Healthy growth of wheat, maize and other crops is not possible without the plant's own hormones. Professor Ulrich Hammes is investigating the proteins that help the hormones reach their sites of action.

Plants adapt their water consumption to environmental conditions by counting and calculating environmental stimuli with their guard cells. Plant researchers from Würzburg report this in ‘Current Biology’.

Using optogenetics, Würzburg researchers have detected a new acid sensor in plant cells that is addressing a cell-internal calcium store, as they report in the journal "Science".

Plants in which an ion channel of the vacuole is hyperactive are extremely stressed and grow poorly. But the broad bean is an exception, as Würzburg researchers have discovered.

Researchers at the University of Würzburg have identified a considerable number of wild bee species on the Hubland Campus. Some of the university's measures provide suitable habitats and thus promote biodiversity.

Villages can provide important habitats for insects. A new study by the University of Würzburg shows which areas in rural settlements are particularly rich in species – and where there is still room for improvement.

Up to half of the insects in the Amazon region could be exposed to life-threatening heat levels due to progressive, anthropogenic global warming. This is shown by a recent study by the universities of Würzburg and Bremen.

To improve their chances of survival, animals must learn – and that can be dangerous. A new study from the University of Würzburg shows how gradual learning under parental supervision can reduce these risks.