News in Brief
Phylogenetics seeks to explain the relationships between organisms today, effectively drawing up a phylogeny, like a family tree. That means pulling together information on the past
Plant Cuttings
The cut flower industry – wherein stems of intact growing flowering plants are removed, and transported from their place of growth to a place of purchase by
annals-of-botany
How good are trees at directing their stems to the sky and how do they do it? Scientists in Japan and Bangladesh have been finding out, by changing which way is up.
News in Brief
When two different genomes come together in a hybrid or polyploid, it can trigger conflict in the new genome. A review in New Phytologist investigates how one subgenome can become dominant.
News in Brief
Is there a better way to control pests than spraying chemicals? Keeping a non-crop habitat nearby can help shelter predators, but new research shows the correlation between conservation and pest-control isn’t simple.
Growth & Development
We all love fresh herbs for cooking – but are they sustainable? Latest research shows that the water footprint of potted herbs can be reduced and at the same time, flavour and quality improved
annals-of-botany
Beauvoit and colleagues argue the metabolic processes in fruits are similar enough to make understanding primary metabolism a useful way to improve fruit quality.
Close Encounters
It was thought that carnivorous plants put their flowers well away from their traps to avoid catching pollinators. Research from Asia suggests that something more complex could be happening.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
A new paper in Science highlights how variation in an environment can mean plants have no single solution for survival. Where conditions change, genetic diversity can be the best option for a species.
AoB PLANTS
Seed dormancy status regulates the response of seeds to environmental cues that can trigger germination. Anigozanthos flavidus (Haemodoraceae) produces seeds with morphophysiological dormancy that are known
Reviews
The Biostats Booklist is a crowdsourced list of statistics resources for biologists by biologists. Anyone is welcome to add their own recommendations to the list, be
AoB PLANTS
Flowering time is shifting with climate change. Pollinators may respond differently to changes in temperature and moisture than the flowers they visit, resulting in a phenological