News in Brief
Endangered plant stands on the shoulders of midgets
A plant’s survival in the location can depend on the microscopic life in the soil.
AoB PLANTS
The defensive benefit and flower number cost of selenium accumulation in Brassica juncea
Selenium is an essential element for animal health, but it can be also be toxic in high concentrations. Plants are known to exploit this by storing
News in Brief
The parasitic plant Cuscuta sets up barriers to some minerals when infecting a host
If the parasitic plant dodder taps its host with a straw, then it’s a specialised straw than can filter out some nutrients that the plant isn’t using.
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How fire may burn forests into scrubland
Forests that have coped with fires in the past may struggle to regenerate as climate change increases aridity in the Mediterranean Basin.
annals-of-botany
How do mangrove forests recover from cyclones?
What happens when cyclones hit mangroves? What happens when there are repeated impacts? Ken Krauss and Michael Osland have been looking at the scientific research to find out.
News in Brief
Adaptability is not always positive for plants tackling climate change
Becoming an early flowering plant may be a problem if your pollinators are asleep and your herbivores are not.
AoB PLANTS
The total dispersal kernel: a review and future directions
The distribution and abundance of plants across the world depends in part on their ability to move, which is commonly characterized by a dispersal kernel (a
annals-of-botany
The best way to grow strong upright rose stems is to bend them over
Bending rose stems dramatically increases photosynthesis.
AoB PLANTS
Accurate position exchange of stamen and stigma resolves the herkogamy dilemma in a protandrous plant, Ajuga decumbens (Labiatae)
Spatial separation of stamen and stigma (herkogamy) is an effective way for angiosperm species to reduce sexual interference and prevent self-pollination. It can however also
News in Brief
The shape of leaves may be a defence against weevil attack
It’s not just taste and texture. One weevil may be using origami to find the best home for its offspring.
annals-of-botany
Flowers evolve to balance the risks and rewards of self-pollination
The longer a plant waits to self-pollinate, the longer it has to attract pollen from outside. But waiting too long can have consequences.
News in Brief
One way to kill a dangerous pest could be to encourage it to grow
Striga is a parastic plant that lurks beneath the soil waiting to strike another plant root. Strangely it might be more effective to control the weed by making it germinate, than try to keep it dormant.