Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Apr 6

It was a pleasure participating in the examination of the PhD thesis of Jesus Adrian Chimal Ballesteros on the taxonomy of African Asparagaceae, at the Natural History Museum of Oslo.

Thank you Charlotte Bjora and Hugo de Boer for the invitation, and much success to Adrian in his career!

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Feb 24

PhD on LSD? Vivian Kathambi is making good progress on the extraction of #ergot #alkaloids from #seeds of East African #Ipomoea, at Kew's Phytochemistry Lab - mentored by Dr Moses Langat.

A collaboration between Ghent University, Kew & EA Herbarium.
@ugent-botany.bsky.social
@rbgkew.bsky.social

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Feb 22

I found this piece that explains so clearly the origin of the confusion between #sweetpotatoes and #yams - different species, and even different plant families.

www.marthastewart.com/8169219/yams...

Are Yams & Sweet Potatoes The Same? Here's How to Tell Them Apart

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same? Here, we outline the botanical differences between yams and sweet potatoes and identify the main types of yams available in the U.S.

www.marthastewart.com

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

AETFATGhana2025 @aetfat2025.bsky.social · Feb 7

ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION CALL IS OPEN!

We invite researchers and students to submit abstracts for AETFAT2025

forms.office.com/r/qTpfiZsPV0

Submission deadline:April Ist 2025

Don't miss the opportunity to showcase your work.

#AETFAT2025 #Ghana2025 #Plant Taxonomy #BiodiversityConservation

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

Systematics Association @systassn.bsky.social · Feb 7

The 2025 LinneSys call is open!

Need funding for a systematics-based project?

Details on eligibity and how to apply here: systass.org/linnesys/

You need an active @systassn.bsky.social or @linneansociety.bsky.social membership to apply!

Applications close Monday, 10th March at 23:59 GMT+0

LinneSys: Systematics Research Fund

LinneSys: Systematics Research Fund The Councils of The Linnean Society of London and The Systematics Association jointly administer this fund for the benefit of systematics research. The Fund has …

systass.org

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Feb 7

Come showcase your work on #taxonomy, #conservation, #evolution, #biogeography of #African #plants and #fungi at next year's AETFAT conference in Ghana, 3-8 August 2025.

Call for Abstract Submission now open!

AETFATGhana2025 @aetfat2025.bsky.social · Feb 7

ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION CALL IS OPEN!

We invite researchers and students to submit abstracts for AETFAT2025

forms.office.com/r/qTpfiZsPV0

Submission deadline:April Ist 2025

Don't miss the opportunity to showcase your work.

#AETFAT2025 #Ghana2025 #Plant Taxonomy #BiodiversityConservation

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

AETFATGhana2025 @aetfat2025.bsky.social · Feb 2

Le congrès AETFAT 2025 arrive au Ghana !

Rejoignez-nous du 3 au 8 août 2025 pour explorer la riche diversité végétale de l'Afrique tropicale

Thème : Diversité, conservation et utilisation durable des plantes africaines dans un monde naturel en mutation.

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

AETFATGhana2025 @aetfat2025.bsky.social · Feb 2

The AETFAT Congress 2025 is coming to Ghana!

Join us for from August 3rd -8th 2025, as we explore the rich plant diversity of Tropical Africa
Theme: Diversity, conservation, and sustainable use of African plants in a changing natural world.

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

The Convolvulaceae Network @convolv-network.bsky.social · Jan 31

We are thrilled to announce our February schedule! Two very interesting talks by Sujit Patil and Amanda Peake are planned.

See you there!

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Jan 28

Another productive (and fun!) day at Kew #herbarium, curating #Convolvulaceae collections sampled for the #PAFTOL project.

Also, Vivian Kathambi is making great progress on seed sampling of E African #Ipomoea for her PhD studies - stay tuned!

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

Rick Miller (he/him) @rickeltonmiller.bsky.social · Jan 20

@anaritagsimoes.bsky.social @convolv-network.bsky.social

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Jan 11

Proud of this amazing collaborative work!

For those wanting to learn about #Convolvulaceae, check our "overview" paper with a summary of the taxonomic status-quo of the family, a summary of recent advances across different fields, and some good tips on how to collect, photograph and extract #DNA.

The Convolvulaceae Network @convolv-network.bsky.social · Jan 9

We are pleased to share a #Convolvulaceae special issue just released on Rheedea.

We present a total of 14 manuscripts with contributions from 84 authors, spanning across 17 countries.

To access the issue: rheedea.in/journal/fOAl...

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Jan 11

Proud of this amazing collaborative work!

