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Botany student shows 'New England Banksia' a distinct species 
The New England Banksia is largely restricted to the eastern edge of the New England Tableland, and is common in places along Waterfall Way. Ms Stimpson's research has raised this flowering plant, until now classified as a variety of the Hairpin Banksia (B. spinulosa), to the taxonomic level of a distinct species. The study was published in the open access journal PhytoKeys
The New England Banksia is largely restricted to the eastern edge of the New England Tableland, and is common in places along Waterfall Way. Ms Stimpson's research has raised this flowering plant, until now classified as a variety of the Hairpin Banksia (B. spinulosa), to the taxonomic level of a distinct species. The study was published in the open access journal PhytoKeys
Plant Biology
Source: Pensoft Publishers
Posted on: Wednesday, Aug 29, 2012, 8:45am
Rating: | Views: 1393 | Comments: 0
Source: Pensoft Publishers
Posted on: Wednesday, Aug 29, 2012, 8:45am
Rating: | Views: 1393 | Comments: 0
Plants unpack winter coats when days get shorter
Mechanisms that protect plants from freezing are placed in storage during the summer and wisely unpacked when days get shorter.
Mechanisms that protect plants from freezing are placed in storage during the summer and wisely unpacked when days get shorter.
Plant Biology
Source: Michigan State University
Posted on: Tuesday, Aug 28, 2012, 2:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1155 | Comments: 0
Source: Michigan State University
Posted on: Tuesday, Aug 28, 2012, 2:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1155 | Comments: 0
Behind closed doors: Researchers show how probiotics boost plant immunity
With the help of beneficial bacteria, plants can slam the door when disease pathogens come knocking, University of Delaware researchers have discovered.
With the help of beneficial bacteria, plants can slam the door when disease pathogens come knocking, University of Delaware researchers have discovered.
Plant Biology
Source: University of Delaware
Posted on: Tuesday, Aug 28, 2012, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1275 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Delaware
Posted on: Tuesday, Aug 28, 2012, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1275 | Comments: 0
Peaches, Beautiful And Fleeting, Thanks To Fuzzy Thin Skin
A summer peach is a seasonal treat, but why are they so hard to find for the rest of the year? As it turns out, that fuzzy, thin skin might be partially to blame for the fruit's finicky reputation.
A summer peach is a seasonal treat, but why are they so hard to find for the rest of the year? As it turns out, that fuzzy, thin skin might be partially to blame for the fruit's finicky reputation.
Plant Biology
Source: NPR
Posted on: Friday, Aug 17, 2012, 7:40am
Rating: | Views: 1093 | Comments: 0
Source: NPR
Posted on: Friday, Aug 17, 2012, 7:40am
Rating: | Views: 1093 | Comments: 0
Impulsive micromanagers help plants to adapt, survive
Soil microbes are impulsive. So much so that they help plants face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate.
Soil microbes are impulsive. So much so that they help plants face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate.
Plant Biology
Source: Michigan State University
Posted on: Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012, 11:15am
Rating: | Views: 1155 | Comments: 0
Source: Michigan State University
Posted on: Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012, 11:15am
Rating: | Views: 1155 | Comments: 0
Ethylene of no effect -- why peppers do not mature after picking
Tomato breeders scored a coup several years ago when they identified tomatoes with a genetic defect that made the fruits mature very slowly, even under the influence of the phytohormone ethylene.
Tomato breeders scored a coup several years ago when they identified tomatoes with a genetic defect that made the fruits mature very slowly, even under the influence of the phytohormone ethylene.
Plant Biology
Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Posted on: Friday, Aug 03, 2012, 5:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1288 | Comments: 0
Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Posted on: Friday, Aug 03, 2012, 5:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1288 | Comments: 0
Lace plants explain programmed cell death
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a highly regulated process that occurs in all animals and plants as part of normal development and in response to the environment. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Plant Biology is the first to document the physiological events in the lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) which occur via PCD to produce the characteri
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a highly regulated process that occurs in all animals and plants as part of normal development and in response to the environment. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Plant Biology is the first to document the physiological events in the lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) which occur via PCD to produce the characteri
Plant Biology
Source: BioMed Central
Posted on: Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 5213 | Comments: 0
Source: BioMed Central
Posted on: Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 5213 | Comments: 0
Hitting back at 'wiretapping' parasite
Dodder vines are parasitic plants that suck water, nutrients and information from other plants as they spread over them. Plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, have now shown that they can make plants resistant to dodder by attacking the junctions where the parasite taps into the host.
Dodder vines are parasitic plants that suck water, nutrients and information from other plants as they spread over them. Plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, have now shown that they can make plants resistant to dodder by attacking the junctions where the parasite taps into the host.
