AoB PLANTS
Plant establishment on unirrigated green roof modules in a subtropical climate
How useful is environmentally-friendly green roof technology in hostile climates?
Uncategorized
DNA tests, horse meat, Richard III and BBC Radio Leicester Drive Time
DNA testing is an important part of our life now – as we have seen with proving that a skeleton in Leicester comes from the body of
annals-of-botany
Seasonal and inter-annual bud development in oak species
In trees, bud development is driven by endogenous and exogenous factors such as species and climate, respectively. Alla et al. study bud enlargement and secondary growth
Plant Cuttings
Fire
Picking up on my elemental theme, fire has long been considered a major influence on evolution of the angiosperms, whether natural or anthropogenic conflagrations. This incendiary
Plant Cuttings
Humour me…
Many of the Ancients believed that all things were composed of four ‘elements’ – earth, fire, air and water. Although we generally ‘believe’ differently today (after all,
Plant Cuttings
Earth
As any self-respecting Frenchman (i.e. those who remain citizens of France and who pay their taxes) will tell you, the basis of a good
Uncategorized
Real education with virtual materials
This paper, just published in the Journal of Biological Education, strikes me as having a lot of potential. The method would also be appropriate for online
annals-of-botany
Sterile flowers promote female reproductive success
Large floral displays attract pollinators but can also promote among-flower self-pollination (geitonogamy). Morales et al. assess the effects of the presence of sterile flowers
annals-of-botany
Digestive mutualism of a protocarnivorous plant
The protocarnivorous plant Paepalanthus bromelioides (Eriocaulaceae) has a rosette-like structure commonly inhabited by predators such as spiders, whilst their roots are wrapped by a cylindrical
Plant Cuttings
Phytonumeracy
Echoing a plea from Ron Milo and Robert Last that computational methods [which is sort of ‘math(s)’…] should be used to gain deeper understanding of
annals-of-botany
Prediction of mixed-species litter decomposition
The complex dynamics of interacting biological organisms that form ecological systems make predictions of processes difficult and often imprecise. In this context, Tardif and Shipley explore
Plant Cuttings
Current research in sweet potato…
Although some way removed from the manic antics of an ambitious medic named Dr Frankenstein (the sort of Creationist who gives ‘Intelligent Design’ a bad name…