Leaf size is extremely variable among species and the reasons for this are still not fully understood. Milla & Reich analyse how leaf size reduction with increasing altitude is modulated by variation in traits that are functionally related to leaf size, and by phylogenetic relatedness. Using structural equation modelling, they find that trait interactions are more important than phylogeny or environmental differences among sites when accounting for variations in leaf size.
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Plants have evolved the ability to germinate in salty soils multiple times, in a case of convergent evolution
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Fossils of Eocene palm trees near the Arctic Circle reveal a heated past
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Longer cones and a clockwise spiral lead to tighter seed packing in a Jurassic conifer
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