Pollen tubes are rapidly growing, photosynthetically inactive cells that need high rates of energy to support growth. Energy can derive from internal and external storage sources. The lack of carbon sources can cause...
Archive - July 2018
botanyone
The cosmopolitan Compositae (or Sunflowers at large…)
Sunflowers by Stephen Harris 2018. Reaktion Books Ltd. Stephen Harris’ Sunflowers isn’t about sunflowers. OK, correction, it is, but it’s not just about sunflowers. Rather, the book celebrates the sunflower family, the...
Nigel Chaffey
Presence of fruits decreases probability of retaining flowers in a sequentially flowering plant
Both intrinsic and extrinsic plant processes affect the fate of flowers along an inflorescence in sequentially flowering plants. In a study recently published in AoB PLANTS, Jadeja & Tenhumberg investigated...
William Salter
Floral morphogenesis in Camptotheca
Camptotheca is endemic to China and there are limited data about the breeding system and morphogenesis of the flowers. Camptotheca is thought to be related to Nyssa and Davidia in Nyssaceae, which has sometimes been...
When plant biology meets physics…
Great things are possible when disciplines that may be studied separately and distinctly are brought together. For example, and famously, when botany, zoology, bacteriology, mycology, protistology, virology, chemistry...
Rarity and nutrient acquisition relationships before and after prescribed burning in an Australian box-ironbark forest
Nutrient cycling is greatly influenced by dominant plants that contribute high amounts of leaf litter to soils; however, less-dominant and rare species can play key roles in nutrient cycling if they have unique nutrient...
Why are/aren’t we following you on Twitter?
Who do we follow on Twitter? Here's why we follow people and why we don't.
Alun Salt
Modelling polycyclic growth and leaf neoformation in trees
Trees can adapt their architecture in response to climate change by adjusting growth processes such as leaf neoformation and polycyclic growth. Tondjo et al. present work aimed to improve the plant growth model GreenLab...
Earpedia: Plants
Amazon, through its Audible audiobook brand, is releasing free audio shows for subscribers. One of these was Zoopedia, a series looking at animals. It’s now been rebranded Earpedia, and the second series covers...
Defence signalling marker gene responses to hormonal elicitation differ between roots and shoots
Plants responses to environmental stresses are regulated by signalling hormones, such as jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene and abscisic acid. Plant scientists commonly use marker genes to study which signalling...
On nectaries and floral architecture
Nectaries are the most interesting organs in flowers – at least to me. Compared to other floral organs (i.e. perianth organs, stamens and carpels), the position of nectaries is not necessarily fixed within the floral...
Julius Jeiter
Non-structural carbohydrate dynamics in shrubland under drought-induced die-off
The relationship between plant carbon economy and drought responses of co-occurring woody species can be assessed by comparing carbohydrate (C) dynamics following drought and rain periods, relating these dynamics to...
Inspiring the Botanists of the future
Part of the goal of Plant Cuttings items is to share news of botanical research with the wider plant-minded community, the better to advertise that wonderful example of human scientific endeavour. And that’s fine for...
Degradation of chlorophyll and synthesis of flavonols during autumn senescence – the story told by individual leaves
Chlorophylls are degraded and flavonoids synthesized during autumn senescence of deciduous trees. In a recent study by Mattila et al. published in AoB PLANTS, chlorophyll and flavonol contents of individual leaves of a...
