Trinity College Botanic Garden on Culture Night: Plants and Planet Tour
Trinity College Botanic Garden on Culture Night: Plants and Planet Tour
Trinity College Botanic Garden took part in Culture Night on Friday 18 September, welcoming visitors for Plants and Planet Tour, a guided exploration of the Garden’s plants, research and their connections to our changing environment. During the tour, botanists shared stories of the fascinating lives of plants from around the world, exploring how they have evolved and adapted to extreme environments and what they can teach us about our changing planet. The lab team Michelle Murray, Jennifer McElwain, Miriam Slodownik and Leticia Figueiredo Candido participated welcoming the visitors and presenting part of the tours.
Visitors explored the Garden’s living collections, discovering plants that have outlived the dinosaurs, fascinating relationships between plants and their pollinators, and the role of plants in understanding environmental change. The tours also introduced visitors to ongoing environment research at Trinity, including the opportunity to meet the ‘Witness Trees’ and try some of the monitoring equipment used by researchers.
The garden and the whole botanists team thanks the attendees for sharing this moment and passion for plants.
Trinity Herbarium Reopens Following Major Renovation
Trinity Herbarium Reopens Following Major Renovation
Trinity College Dublin’s Herbarium, home to up to half a million preserved plant specimens representing three centuries of Irish botanical research, officially reopened on 31 August following a major two-year renovation.
The reopening celebrated the Herbarium’s history and future, with visitors exploring the newly renovated facilities, learning about historic specimens and taking part in a live digitisation session. Chair of Botany and PI of the Plant–Climate Interaction Lab, Prof. Jennifer McElwain, opened the session by highlighting the importance of the Herbarium to the Botany Department, botanical research and conservation. Postdocs Leticia Figueiredo Candido and Miriam Slodownik also participated, presenting the Witness Trees Project and highlighting how annual plant collections from the Witness Trees can connect long-term tree monitoring with historical botanical records.
The Herbarium was subsequently visited by Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, who toured the newly renovated facility and learned about the research taking place there, including the Witness Trees Project. The reopening marks a new chapter for Trinity’s Herbarium as a centre for botanical research, conservation and digitisation
iCRAG Summit 2026
iCRAG Summit 2026
The Witness Trees team – Jenny McElwain, Leticia Candido and Richard Slevin, attended the iCRAG Summit 2026 at Hodson Bay on 2–3 September.
The Summit allowed the team to share and discuss Witness Trees research with colleagues across the wider iCRAG community, and to connect our work on trees, past environments, and Earth system change with the broad range of research across the Centre.
Over two days, researchers shared their work through talks, posters, panel discussions and the science showcase, creating plenty of opportunities to exchange ideas, strengthen collaborations and reflect on the research developed through iCRAG.
This year’s Summit was particularly significant as iCRAG enters its 10th and final year as a research centre, providing an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved over the past decade and to look ahead to the future of the research and collaborations developed through the Centre.
Climatic and Biotic Events of the Paleogene Conference
Climatic and Biotic Events of the Paleogene Conference
This August, Miriam Slodownik travelled to Washington DC, US, to participate and present at the “Climatic and Biotic Events in the Paleogene” Conference held at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Approximately 100 delegates from the US and beyond participated in this conference, bringing different areas of expertise together that do not necessarily use the same techniques but focus on the same time interval, creating great potential for future collaboration. Notably, there was a large proportion of Palaeobotanists and Palynologists present at the conference.
The conference dinner was held in the spectacular Fossil Hall of the museum, which was filled not only with exciting animal fossils, but also spectacular plant fossils and reconstructions. The conference was followed by a magnificent field trip in the outskirts of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, where sediments and marine fossils of Cretaceous and Paleogene age were observed and collected.
Witness Trees Project 2026 Fieldwork Campaign
Five years of monitoring trees for a more climate-resilient future
The Witness Tree Project is a long-term monitoring initiative that began in 2022 at the Trinity College Botanic Garden and expanded to the National Botanic Gardens in 2024. Each summer, researchers monitor 21 tree species to better understand how climate change is affecting tree health and resilience, while also investigating the important role these species play in retaining airborne pollutants in urban environments. The project has completed its 2026 summer fieldwork campaign this July.
