Science Shared: October 31

It's a diverse selection of papers this week. As usual, papers behind a paywall are marked 💰. Otherwise, they're free to access at time of checking.

1. Fern phloem evolution records a trend of decreasing conductivity through geological time
Fu, Z. et al. · Nature Plants · 1 post · 51 likes · 28 reposts on Bluesky

Here we substantially extend the evidence for phloem evolution by carrying out a histological investigation of phloem conducting cells, termed sieve elements, in 26 extant fern species spanning 21 families and making over 18,000 measurements.

2. Root hairs and mycorrhiza represent alternative phylogenetically conserved strategies for belowground absorptive surface maximization
Bergmann, J. et al. · New Phytologist · 2 posts · 47 likes · 17 reposts on Bluesky

Root hairs – a major structure for nutrient uptake and cheap to build – increase the absorptive root surface. As such, they are an important component of plant resource economics but largely neglected in root economic concepts so far.

3. Embryonal degreening and seed longevity require plastid
LEA
proteins
Brandt, D. et al. · New Phytologist · 2 posts · 35 likes · 20 reposts on Bluesky

By serendipity, we observed a stay‐green seed phenotype in an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lacking two LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT (LEA) proteins, LEA42 and LEA48, which we identified as the most abundant LEA proteins in seed mitochondria and plastids.

4. Out of the blue: family‐wide loss of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Cucurbitaceae
Choudhary, N., Hagedorn, M., Pucker, B. · The Plant Journal · 1 post · 37 likes · 15 reposts on Bluesky

Using a comprehensive collection of 258 datasets representing 183 unique species across all 15 tribes of Cucurbitaceae, along with a phylogenomics approach, we observed a systematic absence of genes involved in anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis.

5. Elucidating and exploring specialised plant metabolism through a pangenomic and pantranscriptomic lens
Choudhary, N. et al. · The Plant Journal · 1 post · 20 likes · 11 reposts on Bluesky

In this review, we provide an introduction into the current state of the fields of pangenomics and pantranscriptomics and highlight recent examples on how these approaches have been used to elucidate and investigate specialised metabolic pathways in plants.

6. Bending and squeezing: gradual electric potentials encode mechanical stimuli in poplar
Tinturier, E. et al. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 15 likes · 9 reposts on Bluesky

We identified a gradual potential (GP), distinct from classical action potentials, whose attenuation and propagation distance depend strongly on stimulus speed and intensity.

7. Phytohormonal networks and thermomemory in plant heat stress tolerance: From mechanistic integration to precision engineering
Raza, A. et al. · Plant Physiology · 1 post · 14 likes · 8 reposts on Bluesky

This review provides a mechanism-oriented synthesis of how major phytohormones coordinate heat tolerance adaptation.

8. Frenemies forever: when parasitic fungi become an insect's secret weapon
Wendrix, R., Coolen, S. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 13 likes · 8 reposts on Bluesky

Since yeast and fungal insect symbionts are understudied in comparison to bacterial symbionts, this Tansley Insight explores their role in insect–plant interactions.

9. Nitric oxide-associated protein 1-like (SlNOA1) suppresses dark-induced leaf senescence in tomato, a process dynamically modulated by SlNAP2 and the ABA–PYLs pathway
Liu, Z. et al. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 13 likes · 7 reposts on Bluesky

In this study, we identified NO-associated protein 1-like (SlNOA1), a chloroplast-localized protein in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) that contains a GTP-binding domain (G-CP domain) and belongs to the circularly permuted GTPase superfamily.

Journal of Experimental Botany @jxbotany.bsky.social · on Bluesky

The tomato chloroplast protein SlNOA1 is a negative regulator of senescence, and the transcription factor SlNAP2 suppresses its expression, which is regulated by ABA through binding of ABA receptor PYL4 - Liu et al. doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

View on Bluesky →

10. Canopy‐scale VPD reduction in a mature forest alters stomatal response to soil drought in Pinus sylvestris L.
Bortolami, G. et al. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 15 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

We investigated how c. 130‐yr‐old trees respond to coupled soil and atmospheric drought with a rainfall and VPD manipulation in an unmanaged forest.

11. Combining a high-caliber chromosome-level genome and root single-cell atlas resolves genetic diversity and root development in Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Hu, W. et al. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 13 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

To explore its genomic and cellular underpinnings for potential breeding applications, a chromosome-scale genome assembly and a root-specific single-cell atlas of O. europaea subsp. cuspidata was resolved.

12. The ga3ox1b mutation reveals the crosstalk between gibberellin and other phytohormones in controlling the growth and development of female flowers in Cucurbita pepo
Gautam, K. et al. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 8 likes · 7 reposts on Bluesky

Our findings establish that gibberellin (GA) drives the divergent development of female and male flowers. We characterize a loss-of-function mutation in the GA biosynthetic gene CpGA3ox1B that causes GA deficiency in various organs.

13. Cytokinin regulates flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana through the gibberellin pathway
Werner, S. et al. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 10 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

In this work, we show that exogenous treatment of late-flowering or non-flowering cytokinin mutants by gibberellin restores their ability to flower.

14. A single amino‐acid switch reprograms ROP6signaling to drive functional evolution in plants
Zhang, L. et al. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 9 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

Here, we reveal that a single amino‐acid substitution at residue 194 acts as a core determinant, driving the evolutionary split between Brassicaceae and Malvaceae ROP6 orthologs.

15. Orchestral maneuvers: integrated cytokinin and gibberellin signals regulate flowering
Johnston, G. A., Argueso, C. T. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 11 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky

This article comments on: Werner S, Bartrina I, Tarkowská D, Werner T, Schmülling T. 2026. Cytokinin regulates flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana through the gibberellin pathway. Journal of Experimental Botany 77, 6510–6521. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag284

16. A natural allele of TaSCE1-A1 confers drought resistance in wheat
Yang, Q. et al. · Nature Plants · 1 post · 5 likes · 7 reposts on Bluesky

Here we identify TaSCE1-A1, which encodes a SUMO-conjugating enzyme, as a positive regulator of drought resistance through genome-wide association studies.

17. Comparative genomics of dark septate endophytes: shedding light on the enigmatic lifestyle and biology of
DSEs
Csíkos, S. et al. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 11 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky

We investigated their genomic traits, sexual reproduction signatures, carbohydrate‐active enzyme (CAZyme) and secondary metabolites profiles, and tested whether genomic features distinguish DSEs and other endophytes from fungi with other lifestyles.

18. Navigating evidence synthesis in applied ecology
Martin, P. A. et al. · Journal of Applied Ecology · 1 post · 6 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

Synthesis methods are increasingly used, but many studies fail to implement them robustly. In our experience as journal editors, many authors, reviewers and editors struggle to navigate these methods effectively. To address this, we provide practical guidance for authors, setting out key design expectations and common problems to avoid.

19. Disentangling atmospheric and soil drought: a new stand‐level manipulation approach for mature forests
Schaub, M. et al. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 18 likes · 2 reposts on Bluesky

We established a factorial field manipulation in a c. 130‐yr‐old Pinus sylvestris forest that independently modifies canopy VPD and soil water input using fine‐mist VPD reduction, irrigation (+600 mm), and throughfall exclusion (−50% precipitation).

20. Systematic mapping of monitoring and evaluation in rewilding
Pates, N. J. et al. · Conservation Biology · 1 post · 8 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky

To address this gap, we developed a systematic map of a unique dataset combining academic and gray literature on monitoring and evaluation in rewilding case studies.

Cover image: Halloween pumpkin in Liseberg. Photo by Fuliyehuanshi (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).