Back from the dead
Tropical tree fern repurposes its dead leaves
February 26, 2024
A species of tree fern found only in Panama uses ‘zombie leaves’ or reanimated dead leaf fronds, and turns them into root structures that feed the mother plant.
A species of tree fern found only in Panama uses ‘zombie leaves’ or reanimated dead leaf fronds, and turns them into root structures that feed the mother plant.
Decomposing Foliage: A 17-Year Study Unravels the Vital Nutrient Exchange in Tropical Forests of Panama.
Smithsonian researchers collaborated with stakeholders to share mangrove carbon accounting techniques and learn about their importance in mitigating climate change.
We are all working together to make tropical biology research safe for everyone by eliminating harassment.
In my lab we try to understand how climate change affects tropical forests by studying how environmental factors influence the physiology and ecology of tropical trees and lianas. We are interested in identifying threshold temperatures for various aspects of plant performance, including carbon...
A global center
for tropical science
A tropical research community
on the edge of the Panama Canal
Studying the forest
from the top down
The Winter lab studies how tropical plants, particularly trees, function and interact with their environment. We explore plant function in the field and under controlled conditions, at the whole organism level and at the level of individual organs, combining physiological, biochemical and...
Lower atmospheric carbon and cooler temperatures may have contributed to the domestication of corn, a new study shows.