Naranjo et al. provide a perspective on epiphyte–phorophyte networks and their placement with respect to the networks of other biotic interactions.

When climatic or environmental conditions change, plant populations must either adapt to these new conditions, or track their niche via seed dispersal. Adaptation of plants to different abiotic environments has mostly been discussed with respect to physiological and demographic parameters that allow local persistence. However, rapid modifications in response to changing environmental conditions can also […]

The Leguminosae is the third largest plant family, ranking behind only the Asteraceae and Orchidaceae, and is by far the most widespread group of plants, not present only in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. Legumes are ecologically important because of their ability to fix atmospheric N, thus regulating the input of this nutrient into ecosystems. […]

Polyploidization of the plant genome affects the phenotype of individuals including their morphology. In autopolyploids, we expect mainly nucleotypic effects, from a number of monoploid genomes (i.e. chromosome sets) or genome sizeNucleotypic effects on the morphology and the anatomy of plants are observed on different organizational levels. Cell size increases in tendency with ploidy level […]

Bidens pilosa L. (also known as cobbler’s pegs, farmer’s friend and burr marigold) is a noxious weed in many ecosystems worldwide. Across China, the plant can be found growing on roadsides and in fields and villages at elevations below 2500 m. It produces large numbers of heteromorphic (central and peripheral) achenes that differ in morphology, with […]

Most plants acquire nitrogen from the soil in the form of nitrate (NO3−) or ammonium (NH4+). Ammonium-based nutrition is gaining interest because it helps to avoid environmental concerns associated with nitrate fertilisation. The two main issues with nitrate-based fertilisers are the leaching of excess fertiliser into water courses and the formation of nitrous oxide, a […]

Myrmecochory is a mutualistic interaction in which ants disperse the seeds of plants. The defining feature of such plants is the elaiosome, a lipid rich seed appendage that serves as a reward to the ants. It is estimated that ~11,000 plant species worldwide display adaptations for dispersal of seeds by ants and ~100 ant species […]

All actively managed journals continually undergo self-analysis as they strive to improve their performance but it’s rare for the outcomes to be widely shared. A recent exception is an account of the first ten years of the not for profit, open access journal AoB PLANTS by its founding Chief Editor Mike Jackson. This informative warts-and-all account […]

Cadmium is a non-biodegradable and easily absorbed, translocated and accumulated element in plant tissues. This means that it is highly available to plant root systems and can be toxic even at low concentrations. Symptoms of cadmium toxicity include oxidative stress, inhibition of photosynthetic reactions and impaired root metabolism. Ever increasing cadmium levels are being detected […]

Plant growth rates drive ecosystem productivity and are a central element of a species’ ecological strategy. For seedlings grown under controlled conditions, a large body of scientific literature has identified the functional traits responsible for driving interspecific variation in growth rate. However, the chief drivers of adult growth rates under field conditions are surprisingly little […]

Water availability is a key driver of net primary production. Extreme drought events are forecasted to increase in intensity and frequency within the century with big impacts on ecosystem productivity. This will also have important economic consequences, notably in grasslands, which are the core areas for forage production worldwide. However, temperate grasslands commonly used for […]

In speciation, the formation of new lineages can be driven by two basic evolutionary processes—lineage divergence and lineage fusion. Lineage divergence can happen through differential adaptation or genetic drift, with the former expected to proceed more rapidly when the effective population size is large.Lineage fusion through hybridization, on the other hand, can provide raw material […]