Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society

Rediscovery and phylogenomic placement of Feliciadamia stenocarpa (Feliciadamieae: Melastomataceae): assessing gene tree discordance Abstract. The phylogenetic placement of Feliciadamia stenocarpa, a rare and endemic species from Guinea within the family Melastomataceae, has remained unc

Rare, endemic species often prove difficult to conserve, as their #Conservation status is hard to determine. This is true for Feliciadamia stenocarpa, a species endemic to a single mountain range in Guinea. Here, phylogenetic analysis helped to tentatively assess it as endangered! 🧪
buff.ly/JhltLgd

Leaf shape of quinoa’s wild ancestor Chenopodium hircinum (Amaranthaceae) in a geographic context Abstract. Intraspecific variation in plant traits, such as leaf morphology, offers insights into local adaptation and the ecological niche breadth of speci

Quinoa? Hardly know her...

The wild ancestor of quinoa can be found across Argentina, prompting researchers to investigate leaf shape to understand local adaptation & ecological niche breadth of this species! Curious? Take a LEAF through this paper to find out...🌍🧪
doi.org/10.1093/botl...

Dani and Connor presenting at the Linnean Society, they are both smiling. In the backround is a historic chair and portrait of Carl Linnaeus.

Close up of someone cutting out a picture of a bird for a zine page. In the background are a colourful array of pens and materials to make a collage

A group of people, all smiling, on the stage together at the Linnean Society

We had a wonderful time yesterday at Exploring Queerness in Natural History.

We're writing up it up to share in a future blog post, but for now here are some pictures of our fantastic curators @aquadan1.bsky.social and Connor Butler, the lunchtime zine-making, and our afternoon panellists.

We couldn't do it without our authors, and we look forward to another year of ground breaking research published with us.

If you want to be part of our history, why not consider one of our journals as the home for your research this year?
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/p...

We reinvest back into our journals through our expert Editorial Office, ensuring a high-quality peer review process. Additionally, we promote authors’ work & showcase the research we publish through blogs, online lectures & in-person events, making science accessible to all (3/4).

As a not-for-profit organisation, the research published with us goes directly towards funding our community outreach & engagement. Most notably, this includes our historical collections, extensive education and events programmes, and our prestigious medals, prizes and awards. (2/4)

Why not publish your research with a Society Journal? 🧪🌍

The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)

Mid-Pleistocene origin and phylogeographical signatures of recurrent expansion-fragmentation of a highly inbred and endangered African timber legume Abstract. Past climatic oscillations have influenced the genetic diversity and distribution patterns of tropical African tree species, and possibly their m

We're going down, we're yelling TIMBERRR!

Climate change has influenced genetic diversity & distribution of tropical African trees, but to what extenT? Here, the phylogeography of an endangered timber species was investigated, revealing recurrent range expansion–fragmentation! 🧪

The roles of Kra Isthmus in shaping the genetic structure of Paphiopedilum godefroyae (Orchidaceae) Abstract. Paphiopedilum godefroyae is an orchid species endemic to southern Thailand, known for its diverse flowers. It is spread across the Kra Isthmus an

Orchid-ding me!!

Found across the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, 3 varieties of the orchid P. godefroyae exist. But why are there three, how do they differ & does the Kra Isthmus act as a barrier? Guess you'll need to read the paper to find out 🧪🌍😉

In Europe, only a few N American asters (Symphyotrichum) are naturalised or cultivated, with some exhibiting invasive behaviour & others misidentified. How do we fix this? Understanding their cytogeography (distribution of gene complexes), as done here along the Danube...🧪🌍
doi.org/10.1093/botl...

Fighting biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene: the INALI snake collection as a key resource for natural history in the Global South Abstract. In the Anthropocene, accelerating biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and social instability are profoundly affecting tropical and subt

Accelerating #BiodiversityLoss, environmental degradation & social instability affect tropical & subtropical regions in South America. Museum collections are critical for documenting & preserving biodiversity, yet often get overlooked. Introducing: INALI snake collection (1/2) 🧪🌍
buff.ly/DbvmLsf

This #AustraliaDay fill your boots by celebrating the discovery of mammal pollination of Banksia! Not only do these smelly plants attract non-flying mammals, they actually exhibit the first compelling evidence of primary pollination by rodents (alongside honey possums)! 🧪

doi.org/10.1093/botl...

A large African elephant stands amongst trees in the savannah, dappled in golden sunlight.

