Ecosystems
Woolly, cushion, rosette: drivers of diversity in the alpine Saussurea genus
What are the mechanisms driving speciation and adaptative evolution in Saussurea, a highly diverse genus of alpine herbaceous plants?
Close Encounters
Global warming will limit opportunities for a sexually-deceptive orchid
Leporella fimbriata, the Hare Orchid, relies upon one species for pollination. A new study by Marta Kolanowska and colleagues in Czechia and Poland has looked at
Growth & Development
The trade-off between stem biomechanics and hydraulics in Bauhinia lianas and trees
Within the Bauhinia genus is there a trade off between stem strength and hydraulic efficiency?
Taxonomy & Evolution
No need for orchids: mycorrhizal fungi do not depend on their hosts in Australia
Several fungi had distributions extending into central and northern parts of the continent, illustrating their tolerance of an extraordinarily wide range of environmental conditions.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Where Have All The Good Men Gone? Don’t Despair – Make Some Yourself (That’s What Plants Do..)
Observed rates of evolution in the experiment were among the highest yet recorded.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Plant chemicals are more important in carnivory than previously thought
Plant carnivory, at the metabolic level, likely evolved from at least two distinct functions–attraction and defence.
Close Encounters
Kentucky crayfish aids plant on the run
What looks like a pile of mud to a human is an oasis to a dwarf sundew
Taxonomy & Evolution
Variation between alpine and coastal populations of Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Can changes in ploidy level explain why certain Arctic and alpine species are able to survive at lower latitudes and elevations?
Cells, Genes & Molecules
The reason domesticated lentils are fussy about their lighting is in their genes
A comparison with wild lentils highlights how gene expression varies when light shifts from red to near infra-red light.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Plants can become less uniform by duplicating their genome
Though the experiment was limited to two genotypes of a single species, these findings support the idea that whole genome duplication can indeed increase plasticity.
Close Encounters
Take away the deer and more subtle effects on plant communities become apparent
A twenty-year survey in western Canada shows how deer can obscure other ecological effects in forests.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Estimates of leaf size set to get closer to reality
A one-size-fits-all estimate of leaf area has drawbacks if not all your leaves are the same shape.