Growth & Development
South African Succulents Predict Weather to Maximise Pollination Success
Bulbine frutescens keeps track of temperatures so it’s ready for passing pollinators.
Growth & Development
How the Leaf Architecture of Desert Plants Impacts Their Survival Against Herbivory
A recent study reveals that specific leaf traits, such as vein architecture and mechanical properties, play a crucial role in helping desert plants withstand herbivory damage.
Growth & Development
Wildfires Stimulate Flower Power in Prairie Plants
A new study found that wildfires increased flower and seed production in two prairie plant species, but not a related species, highlighting how plant responses to fire can vary and impact the broader plant community.
Growth & Development
How Do Grapevine Leaves Adapt to Light? New Research Sheds Light on Plant Anatomy
Researchers have developed a new theoretical framework to understand how grapevine leaves adjust their structure and function under varying light conditions, revealing that thicker, less porous leaves with specific cell shapes are key to maximizing photosynthesis in high light environments.
Growth & Development
Thinning Chinese Pine Plantations Could Be a Solution for Improved Plant Diversity and Forest Regeneration
The best way to rejuvenate forests is to let in a little light – but not too much.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
What drives cambium development?
Using a mathematical model to test a proposed cambial cell division feedback loop.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Unlocking the secret to breeding high yielding protein-rich wheat
Models enable the optimization of multiple trait trade-offs.
Cells, Genes & Molecules
Feral Crops: The Untapped Potential to Boost Food Security Amid Climate Change
Scientists are exploring a new way to improve food security in the face of climate change by studying “feral crops” – wild plants that have escaped cultivation and continue to thrive without human intervention.
Growth & Development
Clonal Plants Use Smart Connections to Boost Resistance Against Hungry Insects
Plants that can reproduce by cloning themselves can share resources and signals to resist herbivores. Clones can change the structure of their leaves according to herbivore stress through the connections between them.
Growth & Development
What lies beneath? Botanists find a disconnection between how plants behave above and below ground.
Do plants invest more in a live-fast and die-young strategy, or take it slow and steady? Botanists have found that the appearance above the ground might not reflect what’s happening in the roots.
Ecosystems
Missing seed data from the tropics could be harming conservation efforts
Visscher and colleagues propose that global analyses of seed traits with evidence for geographical variation prioritize the generation of new data from tropical regions as well as multi-lingual searches to fill geographical and taxonomic gaps.
Growth & Development
Why would a flower change its shape?
Bilateral flowers tend to receive less pollen than radial flowers, so why would a plant want a bilateral flower?