This year’s fieldwork was led by Dr. Leticia Figueiredo Candido at the National Botanic Gardens, together with intern Julia and volunteers Blanka and Chiara. At the Trinity College Botanic Garden, the Research Assistant Msc. Richard Slevin led the field team, supported by interns Charles, and Antony and volunteers Liza, and Qudseya. Members of the Plant–Climate Interaction Lab, including Dr. Christos Chondrogiannis, Dr. Michelle Murray, and Dr. Miriam Słodownik, also contributed to data collection, continuing their involvement from previous years. A huge thanks to everyone who contributed to the data collection and continues helping the project.
During the campaign, researchers collected a range of physiological measurements to assess tree health and resilience. These included stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, and chlorophyll fluorescence. Leaf samples were also collected for carbon isotope (δ¹³C) analysis, with the goal of providing insights into long-term water-use efficiency and how trees respond to environmental stress.
In addition, leaf samples were collected to quantify the amount and chemical composition of particulate matter retained by different tree species, helping researchers evaluate the ecosystem service that urban trees provide by improving air quality. The team also collected herbarium specimens from all monitored species, creating a permanent historical record of the trees while providing valuable material for future studies, these specimens will be available at the Trinity College Dublin Herbarium.
The project’s genetic component also continued in 2026. This work, initiated in 2025 by Dr. Ailbhe Brazel, aims to identify molecular biomarkers associated with environmental responses in selected species, including alder, hazel, common oak, and maidenhair tree. This year’s sampling was carried out by Dr. Brazel together with research assistant James, continuing the development of this important aspect of the project.
The data collected during the 2026 campaign will contribute to the project’s long-term dataset, helping researchers better understand how urban trees respond to changing environmental conditions and informing evidence-based strategies for selecting resilient tree species for future cities.
How will pioneer salt marsh plants respond to rising CO2?
How will pioneer salt marsh plants respond to rising CO₂?
In the VAL Lab, a new experiment is underway using the PGC20 Growth Chambers. Over the next six months, Jenny Clarke – a second-year PhD researcher co-supervised by Iris Moller (Geography) and Jennifer McElwain (Botany) – will use the chambers to investigate the potential impacts of climate change on two species of pioneer salt marsh plants.
Jenny is growing Spartina anglica and Salicornia europaea under two scenarios: current climate conditions and a potential future, high-CO₂ climate. By comparing the two, she aims to determine how rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations may affect the germination, establishment, and biophysical properties of each species.
To recreate a working salt marsh inside each chamber, Jenny uses a two-tank system. One tank represents the marsh itself, holding pots of tidal flat mud sown with seeds of one or both species collected from her field site on North Bull Island in Dublin Bay; the other supplies a reservoir of artificial seawater that floods the marsh semi-diurnally, reproducing the twice-daily tidal rhythm experienced by the pioneer zone at North Bull Island.
The ‘current’ climate conditions simulated by the chambers are informed directly by data collected at a monitoring station set up at her field site on North Bull Island. The raised-CO₂ conditions mirror these current settings in every respect except atmospheric CO₂, which is elevated to 820 ppm, in line with the IPCC’s SSP3-7.0 projection for the year 2100.
Salt marshes are among the most valuable habitats on our coastlines: they sequester large amounts of carbon, buffer the shore against storms and erosion, and support rich communities of plants, birds, and invertebrates. They are also highly sensitive to environmental change. By focusing on the pioneer species that first colonise the bare tidal flat, allowing marshes to establish and expand, Jenny’s work should help clarify how these critical ecosystems might respond as the climate continues to change over the coming century.
Cells to Ecosystems Summer School in Philadelphia, USA
Cells to Ecosystems Summer School in Philadelphia, USA
This summer, two members of our lab attended the Cells to Ecosystems Summer School at Haverford Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. This programme offered participants in-depth training in trait-based palaeobotany and highlighted how plants can be used as tools to understand Earth systems and vegetation in Earth’s history. The course covered methods like field-based plant physiology measurements, fossil collection and analyses, as well as computational modelling.
Dr William J. Matthaeus participated as co-investigator and co-organiser of the programme, alongside Jonathan P. Wilson (who generously hosted the event at Haverford College), Joseph D. White (Baylor University), and Principal Investigator Daniel J. Peppe (Baylor University). Dr Miriam Slodownik participated as an attendee alongside six further selected students.