For those wanting to learn about #Convolvulaceae, check our "overview" paper with a summary of the taxonomic status-quo of the family, a summary of recent advances across different fields, and some good tips on how to collect, photograph and extract #DNA.

The Convolvulaceae Network @convolv-network.bsky.social · Jan 9

We are pleased to share a #Convolvulaceae special issue just released on Rheedea.

We present a total of 14 manuscripts with contributions from 84 authors, spanning across 17 countries.

To access the issue: rheedea.in/journal/fOAl...

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · Dec 28

As of our new bye-laws, we enable people to join us based on what they have done, rather than who they know.

The requirement for Fellowship is to show that you have contributed to our mission: ‘to cultivate a global community working for a world where nature is understood, valued and protected.’

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Dec 27

To learn more about this curious species, and the exciting discovery led by my colleagues Vinod Shimpale and Sujit Patil - here is the full article in Kew Bulletin:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Distimake aparantae (Convolvulaceae), a new species from the coast of the northern Western Ghats, India - Kew Bulletin

A new species of Convolvulaceae from India, Distimake aparantae, is described and illustrated. The species is restricted to the northern Western Ghats, on sea-facing slopes in coastal regions, at low ...

link.springer.com

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Dec 27

To efficiently protect diversity, we need to prioritise. To prioritise, we need to document. #Conservation driven #taxonomy could not be more critical than now.

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Dec 27

This newly described species was first collected in September 2023, and is asessessed as Critically Endangered.

Nearly half of the species of Angiosperms are predicted to be threatened, and 3 out of 4 of all undescribed species already expected to be at risk of extinction.

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Dec 27

Introducing to the world Distimake aparantae, a new species of #Convolvulaceae, endemic to the Western Ghats (India) - an extraordinary biodiversity hotspot. Collected for the first time in September 2023! How much undescribed #plant diversity is still out there?

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

The Convolvulaceae Network @convolv-network.bsky.social · Dec 6

A new paper on Brazilian #Ipomoea is published!

Check it out: DOI: doi.org/10.1590/2175...

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Dec 7

Help us support more African botanists and mycologists to attend AETFAT 2025 (Ghana) - the largest conference on African flora and funga!
www.gofundme.com/f/aetfat-202...

Donate to AETFAT 2025 (Ghana): Travel Awards for African scientists, organized by Ana Rita Simões

AETFAT Congress is the largest conference for botanists, phyc… Ana Rita Simões needs your support for AETFAT 2025 (Ghana): Travel Awards for African scientists

www.gofundme.com

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Ana Rita Simões @anaritagsimoes.bsky.social · Dec 3

Convolvulaceae Network now present in Blue Sky too!

Follow
@convolv-network.bsky.social

for more on #sweetpotato, #morning_glories #Ipomoea, bindweeds #Convolvulus, dodders #Cuscuta, and other #Convolvulaceae hot topics!

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

Bat Maria Vorontsova @vorontsovams.bsky.social · Nov 27

Hello world! Also, the new grass phylogeny is now published: nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New grass phylogeny resolves deep evolutionary relationships and discovers C4 origins

• Grasses rank among the world’s most ecologically and economically important plants. Repeated evolution of the C4 syndrome has made photosynthesis highly efficient in many grasses, inspiring inten...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · Nov 24

'Adapting wild biodiversity conservation approaches to conserve agrobiodiversity' 🌿👩‍🌾🚜
Now online at #naturesustainability We share solutions of multiple co-authors in solving this challenge for food security, climate resilience & a sustainable future 👇 #KewScience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Adapting wild biodiversity conservation approaches to conserve agrobiodiversity - Nature Sustainability

The global biodiversity crisis impacting agriculture is overlooked compared with wild systems. This Perspective presents an overview of the the tools developed for wild biodiversity conservation and p...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

bioRxivpreprint @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · Nov 8

Too hot for the weeds? Exploring the impact of climate change in herbaceous Convolvulaceae in Cerrado and Mata Atlantica biomes (SE Brazil) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.06.621913v1

Aim: We investigated the potential resilience to climatic change of nine species of weeds in Convolv

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Ana Rita Simões

Lauren Eserman-Campbell @laeserman.bsky.social · Oct 25

Getting these thoughts down was a long time coming, proud to defend and uplift our global partnership on Ipomoea taxonomy t.co/90OojIfoeO

Towards a collaborative approach to the systematics of Ipomoea: A response to the “Rebuttal to (27...

A proposal to change the conserved type of Ipomoea was published in December 2020, and recommended by the Nomenclature Committee in 2023. This was done in the light of the possible negative consequen....

t.co

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