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 […]

Plant survival under extreme drought events has been associated with xylem vulnerability to embolism (the disruption of water transport due to air bubbles in conduits). Despite the ecological and economic importance of herbaceous species, studies focusing on hydraulic failure in herbs remain scarce. Larissa Chacon Dória and colleagues assess the vulnerability to embolism and anatomical […]

By the year 2100, atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]a) could reach 800 ppm, having risen from ~200 ppm since the Neogene, beginning ~24 Myr ago. Changing [CO2]a affects plant carbon–water balance, with implications for growth, drought tolerance and vegetation shifts. The evolution of C4 photosynthesis improved plant hydraulic function under low [CO2]a and preluded the establishment […]

Most crucifer species (Brassicaceae) have small nuclear genomes (mean 1C-value 617 Mb). The species with the largest genomes occur within the monophyletic Hesperis clade (Mandáková et al.; also known as Clade E or Lineage III). Whereas most chromosome numbers in the clade are 6 or 7, monoploid genome sizes vary 16-fold (256–4264 Mb). To get […]

How do flowers develop? This is a puzzle tackled by Wei Lai and Louis Ronse de Craene in their paper What is the nature of petals in Caryophyllaceae? Developmental evidence clarifies their evolutionary origin. In it, the authors use scanning electron microscopy to examine the interiors of flowers close up. While the topic might seem […]

A plant can invade territory when it's adapted to it, but how can a plant be adapted to multiple biomes. A new paper examines how Honey Locust seedlings use plasticity to tackle new locations.

Being a seed from self-pollination guarantees failure in Eucalyptus regnans. Yet despite this, new research shows a mixed-mating system. including selfing, is evolutionarily stable.

Differences in local abundance and ploidy level are predicted to impact the direction of introgression between species. Hu et al. test these hypotheses on Chinese populations of Betula albosinensis (red birch, Betulaceae, a tetraploid) and B. platyphylla (white birch, a diploid). Leaf morphology divided our samples into red and white birch, but genetic analyses unexpectedly […]

Are seeds using heat from fires as a signal to end physical dormancy and germinate?

When waters rise, should a rice plant shut down and conserve energy till it can breathe again - or should it grow faster to get above the water? New research has produced rice that can do both.

You can see how time affects germination, by measuring the proportion of seeds that germinate after time. But is there a way of examining seed viability without germinating them?

One of the common features of plants they make their own food. But what happens inside a plant when they stop making their food and eat something else?