Cellular expression of GFP in transgenic potato cells When growing plants in the field or greenhouse, one is very conscious of seasons and thinking about when to plant, cross and harvest. But as an Editor, it is the ticking of the clock to the next issue that makes the world turn! One particular pleasure is selecting […]

A recent issue of Annals of Botany highlights seven papers on the genetic basis of plant evolution and speciation.

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 not respond to a butenolide from smoke that stimulates the germination of numerous other smoke-responsive species. Thus, more than one chemical component from smoke can be involved in promotion of […]

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 is limited difference in trait plasticity between exotic invasive and native vines in leaf structural, nutrient and physiological characteristics; however, overall trait co-ordination is better in the invasives, and lower […]

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 effects of experimental defoliation on male and female reproductive traits in a natural population of Croton suberosus, a monoecious tropical shrub. They find an asymmetrical effect on reproductive components, whereby […]

Two-thirds of the energy in the food we eat comes from seeds – including wheat, rice, maize, oilseeds – and their associated storage structures as fruits. Without seeds, the direct product of sexual reproduction. providing packaged, high-energy, nutrient-rich, transportable and storable structures, life as we know it would be impossible. This week, many researchers from […]

In the Mascarenes, a young oceanic archipelago, the Dombeyoideae have extensively diversified and have evolved specific breeding systems compared to the continental species. By constructing a molecular phylogeny, Le Péchon et al. (pp. 343–357) show that the diversity of the Mascarene’s Dombeyoideae is the result of four independent colonizations from Madagascar and that dioecy is […]

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 and fruit of Capsicum frutescens at different growth stages using high-pressure flow meters and vacuum chambers, and find that the common trait of initiating functional separation of leaves and fruits […]

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 different stigma height polymorphisms among species of Nivenia, formerly considered either as monomorphic or distylous. Comparisons of the degree of reciprocity, pollen transfer and floral integration give results that are […]

Variation in mature seed size is the result of a complex array of interactions involving genes, genomes and environment that may change during development. Diggle et al. (pp. 309–319) study the dynamics of embryo and seed development in Raphanus sativus and find that there is evidence for a paternal role as well as the expected […]

The growth–differentiation balance hypothesis states that there is a physiological trade-off between growth and secondary metabolism. Cella Pizarro and Bisigato (pp. 297–307) investigate the response of six species subjected to differing water supply in terms of biomass and resource allocation. They find that drought affects growth-related processes rather than defence-related secondary metabolism or allocation, thus […]

Botanists can improve the plants that get harvested, but can they also improve what comes after?