The diverse 10-day programme spanned lectures, practical sessions, and field trips. Highlights included fossil plant collecting in Centralia, a tour deep underground (and deep in time) in a historic coal mine (https://www.pioneertunnel.com/) which exposed Carboniferous coals, and a visit to Longwood Gardens (https://longwoodgardens.org/). The summer school was an excellent learning and networking experience and a great success for all organisers and attendees.
This course is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Jennifer McElwain Joins BBC Radio 4 Discussion on Tree Evolution
Jennifer McElwain Discusses the Evolution of Trees on BBC Radio 4
We are delighted to share that Jennifer McElwain, recently appeared on BBC Radio 4’s renowned programme In Our Time.
In the episode, The Evolution of Trees, Professor McElwain joined host Misha Glenny alongside Christopher Berry (Cardiff University) and Bill Baker (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) to explore one of the most important innovations in Earth’s history — the evolution of trees.
The discussion examined how the first trees emerged over 400 million years ago and went on to transform the planet by creating new ecosystems, altering the atmosphere, and shaping the landscapes we know today. The programme also explored how tree-like growth forms have evolved multiple times throughout plant history, highlighting the remarkable adaptability of plants.
In Our Time is one of the BBC’s longest-running and most respected radio programmes, bringing together leading experts from around the world to discuss major topics in science, history, culture, and philosophy. We are incredibly proud to see Professor McElwain sharing her expertise with such a broad international audience.
BBC Radio 4 – In Our Time: The Evolution of Trees (4 June 2026)
Plant Climate Lab at IPSAM 2026
Plant Climate Lab at IPSAM 2026
Members of the Plant Climate Lab were delighted to participate in the Irish Plant Scientists’ Association Meeting (IPSAM) 2026, held at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, on 15–16 June. The meeting brought together plant scientists from across Ireland to share the latest research in ecology, climate change, biodiversity, conservation, plant physiology, and horticulture.
A particular highlight of the conference was the keynote lecture by Dr Peter Wyse Jackson, President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Chair of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) Board. In his inspiring talk, “Botanic gardens in a changing world – driven by concern for biodiversity and conservation”, he explored the history, importance, and future role of botanic gardens in addressing biodiversity loss and global environmental change.
The Plant Climate Lab was strongly represented across both oral and poster presentations.
Robin Noble presented his talk: “Does plant evolution speed up weathering? A mesocosm experiment comparing ferns and angiosperms”
This research explored how different plant groups influence silicate weathering and atmospheric carbon sequestration, challenging long-held assumptions about the role of plant evolution in Earth’s carbon cycle.
Leticia Figueiredo Candido delivered a talk entitled: “The Witness Trees: unveiling the potential of Botanic Gardens for research”
The presentation highlighted the Witness Tree Project, a long-term monitoring initiative investigating how trees respond to environmental change and air pollution, while demonstrating the value of botanic gardens as living laboratories for scientific research.
Kamila Kwasniewska presented a poster: “Botanic Gardens as Spaces for Reconnection – Forest Bathing and Student Wellbeing in the City”
The poster showcased findings from a three-year collaboration between Trinity College Botanic Gardens and Student Counselling Services, exploring the impact of forest bathing and nature-based interventions on student wellbeing in an urban green space.
Muhammad Siddiq presented a poster entitled: “PlantChem Project: Investigating the Shift in Plant Chemistry Due to Climate Change”
The research compared historic (1989–1991) and modern (2013–2015) plant collections from 24 sites across seven global biomes to investigate how rising atmospheric CO₂ has altered plant elemental composition. The study revealed substantial shifts in plant chemistry over just a few decades, highlighting previously hidden impacts of climate change on ecosystem function and nutrient cycling.
Beyond the scientific programme, the conference provided wonderful opportunities to reconnect with colleagues, discover new research, and explore the National Botanic Gardens. Delegates enjoyed guided tours of the gardens and herbarium, and one of the highlights was the opportunity to visit the rooftop of the iconic Great Palm House, offering a unique perspective over one of Ireland’s most treasured botanical collections.
IPSAM 2026 was an inspiring and enjoyable event, showcasing the breadth of plant science research taking place across Ireland. We would like to thank the organisers and the National Botanic Gardens for hosting such a fantastic meeting and look forward to returning next year.