New Blog Alert! 🚨 🐘

Elephants are known to be Ecosystem Engineers, but did you know they are also the largest gardeners on Earth? Our latest blog, written by guest blogger Jin-Gyu Chang, reveals their pollinator role...but it's less green thumb and more elephant dung...(1/6) 🧪🌍
buff.ly/GSCUM4R

With the diversity of flowers comes the diversity of ways to analyse them, but which is best & how are they linked? Here, combining flower morphology characters of 951 species revealed that the most common characters are rarely found together in 1 flower! 🌍🧪
doi.org/10.1093/botl...
#Conservation

What do you call a reptile that looks like a lizard but isn't? I'm Nothosaurus...

Helping to understand ecosystem recovery after the PT-extinction, a large new nothosaurian is described, adding to the evidence of large predators in the Tethys shallow seas! 🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/zool...
#FossilFriday

We couldn't do it without our authors, and we look forward to another year of ground breaking research published with us.

If you want to be part of our history, why not consider one of our journals as the home for your research this year?
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/p...

We reinvest back into our journals through our expert Editorial Office, ensuring a high-quality peer review process. Additionally, we promote authors’ work & showcase the research we publish through blogs, online lectures & in-person events, making science accessible to all (3/4).

As a not-for-profit organisation, the research published with us goes directly towards funding our community outreach & engagement. Most notably, this includes our historical collections, extensive education and events programmes, and our prestigious medals, prizes and awards. (2/4)

This year, why not publish your research with a Society Journal?

The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and groundbreaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience.

Call these Martians the way they Rove(r)...

The rove beetle genus Xenogaster has 12 described species, yet their biology & interspecific relationships remain poorly understood. Here, a taxonomic revision & phylogenetic analysis uncovers a new genus & a new species! 🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/zool...

Thirty, and flirty and AI-ing?

It's hard to deny the impact AI has had on the world this year, highlighted here in a guest blog about its use in scientific research in our Botanical Journal! Did you know Machine Learning can help detect salt stress in plants? 🌍🧪

Check it out 👇
buff.ly/pU9nbpv

On the fifth day of Christmas, Linnaeus gave to me...FIVE ANOLES! Well, more like anoles adapting to temperature change in the Andes, as taught to us in this lunchtime lecture! Kicking off the journal series, it contributed to the 1000+ lecture attendees this year! 🌍🧪👇

buff.ly/Tgjn9Pk

Rapid divergence with gene flow creates intractable nodes in the tree of life: An empirical demonstration in the Buzzing Flowerpecker (Dicaeum hypoleucum) Abstract. The avian tree of life contains a series of famously intractable nodes and controversial relationships whose resolution varies between studies de

We all know ornithologists loved naming birds, but less so trying to understand their evolutionary history...

Using the (perfectly named) Buzzing Flowerpecker as a case study, phylogenetic studies revealed rapid evolution & shared genes, making it difficult to draw boundaries...

Multiple molecular data provide new insights into phylogeny and historical biogeography of East Asian Artemisia L. (Asteraceae) Abstract. Artemisia L. is one of the most diverse genera in the Asteraceae, widely used in agriculture and medicine, with a giant range of complicated taxa

With more twists than Stranger Things, the East Asian Artemisia isn't just a medicinal plant! New research shows its evolutionary history is full of genetic crossovers, hybridisations & ancient divergence! 🌍 🧪 👇
doi.org/10.1093/botl...
@linneansociety.bsky.social
#UpsideDown

Rafflesia arnoldii flower plate from Transactions of the Linnean Society, 1822.

Ahhh Rafflesia, the parasitic corpse flower...what's not to love? Known for their scent of rotting flesh, these Strange(r) Things can be found in the rainforests of South East Asia, and may remind you of a certain Demogorgon, henchmen of the upside down...

#StrangerThings #Demogorgon

I spy with my little eye, a brand new...butterfly?

Found hiding from Panama to Colombia, whole-genome sequencing uncovered this new species as part of the tribe Phocidini!

doi.org/10.1093/zool...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

What's that? You didn't know boxfish made sound? Me neither...

It turns out all species (Atlantic & Pacific) do, yet little is known about how this evolved. A novel structure found only in the Atlantic species offered the answer, but it isn't quite what you think...🌍 🧪

doi.org/10.1093/biol...

Weevil, weevil, rock you!

Not quite as catchy as the Queen hit, the phylogeny of broad-nosed weevils was explored using mitochondrial genomes of 130 species, helping to classify the subfamily & uncover their biogeography! 🌍👇🧪

doi.org/10.1093/zool...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

Phylogeny of Southeast Asian Mapania (Cyperaceae: Mapanioideae) using chloroplast sequence data Abstract. Mapania (Cyperaceae) is a pantropical genus associated with the forest understorey. Its evolutionary history and species delimitation are poorly

The pantropical genus Mapania is associated with forest understorey, yet its evolutionary history & species delimitation are poorly known. Here, DNA sequence data was used to change this, highlighting the need for further research to better protect this genus! 🌍 🧪 👇