - Duckweed Microbiomes The group of plants collectively referred to as "duckweeds" are full of superlatives. Duckweeds boast the smallest flowers in the world, the smallest seeds in the world, and are among the fastest growing plants in the world. Despite their small ...
04.02.2023 Ep. 415 - Inside the Minds of Bees Thoughts, Memories, Personalities... These aren't concepts that readily jump to mind when someone says bees, but Dr. Stephen Buchmann is here to tell you they should! Join us as we discuss his new book "What a Bee Knows" and what ...
03.26.2023 Ep. 414 - Tales from an Accidental Botanist When it comes to habitat rehabilitation, making native plant diversity a high priority will greatly increase your chances of success. Healthy, diverse plant communities set the foundation for biodiversity. Such a realization was what set my guest Jeff Talbert on ...
03.19.2023 Ep. 413 - Down the Redbud Rabbit Hole When it comes to plants, there are more unknowns than knowns, even for very familiar species. You never know where even seemingly simple questions can lead you. Such was the case for Dr. Jorge Alberto Santiago-Blay when he decided to ...
03.12.2023 Ep. 412 - A Trip on the Scrub Mint Time Machine The links between plant taxonomy, evolution, geology, and conservation are not always obvious. It can be very difficult to seamlessly tie these worlds together in a meaningful way, but Botanical Curator of the Wertheim Conservatory Dr. Andre Naranjo has managed ...
03.05.2023 Ep. 411 - Chollas & Biodiversity Revisited When Dr. Jon Rebman decided to take on the diversity of cholla cacti, little did he know what he was getting into. Luckily, this work led him down a road stoked by a deep passion for understanding the biodiversity of ...
02.26.2023 Ep. 410 - Phenology is Important Phenology is defined as "the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life." Far from being a fun topic to investigate, plant phenology is a very important component of how ecosystems ...
02.19.2023 Ep. 409 - Butterflies in a Changing World Butterflies and plants are inextricably linked. It stands to reason then that if you want healthy butterfly populations, you first need plant diversity on the landscape. Join me and Dr. Katy Prudic as we explore her research into how we ...
02.12.2023 Ep. 408 - Prairie Up! Do you want to bring native plants into your life in ways that will inspire others? Do you want to turn whatever space you have into habitat that fosters biodiversity? Diving into the world of ecological landscaping may seem daunting ...
02.05.2023 Ep. 407 - Orchid Bees: Botanical Perfumers Orchid bees are not your average pollinators. Hailing from tropical regions of the Americas, these little gems have complex relationships with a variety of plants focussed on perfume production. Join Dr. Santiago Ramírez and me as we dive into the ...
01.29.2023 Ep. 406 - Reconstructing Ancient Plants What does it take to reconstruct a plant that went extinct hundreds of millions of years ago? How do you find the right context to place it in when so much has changed? These are just some of the questions ...
01.22.2023 Ep. 405 - Early Land Plants & Earth's Ancient Climate The earliest days of land plant evolution have long thought to have occurred in a hot house environment fueled by high CO2 levels. However, recent investigations suggest this may not have been the case and that small plants, not forests, ...
01.15.2023 Ep. 404 - The Secrets of Vanilla Dispersal Vanilla scent and flavoring is loved the world over, but what is the story behind vanillin, the compound responsible for producing these properties? Many theories as to its ecological function have been put forward over the last century and finally ...
01.08.2023 Ep. 403 - Fossil Bryophytes Revisited The odds of any living material becoming fossilized are extremely rare, especially if that living thing is a moss, liverwort, or hornwort. It does happen, however, and my guest today is dedicating his career to studying and understanding what bryophyte ...
01.01.2023 Ep. 402 - Plant Communities & Trails Have you ever wondered about the impact of outdoor recreation on plant communities? Trinie Chisholm certainly has. Together with her colleagues, Trinie sought to investigate how offroad vehicle and other type of trails are impacting plants in Canada's Castle Provincial ...
12.25.2022 Ep. 401 - Seeing the Forest for its Bats Many bats need forests and, as it turns out, those forests need bats. We are well aware that the majority of North America's bats eat insects, but what is the impact of their insectivorous diet on forest health? Join me ...
12.18.2022 Ep. 400 - The Root of an Ancient Mass Extinction We take plant roots for granted, but there was a time in Earth's history when roots had yet to evolve. As you are going to hear from Professor of Earth Sciences, Dr. Gabe Filippelli, when roots did evolve, they may ...
12.11.2022 Ep. 399 - Remembering a Cycad Defender This episode is dedicated to the memory of world-renowned cycad expert Dr. Nathalie Nagalingum who sadly passed away. I first spoke with Dr. Nagalingum back in 2017 where she opened my eyes to the plight of cycads. Did you know ...
12.04.2022 Ep. 398 - Tall Trees & the Habitats They Create Tall trees are true marvels of nature in and of themselves, but the habitats they create can take our fascination and appreciation to whole new levels. Dr. Steve Sillett has spent his career climbing giant trees and uncovering remarkable insights ...
11.27.2022 Ep. 397 - Grappling with the Hawthorns The hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) are in intriguing group of small trees. They are members of a genus that has sparked plenty of controversy and debate among taxonomists for decades and it doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. ...
11.20.2022 Ep. 396 - The Secrets of Seagrass Pollination For seagrasses, living life underwater comes with a lot of unique challenges, not the least of which is pollination. This is especially true when you consider the fact that their flowers are both ephemeral and borne submerged. Figuring out the ...
11.13.2022 Ep. 395 - Botany in the Garden I am a big fan of the "grow it to know it" philosophy. Growing plants provides so many important insights into the botanical world. However, for so many of us, figuring out where to start can be daunting. Botany, after ...
11.06.2022 Ep. 394 - Insect Herbivory Past & Present Insect herbivory is a major driver of ecosystem processes across ecosystems, but how has it changed through time? Wouldn't it be amazing to travel back through time to see how much plant-insect interactions have changed? Essentially, that is what Dr. ...
10.30.2022 Ep. 393 - Threats to U.S. Trees What are the threats to all the trees in the U.S.? To answer this question, you first have to figure out how many species there are and comb through data gathered by hundreds of dedicated biologists, ecologists, and more. Join ...
10.23.2022 Ep. 392 - Botanizing Down Under Plant ecologist Sara Johnson and I look back at a recent botanical adventure in southern Australia with fondness. Never before have we been exposed to such distinct biodiversity compared to what we are used to. Listen in as we talk ...
10.16.2022 Ep. 391 - A Non-Model, Model Plant Group Today we are focusing on a strange genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. The Dalechampia can be found growing in tropical forests throughout much of the world. We revisit a 2018 discussion I had with Dr. Scott Armbruster, who ...
10.09.2022 Ep. 390 - Pinosaur Revisited The Wollemi pine is one of the world's rarest trees. These mysterious gymnosperms was unknown to science until 1994. Their discovery made headlines around the globe. My guest today, Dr. Heidi Zimmer, has the distinct honor of working with this ...

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