In Defense of Plants

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Ep. 338 - How Old are the Oldest Trees?

October 10, 2021

How long can a tree live? How old are the oldest trees? The answers to questions like these are more nuanced that some might think. We sit down with curator of The Gymnosperm Database, Dr. Chris Earle, for some insights on tree longevity. This episode was produced in part by Lor, Monika, Brandon, Jeremy, Suzanne, Kristina, Christine, Silas, Michael, Aristia, Felicidad, Lauren, Danielle, Allie, Jeffrey, Amanda, Tommy, Marcel, C Leigh, Karma, Shelby, Christopher, Alvin, Arek, Chellie, Dani, Paul, Dani, Tara, Elly, Colleen, Natalie, Nathan, Ario, Laura, Cari, Margaret, Mary, Connor, Nathan, Jan, Jerome, Brian, Azomonas, Ellie, University Greens, Joseph, Melody, Patricia, Matthew, Garrett, John, Ashley, Cathrine, Melvin, OrangeJulian, Porter, Jules, Griff, Joan, Megan, Marabeth, Les, Ali, Southside Plants, Keiko, Robert, Bryce, Wilma, Amanda, Helen, Mikey, Michelle, German, Joerg, Cathy, Tate, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Lynn, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Brett, Jocelyn, Ethan, Sheryl, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Chris, Alana, Rachel, Joanna, Lori, Paul, Griff, Matthew, Bobby, Vaibhav, Steven, Joseph, Brandon, Liam, Hall, Jared, Brandon, Christina, Carly, Kazys, Stephen, Katherine, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, Manny, doeg, Daniel, Tim, Philip, Tim, Lisa, Brodie, Bendix, Irene, holly, Sara, and Margie.

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Ep. 319 - Evolution of the Seed

May 30, 2021

Seeds are among the most important biological structures on this planet. Seeds have been instrumental in the diversification of plants, allowing them to spread into new habitats all over the globe. In fact, you and I would not be here if it were not for seeds. For these reasons and more, Dr. Cecilia Zumajo is fascinated by how seeds evolved. By looking at the genetic mechanisms that control seed development in various gymnosperms, Dr. Zumajo is opening new doors into our understanding of the development of these incredible structures. This episode was produced in part by Karma, Shelby, Christopher, Alvin, Arek, Chellie, Paul, Dani, Tara, Elly, Colleen, Natalie, Liam, Ario, Nathan, Laura, Cari, Laura, Kali, Margaret, Mary, Connor, Nathan, Jan, Jerome, Brian, Melody, Azomonas, Ellie, University Greens, Cynthia, John, Ashley, Peter, Cathrine, Melvin, OrangeJulian, Porter, Grif, Jules, Joan, Les, Marabeth, Ali, Margaret, Southside Plants, Robert, Keiko, Bryce, Brittany, Helen, Amanda, Mikey, Rhiannon, Michelle, Kate, German, Joerg, Alejandra, Cathy, Jordan, Judy, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Dana, Chloe, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Vaibhav, Kendall, Christina, Brett, Jocelyn, Kathleen, Ethan, Kaylee, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Donica, Chris, Shamora, Alana, Laura, Alice, Sarah, Rachel, Joanna, Griff, Philip, Paul, Matthew, Clark, Bobby, Kate, Steven, Brittney, McMansion Hell, Joey, Catherine, Brandon, Hall, Vegreville Creek and Wetlands Fund, Kevin, Oliver, John, Johansson, Christina, Jared, Hannah, Katy Pye, Brandon, Gwen, Carly, Stephen, Botanical Tours, Moonwort Studios, Liba, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, doeg, Clifton, Stephanie, Benjamin, Eli, Rachael, Plant By Design, Philip, Brent, Ron, Tim, Homestead Brooklyn, Brodie, Kevin, Sophia, Mark, Rens, Bendix, Irene, Holly, Caitlin, Manuel, Jennifer, Sara, and Margie.

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Ep. 300 - Reconstructing a Cretaceous Flora

January 17, 2021

Imagine being able to travel back 120 million years to the Early Cretaceous and scoop up handfuls of the forest floor. The amount you would discover in that material would be mind blowing and, amazingly, this is essentially what my guest gets to do. Dr. Fabiany Herrera is a paleobotanist based at the Chicago Botanic Garden who is currently helping reconstruct the flora of an ancient Mongolian swamp. Mongolia is well known for its dinosaur fossils, but what Dr. Herrera and his colleagues are uncovering is amazingly preserved evidence of the ecosystem that once support them. From resolving relationships among extant gymnosperms to describing new taxa, there seems to be no end to the information packed away in these amazing fossils. Join us as we catch a glimpse of an Early Cretaceous flora. This work was funded by the National Science Foundation. This podcast was produced in part by Jerome, Brian, Melody, Azomonas, Ellie, University Greens, Cynthia, John, Ashley, Peter, Cathrine, Melvin, OrangeJulian, Porter, Grif, Jules, Joan, Les, Marabeth, Ali, Margaret, Southside Plants, Robert, Keiko, Bryce, Brittany, Helen, Amanda, Mikey, Rhiannon, Michelle, Kate, German, Joerg, Alejandra, Cathy, Jordan, Judy, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Dana, Chloe, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Vaibhav, Kendall, Christina, Brett, Jocelyn, Kathleen, Ethan, Kaylee, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Donica, Chris, Shamora, Alana, Laura, Alice, Sarah, Rachel, Joanna, Griff, Philip, Paul, Matthew, Clark, Bobby, Kate, Steven, Brittney, McMansion Hell, Joey, Catherine, Brandon, Hall, Vegreville Creek and Wetlands Fund, Kevin, Oliver, John, Johansson, Christina, Jared, Hannah, Katy Pye, Brandon, Gwen, Carly, Stephen, Botanical Tours, Moonwort Studios, Liba, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, doeg, Clifton, Stephanie, Benjamin, Eli, Rachael, Plant By Design, Philip, Brent, Ron, Tim, Homestead Brooklyn, Brodie, Kevin, Sophia, Mark, Rens, Bendix, Irene, Holly, Caitlin, Manuel, Jennifer, Sara, and Margie.

Learn more about the paleobotany of Mongolia: [1] [2] [3] [4]

Read some their papers: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

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