Growth & Development
Will the first artificial intelligence by inspired by plants?
I didn’t pick this up straight away from TED as I hadn’t watched it. I’ve not heard of plant neurobiology before.* After the…
Growth & Development
Almond flowering problem in Australia
This year’s almond crop in Australia, particularly the Nonpareil variety, experienced unusually light and patchy flowering. The cause of this issue, which may be related to premature defoliation from rust last harvest, is unclear.
Growth & Development
Modelling root development with signalling control (PMA Special Issue)
Modelling root development with signalling control There are two major challenges for using functional–structural modelling to study autoregulation of nodulation: reconstruction of legume root architecture
Growth & Development
Floral form and ontogeny of Annonaceae
Floral form and ontogeny of Annonaceae Annonaceae are a remarkably diverse family of Magnoliales. Xu and Ronse De Craene investigate the floral development of 15 species
Growth & Development
Floral synorganisation without fusion in Geranium
Floral synorganisation without fusion in Geranium Flowers of Geranium robertianum (Geraniaceae) are salverform with five separate accesses for pollinators to the nectar. Endress shows that each
Growth & Development
Evolution of long scapes in Drosera
Evolution of long scapes in Drosera Conventional wisdom is that long scapes in insectivorous plants have evolved to provide spatial separation between flowers and traps, preventing
Growth & Development
Germination stimulation by smoke but not by a butenolide
Tersonia cyathiflora (Gyrostemonaceae) is a fire ephemeral with an obligate requirement for smoke to germinate. Downes et al. (pp. 381–384) find that this species does
Growth & Development
Leaf functional traits of invasive and native woody vines
Success of invasive plant species is thought to be linked with their higher leaf carbon fixation strategy. Osunkoya et al. (pp. 371–380) show that there
Growth & Development
Effects of defoliation on a monoecious plant
Monoecy is a relatively flexible sexual system that can be advantageous against environmental stresses such as leaf herbivory. Narbona and Dirzo (pp. 359–369) examine the
Growth & Development
Hydraulic connections in leaves and fruit of pepper
Are there similarities in changes in xylem functionality between maturing fruit and abscising leaves? Trifilò et al. (pp. 333–341) make simultaneous hydraulic measurements on leaves
Close Encounters
Carnivorous plants prefer to kill in broad daylight
Digesting meat takes energy, and you don’t get that from meat if you’re a plant.
Growth & Development
Style polymorphism in Nivenia (Iridaceae)
Heterostyly is widely distributed among the angiosperms, but detailed studies are limited to few taxonomic groups. Sánchez et al. (pp. 321–331) ascertain the presence of