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.

Leaf-cutter ants are considered a problem by cacao farmers in Peru. However, the damage they cause can be limited. This is shown by a new study from the University of Würzburg.

How can forest changes be recognised at an early stage and informed decisions made for climate-resilient forests? This question has been addressed by a project that is now providing an app for forest monitoring.

Drought significantly reduces the reproductive success of bumblebee colonies. This is shown by a new study conducted by a research team at the University of Würzburg. This also has consequences for plant pollination.

A large-scale experiment shows that warmth brings bees and wasps out of hibernation earlier – leaving some of them with poorer starting conditions. This is particularly true for species in cooler regions that emerge during spring.