I am a researcher at the Institute of Botany, CAS, and Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. I am fascinated by plant thieves. That is why I study plants that feed on carbon stolen from fungi – mycoheterotrophs, more precisely, their ecophysiology and their convergent evolution. To do this, I use a range of molecular methods, in vitro cultivation systems, and stable isotope abundance analyses.
Due to its complexity, the alternation of generations in bryophytes is a nightmare for many a student. The image shows the seta and capsule (sporophyte) of a moss, from which the spores have already been released. The peristome of the capsule (colored red) resembles the teeth of a deep-sea predator about to catch its prey. In this image, that “prey” is a germinating pollen grain of the common mallow (Malva sylvestris), which happened to end up in the field of view by chance.
Male flower of the tropical mycoheterotrophic species Sciaphila albescens. This approximately 10 cm tall plant contains no chlorophyll and parasitizes fungi. It obtains carbon from the fungi, which they acquired in exchange for minerals through mycorrhizal symbiosis with tropical trees. Colorized SEM micrograph. The star-shaped tepals are colored orange, the stamen is pink, and the releasing pollen is red. The flower stalk is blue.albescens
Flower of the plant Senega trichosperma. This is a species of milkwort from the Amazon rainforest. These plants possess a complex floral structure—a fringed appendage protrudes from the tepals, and pollination involves a sophisticated mechanism: the pollinator must pull down on the keel to access the pollen. Some milkworts are fungal parasites—mycoheterotrophs—which is why I am studying them.
Xylanche himalaica, a spring-flowering, parasitic plant without a hint of chlorophyll, lives off rhododendrons and might not win a beauty contest at first glance. But look closer: its seeds, resembling tiny crystals or diamonds, have unexpected elegance. The delicate, perforated structures you see help this plant spread effortlessly in the wind. Imaged using scanning electron microscope + colourised.
Depicted are four lavender pollen grains in different shades of violet. While lavender pollen is less likely to cause allergies than pollen from trees or grasses, it can still trigger symptoms in some individuals. Lavender typically blooms and releases its pollen during the summer. Imaged using Scanning electron microscopy + colourised.
A Sea Brimming with Starfish Alyssum alyssoides. Trichomes on the surface of the seed.
