The relationship between plant carbon economy and drought responses of co-occurring woody species can be assessed by comparing carbohydrate (C) dynamics following drought and rain periods, relating these dynamics to species’ functional traits. Lloret et al. studied nine woody species coexisting in a continental Mediterranean shrubland that experienced severe drought effects followed by rain. The […]

Some polyploid species show enhanced physiological tolerance to drought compared with their progenitors. However, very few studies have examined the consistency of physiological drought response between genetically differentiated natural polyploid populations, which is key to evaluating the importance of adaptive evolution after polyploidization in those systems where drought exerts a selective pressure. Martínez et al. […]

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a well-studied phytohormone known to be involved in sub-sets of stress responses in plants, such as iron (Fe) deficiency and phosphorus (P) deficiency in Arabidopsis. However, whether ABA is involved in P deficiency in rice has not frequently been studied. Zhu et al. decided to investigate the mechanism underlying ABA-aggravated P […]

In rosette-forming plants, rosette leaves locate near the ground, and their upper surfaces are exposed, whereas the opposite surfaces are more exposed for leaves on flowering stems.

Guests in flowers can make a location more attractive - or can put off pollinators from visiting.

Can more water efficient photosynthesis be induced in plants? Montero and colleagues find Talinum triangulare can switch on CAM photosynthesis.

Wind-pollinated plants rely on the same breezes to deliver pollen. If the problem's the same for all of them, why do conifers have different shaped cones to catch pollen?

The smaller a plant's genome, the more likely it is to be invasive? Or so it was thought but newer techniques are casting some doubt on the idea.

Cultivar mixtures have an important role to play in reducing the propagation of diseases, as is evident from the well-documented results of growing mixtures of cultivars from plants that exhibit different levels of susceptibility to certain pathogens. Although architectural characteristics of cultivars are little considered in mixture design, they could have an effect on disease, […]

Capsella is a model genus for studying the transition from outcrossing to selfing, with or without change in ploidy levels. The genomic consequences and changes in reproductive traits (selfing syndrome) associated with these shifts have been studied in depth. However, potential ecological divergence among species of the genus has not been determined. Among ecological traits, […]

Vuosku and colleagues find an evolutionarily old gymnosperm, Scots pine, has a bifunctional SPDS able to produce both Spd and Spm, while angiosperms seem to depend on separate enzymes in Spd and Spm biosynthesis.

How do tree growth rings, species and climate interact? A study into xylogenesis in Annals of Botany takes a closer look.