Apomixis in angiosperms is associated with polyploidy and hybridity. In Paspalum rufum, some sexual diploids show apomixis potential. As apomixis seems to derive from a deregulation of the sexual pathway, Soliman et al. carried out a comparison of the reproductive developments and apospory initials (AIs) emergence between diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. Cytoembryological observations evidence reproductive […]

Like positive effects of species diversity, genetic diversity may have strong positive effects on agricultural ecosystems and positively influence production and species abundances in multispecies covers. But the effects of genetic diversity have not been much studied. Meilhac et al. study five species mixtures in temporary grasslands that differ by levels of genetic diversity. For […]

Sometimes the best strategy for a young plant is not the same as the best strategy for an old plant. Some heteroblastic plants can switch how they grow but what triggers this?

The widely distributed Cystopteris fragilis brittle bladder-fern, complex is a challenging system for studying polyploid evolution, cytotype diversity, distribution and ecology. Hanušová et al. screen cytotypes over the global range of the species: common and widespread tetraploids and hexaploids coexist, with 40% mixed-ploidy populations. High ploidy-level diversity matches the well-documented patterns in some angiosperms. The […]

Water-impermeable seeds have structures (“water gaps” or lens in legumes) for detecting environmental cues that cause them to become water-permeable (nondormant). Physical dormancy is common in legume species, whose seeds may have a visibly-demarcated structure called the pleurogram. Rodrigues-Junior et al. update the occurrence of the pleurogram in plant taxa and show for the first […]

Locally adapted landraces provide unique genetic resources to raise grain yields in poorly-fertile marginal soils. Schmidt et al. evaluate the tolerance to manganese deficiency for a population of genetically diverse European barley landraces and modern elite cultivars. A subgroup of Scottish barley landraces demonstrated superior capacity to acquire and allocate manganese to the shoot. These […]

We might think of flowers in terms of their colour and scent, but what about their temperature? A new review in Annals of Botany looks at the thermal ecology of flowers. In the paper Casper van der Kooi and colleagues explore how flowers manipulate their temperature. Being able to raise or organs in the flower […]

A Bud Bank is not just a Seed Bank in a different form. It can affect populations of plants in a considerably different way.

Plants sometimes specialise. Catering for a specific partner can ensure a reliable source of food or pollination. At the same time, relying on that partner limits your adaptability. A new study by Guo and colleagues, A symbiotic balancing act: arbuscular mycorrhizal specificity and specialist fungus gnat pollination in the mycoheterotrophic genus Thismia (Thismiaceae), looks at […]

What is life like in a lake? Is it much like life on the shore, but wetter? Or are the environmental challenges significantly different?

A water-impermeable testa may act as a barrier to seed imbibition, imposing dormancy. Janská et al. test six pea accessions of contrasting dormancy type for their ability to imbibe. The strophiole is identified as the major site for the water entry into non-dormant seed, while in dormant seeds water uptake is distributed, rather than localized. […]

How long can a genebank keep seeds? New research looks into the variability of seed longevity in Indica rice.