Reviews
This plant book is amazing
A book that considers not only how plants have nourished the body, but also the soul.
Close Encounters
Hawkmoths prefer for the young to eat with the competition
Food is critical for larvae development, so a good insect should lay her eggs away from other competition for food. That’s why scientists were surprised that female hawkmoths chose plants hosting competitors when laying eggs.
Growth & Development
Control genético de la altura y del número de ramas de Brassica napus en condiciones bajas de fósforo
Genes candidatos y haplotipos favorables pueden facilitar los esfuerzos de mejoramiento basado en marcadores para mejorar la eficiencia del uso de fósforo en B. napus.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Morphological characterisation of trichomes
Can we use electron microscopy and statistical analyses to better classify the trichomes of the large plant genus Solanum?
Growth & Development
It’s far from certain that peat bogs can continue absorbing carbon dioxide at current rates
A common claim is that rising carbon dioxide is actually good for plants. Research from Sweden shows that reality is more complicated.
Growth & Development
Why are there no Arctic mangroves?
Research from Japan reveals that mangroves can’t cope with cold feet.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
What does chlorophyll leave behind after a billion years?
Scientists have identified one of the earliest multicellular algae. Their new method could help unlock much more information from Precambrian fossils.
Close Encounters
Herbivores can cause dioecious plants to partly swap sex
Rather than inherently being ‘male’ or ‘female’, Mercurialis annua can produce flowers as a plastic response to its environment.
Ecosystems
Roles of wood anatomical traits in the coexistence of Mexican oak species
Can wood anatomical traits of oak species explain their coexistence along environmental gradients in the mountains of Mexico?
Plants & People
Resilience of crops confirms that drought alone did not cause a ‘collapse’ in Mayan civilisation
In the 800s, Mayan cities in southeastern Mexico and Central America were abandoned – just as drought hit the region. But a botanical study shows that the connection between drought and depopulation was not simple.
Computational Models
Measuring the hidden phenotype using novel mathematical techniques
A new study quantifies the shape of barley seeds using topological methods.
Computational Models
Midiendo el fenotipo oculto con técnicas matemáticas novedosas
Un nuevo estudio cuantifica la forma de las semillas de cebada utilizando métodos topológicos.