Botany
A longer growing season does not guarantee more carbon storage in conifers
For wood cell production in conifers, growth rate turns out to matter more than the length of the growing season; a longer growing season therefore does not automatically lead to more wood formation and carbon storage.
Tree species shape air quality in megacities
Given the level of nitrogen pollution in the city of Beijing, urban greening there contributes strongly to ozone formation; reselecting tree species could make a difference.
Caught in the act! Hermit crab revealed as seed disperser of parasitic plant
Who on earth disperses the seeds of the parasitic Balanophora fungosa? That was the question Japanese biologists found themselves asking. The mushroom-like plant –...
Darwin was right: Saxifraga plants are carnivorous
A prediction made by none other than Charles Darwin in 1875 has proved correct: some plants in the genus Saxifraga are indeed carnivorous.
Mirror-image flowers shaped by gravity and genes
The mirror-image versions of Wachendorfia flowers arise under the influence of gravity, and of the genes MIR156-R and YUCCA-R.
Conifer passes organelle DNA through pollen
In a rare conifer from Tasmania, both plastid and mitochondrial DNA are transmitted via the male parent. The species thereby confirms a pattern that is exceptional within the plant kingdom: in conifers, the DNA of plastids and mitochondria is often passed on via the pollen, whereas in most other plants it is inherited from the mother.
Forest Giant pumps water up without a hitch.
Tropical trees tens of meters tall appear to adapt their water transport remarkably well to their height. Consequently, the tallest specimens are not automatically more vulnerable to drought.
A sick plant leaves a protective legacy
For months, plant microbiologist Jelle Spooren searched the soil for an explanation of a puzzling effect: thale cress plants growing in soil where diseased...
The walking palm
When we think of migrating organisms, trees setting off on their own travels may not be the first thing that springs to mind. Yet...
Barley plants read each other’s growth rate through chemical scent signals
Healthy plants receive information from their neighbours via chemical scent signals that helps them determine their growth strategy.