Physborg.com, February 26, 2010

A Penn State biologist and his collaborators have developed a new method for tracking seed movement and germination. According to Tomás Carlo, assistant professor of biology at Penn State and the leader of the study, the technique will be useful for studying plant dispersal and how plants adjust to global climate change. The technique also will enable scientists to gather biological information about invasive plants that is critical to controlling their spread. The team's results appeared in the December 2009 issue of the journal Ecology.

Renewable Energy Magazine, February 25, 2010

Practically simultaneously, the International Union for Conservation of Nature ((IUCN) and the Standing Committee of the Council of Europe Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention) have issued warns about the dangers of the proliferation of certain species of exotic plants grown to produce biofuels. Both organisations have issued recommendations to ensure these plants do not become invasives and avoid the spread of pests associated with these species.

By Cynthia Lee, February 25, 2010 McGill University Reporter
With Andrew Gonzalez, Director of the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science

With the United Nations declaring 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, the Feb. 15 launch of the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science (QCBS) couldn’t have been timed better. Hosted by McGill’s Department of Biology, the virtual centre brings together more than 60 scientists from eight academic institutions (McGill, Bishop’s, Concordia, Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke) in collaboration with the Montreal Botanical Garden and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

AFP, February 10, 2010
A humble weed native to the Mediterranean and Middle East and viewed by gardeners in some countries as an invasive pest could hold the secret to boosting yields of cereals and biofuels, scientists hope.

In a paper published on Wednesday by the British journal Nature, biologists from both sides of the Atlantic said they had unravelled the genome of Brachypodium distachyon, a small wild grass that offers big promise in plant biotechnology.