annals-of-botany
Seagrasses cheat on sex!
Survival at geographic range edges, where organisms are often at the limits of their physiological tolerances, can trigger unusual responses in reproduction. Sinclair et al. describe
annals-of-botany
Selenium accumulation by plants
Selenium is not required by plants, but is an essential mineral element for animal nutrition. In excess, it can be harmful to both plants and animals.
annals-of-botany
Relationships between two methods to assess leaf mechanical resistance (Technical Article)
The influence of leaf mechanical properties on local ecosystem processes has resulted in a growing interest in including leaf mechanical resistance in large-scale databases of
annals-of-botany
Aridity-related stomatal differences in a South African shrub
Plants in arid environments often have predictably different phenotypes than those in moist environments. Within species, such trait–environment associations could indicate local adaptation, yet supporting
annals-of-botany
Elevated CO2 reduces nitrate inhibition of N2 fixation in Pisum
Additional carbohydrate supply resulting from enhanced photosynthesis under predicted future elevated CO2 is likely to increase symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes. Butterly et al. use free-
annals-of-botany
Demographic consequences of genetic variation for a plant invasion
Genetic variation may play an important role in plant population fitness and invasion success. Li et al. combine genetic analysis and demographic data to investigate the
annals-of-botany
Ecophysiology of recalcitrant seed persistence
Dominant tree species in northern temperate forests, for example oak and beech, produce desiccation-sensitive seeds. Despite the potentially major influence of this functional trait on
annals-of-botany
Embryonic moss sporophytes can be hardened to desiccation tolerance
Embryos of the moss Aloina ambigua are inducibly desiccation tolerant (DT), requiring a slow-dry period to confer tolerance to air-dryness. Hardening to DT describes
annals-of-botany
Differential pollen placement increases pollination efficiency
Plant species that share pollinators are potentially subject to non-adaptive interspecific pollen transfer, resulting in reduced reproductive success. Mechanisms that increase pollination efficiency between conspecific individuals are therefore highly beneficial.
annals-of-botany
Water stress acclimation in xeric but not riparian Eucalyptus
Experimental drought is well documented to induce a decline in photosynthetic capacity. However, if given time to acclimate to low water availability, the photosynthetic responses of
annals-of-botany
Multiple origins of dwarf shrubs on the African high mountains
Alpine and arctic environments worldwide, including high mountains, are dominated by short-stature woody plants (dwarf shrubs). This conspicuous life form asserts considerable influence on local
annals-of-botany
Geographic distribution of the two cytotypes of Alnus glutinosa in Europe
Polyploidy in plants has been studied extensively. In many groups, two or more cytotypes represent separate biological entities with distinct distributions, histories and ecology. Mandák et