Whilst incorporation of essential elements into the body of the plant is undoubtedly important for and to the wellbeing of the plant, their presence in those green organisms constitutes a major source of elements that are also essential for animals that ingest plant matter. Consequently, plants provide an important source of elemental nutrition for us, […]

Calcium (Ca) acts – amongst other things! – as a so-called ‘second messenger’, and participates in many processes of plant growth and development.

The presence of sulfur in seagrasses and coral can indicate stresses caused by oxygen-poor areas of the ocean floor, and global warming.

There are plant biology journals that seem to concentrate on a single taxon (you know the ones I mean!) – e.g. The Plant Journal and The Plant Cell. There are others devoted to the molecular biology of plants, such as the aptly named Plant Molecular Biology, and to plant physiology, e.g. Plant Physiology. And all do good […]

Roots generally absorb water from the soil and transport it above ground to the stem, branches, etc. Where the soil is too dry for water to be absorbed by the roots, the roots might actually lose water to the soil and risk being damaged if that situation persists. However, in some arid conditions where upper […]

The Scientist, as a general science news item site, occasionally features plant-related items, but it has surpassed itself with its January 2014 collection.

A revelation concerning amber-encased plant material suggests current sexual reproduction in angiosperms may have changed little in over 100 million years.

Richard Flavell promotes the view that observation-driven studies have a place in science.

Scientific names of plants are a great way to study geography, history, births of nations, or any other aspect of world knowledge.

Plants are remarkably sensitive to their environment, responding by appropriate growth and development to a wide range of environmental stimuli. In the case of gravity, the appropriate response is for stems to grow upwards (‘away from the source of gravity’; negative geotropism), and for roots to grow downwards (‘towards the source of gravity’; positive geotropism – […]

There is a widespread belief that everything in/of/from/about America is bigger, better, faster, etc, than anything from elsewhere in the world. That is probably the best example of spin over substance ever foisted on an unsuspecting world, and is a true testament to the power of marketing and public relations. Take, for example, the arresting […]

It’s a tribute to the fantasticness of plants – and photosynthesis in particular – that even animals want to be like them. Arguably, none more so than some sea slugs, which for many millennia have eaten seaweeds and integrated their chloroplasts into their bodies (a phenomenon known as kleptoplasty). The assumption that underlies such acquisitive behaviour […]