Diverse breeding systems have evolved in angiosperms from the bisexual flowers of their last common ancestor. However, breeding system evolution remains poorly understood in many plant families, including the Moraceae (figs and mulberries). In this paper, Zhang et al. address these questions using a state-of-the-art new dated phylogeny for Moraceae and, for the first time, […]

Submergence is a severe stress for most plants. Striker et al. assess tolerances of partial and full submergence for fifteen accessions of Melilotus siculus (Fabaceae). Traits differing among accessions and associated with tolerance were leaflet gas film thickness upon submergence, gas-filled spaces in petioles and aerenchymatous phellem near the base of the main root. All […]

One major and long-standing controversy in conifer evolution concerns the phylogenetic relationships in the subfamily Cupressoideae (Cupressaceae) between Juniperus, Cupressus and the Hesperocyparis-Callitropsis-Xanthocyparis (HCX) clade. Mao et al. reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships using transcriptome data. All tree-building methods lend strong support for the relationship (HCX, (Juniperus, Cupressus)), despite strongly supported conflicts among individual gene trees. […]

Although plant reproductive structures are incredibly diverse overall, unrelated groups can show strong convergence in specific forms. Bonacorsi and Leslie use lycopsids, an ancient lineage with relatively simple reproductive biology, to test if such convergence results from performing a limited suite of functions, which leads to a reduced set of morphological solutions. Multivariate analyses of […]

The ovule-bearing organs of the yew family Taxaceae differ from typical conifer seed-cones in possessing a fleshy structure surrounding the ovule/seed, which is variously interpreted either as an aril or a sarcotesta. Based on examination of anomalous teratological seed cones of Pseudotaxus and comparison with wild-type cones of both Pseudotaxus and Taxus, Dörken et al. […]

The asterids (>80 000 living species) appear in the fossil record with considerable diversity during the Late Cretaceous (~90 Ma) and are strongly represented by Cornales (order of dogwoods). These early cornaleans have been reported from sites in Western North America and Eastern Asia. In this study, Atkinson et al. characterize a new cornalean species, […]

Soil acidity and climate change threaten future food production. Dong et al. investigate the effects of free-air CO2 enrichment (550 vs. 400 µmol mol-1) on plant growth and yield of hexaploid wheat lines differing in Al3+-resistance. Elevated CO2 increased the grain yield of lines carrying the TaMATE1B (22%) and TaALMT1 (31%) Al3+-resistance genes, but did not increase the grain yield of Al3+-sensitive lines. […]

Salt has been shown to affect cadmium (Cd) translocation and accumulation in plants, but the associated mechanisms are unclear. Cheng et al. report a hydroponic experiment to examine the effects of salt type and concentration on Cd uptake, translocation and accumulation in the halophyte Carpobrotus rossii, Aizoaceae. The accumulation of peptides and organic acids were […]

Leaf economics traits are central in understanding and predicting the effects of plant biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. Using soybean (Glycine max) – one of the world’s most widespread crops, Hayes et al. show that leaf economics traits also differ widely among crops of the same genotype. Differences in soy leaf traits among plants can be […]

Substantial evidence supports morpho-physiological dormancy (MPD) as the basal kind of seed dormancy in flowering plants. However, for seeds of waterlilies (Nymphaea, Nymphaeaceae), only physiological dormancy (PD) is reported. Dalziell et al. determine seed dormancy and germination traits for six tropical Australian species of Nymphaea. Mature seeds of all species were dormant. Embryos in N. […]

Rice blast, caused by the pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is the most important fungal disease of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa). Salvador-Guirao et al. investigate the contribution of DCL1, the core component for microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis in rice immunity. OsDCL1a activation enhances susceptibility to M. oryzae. Main features of dcl1a-activation in rice plants include the misregulation of […]

The evolutionary success of orchid family is driven by its extraordinary adaptation. Chalcone synthase (CHS) gene encodes the key enzyme for biosynthesis of flavonoids, secondary metabolites important for plant adaptation. Kuo et al. report the first chromosome-scale study of CHS genes in Phalaenopsis orchids. Five paralogous CHS genes identified from Ph. aphrodite transcriptomic datasets were […]