Due to climate warming, the global and regional water cycle is changing, and this will have a great impact on terrestrial ecosystems. Since plants are a critical part of these ecosystems, changed water cycles will inevitably affect their growth and reproduction. In particular, changing precipitation patterns will have impacts on the different life history stages […]

The distribution of plant species around the Mediterranean basin is a product of the influence of both geographical barriers and of climatic changes experienced during the Tertiary, with the transition from a warm to a cool period. Several species, once largely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, retracted to refugial areas in southern Europe where they […]

Hybridization is an important contributor to biodiversity and speciation, with approximately 25 % of all plant species and 10 % of all animal species estimated to have experienced hybridization during their evolution. Although genome duplication following hybridization is a frequent mode of speciation in plants, hybrid speciation can also occur without a change in ploidy, […]

Mutualistic relationships between different species are common in all ecosystems however double mutualisms, where two interacting species benefit each other for two different functions, e.g. pollination and seed dispersal, have been less well documented. Recently, an increasing number of double mutualisms have been reported between plants and animals, particularly on island ecosystems. One likely reason […]

Herbivory-induced defensive responses in plants can be direct (e.g. secondary chemicals to suppress herbivory) or indirect (e.g. extrafloral nectar attracting ants). These different types of anti-herbivore responses may vary temporally (time after damage) and spatially (e.g. roots versus leaves). Since internal plant resources are limited, theory suggests that they face allocation trade-offs in generating induced […]

It is often assumed that the ability of plants to acclimatize to the local environment through non-genetic changes in their anatomy and physiology (phenotypic plasticity) is important for the success of invasive species. In this study, Marchini et al. describe a case where traits of an invasive grass, the perennial bunchgrass Brachypodium sylvaticum (Poaceae) associated […]

The complex networks and signalling pathways that equip plants to cope with environmental challenges in terrestrial environments developed over evolutionary time. Exposing plants to novel environments presents opportunities to understand how plants adjust to conditions outside their evolutionary experience. Spaceflight is one such environment and understanding how plants function outside of Earth’s boundaries is also […]

Hunting and logging can alter ecological communities, but their long-term effects are seldom studied in Afrotropical forests.

Hybrid rice exhibits both great heterosis (hybrid vigour) and yield potential compared with either inbred parentvariety. Gains in the yield from breeding hybrid rice first requires selection of optimal mating parents that when crossed will produce a rice hybrid with desired traits including high yield performance. Yet whilst this is the most critical stage in […]

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is a key pasture grass in many parts of the world. It is reported to be the most valuable plant species in New Zealand, with a $14.5 billion impact on New Zealand’s GDP in 2012, due predominantly to perennial ryegrass being a highly valued forage for the livestock industry. However, as […]

Mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm), which regulates the diffusion of CO2 from substomatal cavities to the sites of carboxylation, is now recognized as a significant and variable limitation to photosynthesis. It is a combination of gaseous diffusion through the intercellular airspaces and diffusion in the liquid phase through the mesophyll cell walls, plasma membrane, cytosol and chloroplast […]

The outcomes of natural hybridization are incredibly varied, ranging from hybrid speciation to extinction of parental taxa. Orphan hybrid populations or lineages are those that occur in the absence of the parental taxa, presenting a challenge for understanding their origins. They can arise in a number of ways. They may arise through dispersal beyond the […]