The largest natural feature on Earth is the Pacific Ocean, which covers over one-third of our planet’s surface. Despite its extent, the historical biogeography of many lineages ­– of both terrestrial and marine ocean habitats – remains poorly investigated. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS and designated as an Editor’s Choice, Cantley et […]

Epiphytes are an important component of tropical and subtropical flora, and serve vital ecological functions in forest hydrology and nutrient fluxes...

Topographically complex landscapes exhibit large variations in climate. This climate heterogeneity has been linked to high biodiversity and may enable species persistence with a changing climate. However, it is unclear how woody vegetation composition responds to climate heterogeneity defined by multiple climate variables at topographic scales of 10–100s of metres. In a recent study published […]

Fungal endophytes colonize living internal plant tissues without causing any visible symptoms of disease. Endophytic fungi associated with healthy leaves of the South American tree Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae) appear to play an important role in host protection in nature. A recent study published in AoB PLANTS by González-Teuber showed that a few common taxa dominated […]

Metapopulations are a central concept in ecology and conservation biology, however estimating key parameters such as colonization rates presents a substantial obstacle to modeling metapopulations in many species. In a new study published in AoB PLANTS and designated as an Editor’s Choice paper, Charney and Record used 30 years of data monitoring the federally endangered […]

Despite their recognised ecological value, relatively little is known about the nutritional value of species-rich rangelands for herbivores. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Bumb et al. investigated the sources of variation in forage quality in plants from species-rich Mediterranean rangelands in southern France. Digestibility was affected by species growth form, harvest date, […]

The monitoring of biodiversity has focused mainly on the species level. However, researchers and land managers are making increasing use of complementary assessment tools that address higher levels of biological organisation, i.e. communities, habitats and ecosystems. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Del Vecchio et al. evaluated the variation in vegetation features such […]

Nectar-foraging pollinators respond flexibly to the reward condition of floral patches. In a new study published in AoB PLANTS, Nakamura and Kudo compared foraging behaviours of bumblebees between naturally rewarding and artificially rewardless (i.e., nectary removed) patches in aconite populations, with the aim of evaluating the effects of an unrewarding experience. They found that bees […]

Florivory, or damage to flowers by herbivores, can make flowers less attractive to pollinators, potentially resulting in reduced plant fitness. However, few studies have combined observations with experiments to assess the causal link between florivory and pollination. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Tsuji et al. conducted field observations and experiments to study […]

Species that are restricted to specialized, rare habitats, such as Myristica fatua (a swamp specialist tree), cannot afford to send propagules too far and risk arriving in inhospitable habitats. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Krishna and Somanathan followed the fate of seeds from fruiting till seedling establishment to examine the ecological strategies […]

Co-flowering species may undergo interspecific hybridization if they are closely related and share pollinators. However, a series of reproductive barriers between species can prevent interspecific gene flow, making natural hybridization a transient, rare event. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Zhang et al. evaluated interspecific hybridization and potential isolating barriers between co-flowering Silene […]

Interest in the thermal acclimation of photosynthesis has been stimulated by the increasing relevance of climate change. However, little is known about intra-specific variations in thermal acclimation and its potential for breeding. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Zaka et al. analysed intra-specific variations in the thermal acclimation of photosynthesis in a perennial […]