Cells, Genes & Molecules
How do plants perceive damage to themselves?
Plants use receptor proteins on the surface of their cells to recognise danger signals from pathogens. A paper recently published by Li, Wang and Mou in
Growth & Development
Spine type and resource availability affect when saplings grow their defences
For young woody plants, being eaten by large mammals is a major threat and source of sapling mortality. Some species produce spines as a form of
Close Encounters
Plants can prepare soils to give other plants protection against pests
It’s known that microbes in the soil can help plants fight pests. Now research published in New Phytologist shows that plants can be used to create anti-pest microbiomes.
Reviews
The extraordinary story of an ‘ordinary’ fruit…
The Extraordinary Story of the Apple by Barrie E. Juniper and David J. Mabberley 2019. Kew Publishing. Having recently read Robert Spengler’s Fruits from the
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Potato-associated bacteria can act as bodyguards
Bacteria found with potatoes can help protect their hosts against late blight. The aid comes from their volatile emissions.
Reviews
When broomcorn millet swept along the Silk Road…
Fruit from the sands: The Silk Road origins of the food we eat by Robert N Spengler III, 2019. University of California Press. In the UK
Ecosystems
Seedling responses to salinity of 26 Neotropical tree species
How will coastal ecosystems change when some seedling can tolerate rising tides, and others cannot?
Close Encounters
How does partnership work for a lichen in the Antarctic?
Lichens are partnerships between algae and fungi. In the Antarctic Lichens offer algae shelter against the cold, but also an uncertain future.
Uncategorized
On the Virtues of Libraries and Insightful Reviewers
Contemporary Citation Classics: Winkel-Shirley, B (2001) Flavonoid biosynthesis. A colorful model for genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, and biotechnology. Plant Physiology 126, 485-493. [1,839
Ecosystems
Risk-takers and risk-avoiders: germination sensitivity to water stress in an arid zone with unpredictable rainfall
How much water does it take to turn an arid land into a hotbed of new life?
Uncategorized
Plant Records: The plant that coordinates its colours for the occasion
It’s thought that flowers have colours to attract visitors, but it seems that’s not always the case.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Aquaporins and apoplastic barriers in nutrient-limited barley
Aquaporins can change their activity reversibly, if exposed to a change in nutrients.