How do plants occupy niches within their communities? New research shows key roles for two features: habitat filtering and limiting similarity.

Some protection from waves crashing on the shore could be found in what lies beneath the surface.

The flowers of Aquilegia eximia, the serpentine columbine, face downward, but the hummingbirds that pollinate it prefer horizontal flowers, so why do the flowers face the wrong way?

Extensins are hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins thought to strengthen the plant cell wall, one of the first barriers against pathogens, through intra- and intermolecular cross-links. The glycan moiety of extensins is believed to confer the correct structural conformation to the glycoprotein, leading to self-assembly within the cell wall that helps limit microbial adherence and invasion. However, this […]

The nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) transcription factor complex is important in plant growth, development and stress response. Information regarding this transcription factor complex is limited in cassava (Manihot esculenta). In this study, 15 MeNF-YAs, 21 MeNF-YBs and 15 MeNF-YCs were comprehensively characterized during plant defence. The regulation of MeNF-Ys in response to Xam indicated their […]

Plant roots do not sit alone in the soil. In the earth you will also find various microbes. Lurking in the dirt is Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus that colonises wheat. In a new study Hui Tian and colleagues investigated if what happened before a fungus makes contact with the wheat roots. There are […]

A coastal plant's ability to cope with temporary flooding isn't just due to its own traits. Neighbours can make a flood more, or less, tolerable.

It was thought that herbivory was more likely to aid plant invasions closer to the equator. New research shows that reality is a bit more complicated.

If you're looking for biodiversity, one good place to start is an unexpectedly harsh environment.

Future shifts in precipitation regimes and temperature are expected to affect plant traits dramatically. To date, many studies have explored the effects of acute stresses, but few have investigated the consequences of prolonged shifts in climatic conditions on plant growth and chemistry. Orians and colleagues assessed plant size and metabolite profiles on naturally occurring Plantago […]

Water limitation is an important determinant of the distribution, abundance and diversity of plant species. Yet, little is known about how the response to limiting water supply changes among closely related plant species with distinct ecological preferences. Comparison of the model annual species Arabidopsis thaliana with its close perennial relatives A. lyrata and A. halleri, […]

Quaternary glaciations strongly affected the distribution of species from arid and semi-arid environments, as temperature drops were accompanied by strong fluctuations in rainfall. In this study, Ossa and colleagues examined the response of xerophytic species to glacial cycles, determining the genetic patterns and climatic niche of Echinopsis chiloensis var. chiloensis, an endemic columnar cactus of […]