Ecosystems
Last stand of the Saharan Cypress?
A new article in Planta attempts to help preserve a tree that has survived in the Sahara for thousands of years.
Ecosystems
Climate change threatens the first line of defence against coastal storms
When the storms come in, plants could help secure natural defences. But climate change is giving them problems of their own.
Ecosystems
Migration of plant species will not compensate for losses in diversity in a warming world
Climate is likely to change faster than many plant populations can travel, reducing biodiversity in the future.
Ecosystems
Consider alternative designs and trait integration level for better ecosystem analysis
To fully understand how an ecosystem fits together, consider how alternate designs may achieve the same end.
Ecosystems
Drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal are diverse and pervasive
Intraspecific variation in the quantity and quality of seed dispersal has important ecological and evolutionary consequences, yet it is generally ignored in favour of focussing on
Ecosystems
Resprouting potential of rhizome fragments in an invasive aquatic plant
Non-native aquatic Ludwigia species from a polyploid complex are among the world’s most problematic invasive plants. A new paper in AoBP finds out why.
Close Encounters
Even for specialists, floral morphology is influenced by both pollinators and climate
Climate can indirectly affect floral morphology within a species by affecting what pollinators will visit those flowers across its range.
Ecosystems
Effect of simulated warming on Leymus chinensis grasslands of northeast China
Mean global temperatures have risen by almost 1°C since 1850 and are predicted to continue to rise through to the end of the century. Understanding
Ecosystems
Resource allocation trade-offs in a mast-seeding conifer
Three key functions are required for the long-term persistence of tree populations in a landscape. Broadly speaking, trees must acquire and allocate resources to maintain
Ecosystems
Seedling responses to salinity of 26 Neotropical tree species
How will coastal ecosystems change when some seedling can tolerate rising tides, and others cannot?
Ecosystems
Risk-takers and risk-avoiders: germination sensitivity to water stress in an arid zone with unpredictable rainfall
How much water does it take to turn an arid land into a hotbed of new life?
Ecosystems
Thermal acclimation of plant respiration is tissue type specific
Carbon released from the land surface is one of the largest fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface, with plant