Plant Biology
Source: University of California - Davis
Posted on: Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012, 12:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1683 | Comments: 0
Source: University of California - Davis
Posted on: Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012, 12:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1683 | Comments: 0
Lighting up the plant hormone 'command system'
Light is not only the source of a plant's energy, but also an environmental signal that instructs the growth behavior of plants. As a result, a plant's sensitivity to light is of great interest to scientists and their research on this issue could help improve crop yields down the road. Similarly understanding a plant's temperature sensitivity could also help improve agriculture and f
Light is not only the source of a plant's energy, but also an environmental signal that instructs the growth behavior of plants. As a result, a plant's sensitivity to light is of great interest to scientists and their research on this issue could help improve crop yields down the road. Similarly understanding a plant's temperature sensitivity could also help improve agriculture and f
Plant Biology
Source: Carnegie Institution
Posted on: Monday, Jul 23, 2012, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1234 | Comments: 0
Source: Carnegie Institution
Posted on: Monday, Jul 23, 2012, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1234 | Comments: 0
Researchers discover cannabis 'pharma factory'
U of S researchers have discovered the chemical pathway that Cannabis sativa uses to create bioactive compounds called cannabinoids, paving the way for the development of marijuana varieties to produce pharmaceuticals or cannabinoid-free industrial hemp. The research appears online in the July 16 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
U of S researchers have discovered the chemical pathway that Cannabis sativa uses to create bioactive compounds called cannabinoids, paving the way for the development of marijuana varieties to produce pharmaceuticals or cannabinoid-free industrial hemp. The research appears online in the July 16 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Plant Biology
Source: University of Saskatchewan
Posted on: Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012, 11:15am
Rating: | Views: 1778 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Saskatchewan
Posted on: Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012, 11:15am
Rating: | Views: 1778 | Comments: 0
Engineers convert a natural plant protein into drug-delivery vehicles
Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Beyond practical concerns of manufacturing and loading these vehicles, the carriers must work effectively with the drug and be safe to consume. Vesicles, hollow capsules shaped like double-walled bubbles, are ideal candidates, as the body naturally produces similar struct
Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Beyond practical concerns of manufacturing and loading these vehicles, the carriers must work effectively with the drug and be safe to consume. Vesicles, hollow capsules shaped like double-walled bubbles, are ideal candidates, as the body naturally produces similar struct
Molecular Biology
Source: University of Pennsylvania
Posted on: Wednesday, Jul 04, 2012, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1200 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Pennsylvania
Posted on: Wednesday, Jul 04, 2012, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1200 | Comments: 0
Want bigger plants? Get to the root of the matter
Plant scientists have imaged and analyzed, for the first time, how a potted plant's roots are arranged in the soil as the plant develops. In this study, to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on 30th June, the team has also found that doubling plant pot size makes plants grow over 40% larger.
Plant scientists have imaged and analyzed, for the first time, how a potted plant's roots are arranged in the soil as the plant develops. In this study, to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on 30th June, the team has also found that doubling plant pot size makes plants grow over 40% larger.
Plant Biology
Source: Society for Experimental Biology
Posted on: Monday, Jul 02, 2012, 2:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1241 | Comments: 0
Source: Society for Experimental Biology
Posted on: Monday, Jul 02, 2012, 2:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1241 | Comments: 0
Is your leaf left-handed?
The front of a leaf is different from the back of a leaf and the tip is different from the base. However, a leaf from a tomato or an Arabidopsis plant superficially appears to be bilaterally symmetrical, or the same on the left and right sides. Don't let its appearance fool you; there is an underlying asymmetry between the left and right sides of such leaves—it just took a while for scienti
The front of a leaf is different from the back of a leaf and the tip is different from the base. However, a leaf from a tomato or an Arabidopsis plant superficially appears to be bilaterally symmetrical, or the same on the left and right sides. Don't let its appearance fool you; there is an underlying asymmetry between the left and right sides of such leaves—it just took a while for scienti
Plant Biology
Source: American Society of Plant Biologists
Posted on: Friday, Jun 22, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 5528 | Comments: 0
Source: American Society of Plant Biologists
Posted on: Friday, Jun 22, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 5528 | Comments: 0
ScienceShot: Don't Go Into the Light
Chilean wineberry must shun sun to avoid being lunch
Chilean wineberry must shun sun to avoid being lunch
Plant Biology
Source: Science
Posted on: Thursday, Jun 21, 2012, 8:48am
Rating: | Views: 1086 | Comments: 0
Source: Science
Posted on: Thursday, Jun 21, 2012, 8:48am
Rating: | Views: 1086 | Comments: 0
Link between vitamin C and twins can increase seed production in crops
Biochemists at the University of California, Riverside report a new role for vitamin C in plants: promoting the production of twins and even triplets in plant seeds.
Biochemists at the University of California, Riverside report a new role for vitamin C in plants: promoting the production of twins and even triplets in plant seeds.
Plant Biology
Source: University of California - Riverside
Posted on: Tuesday, Jun 19, 2012, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1187 | Comments: 0
Source: University of California - Riverside
Posted on: Tuesday, Jun 19, 2012, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1187 | Comments: 0
Key part of plants' rapid response system revealed
Science has known about plant hormones since Charles Darwin experimented with plant shoots and showed that the shoots bend toward the light as long as their tips, which are secreting a growth hormone, aren't cut off.
Science has known about plant hormones since Charles Darwin experimented with plant shoots and showed that the shoots bend toward the light as long as their tips, which are secreting a growth hormone, aren't cut off.
Plant Biology
Source: Washington University in St. Louis
Posted on: Monday, Jun 18, 2012, 1:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1487 | Comments: 0
Source: Washington University in St. Louis
Posted on: Monday, Jun 18, 2012, 1:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1487 | Comments: 0
Carbon is key for getting algae to pump out more oil
Overturning two long-held misconceptions about oil production in algae, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory show that ramping up the microbes' overall metabolism by feeding them more carbon increases oil production as the organisms continue to grow. The findings — published online in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology on May 28, 2012
Overturning two long-held misconceptions about oil production in algae, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory show that ramping up the microbes' overall metabolism by feeding them more carbon increases oil production as the organisms continue to grow. The findings — published online in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology on May 28, 2012
Plant Biology
Source: DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Posted on: Monday, Jun 18, 2012, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1287 | Comments: 0
Source: DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Posted on: Monday, Jun 18, 2012, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1287 | Comments: 0
Herbivores select on floral architecture in a South African bird-pollinated plant
Floral displays, such as the color, shape, size, and arrangement of flowers, are typically thought to have evolved primarily in response to selection by pollinators—for animal-pollinated species, being able to attract animal vectors is vital to an individual plant's reproductive success. But can herbivores also exert similarly strong selective forces on floral characters? New research on two siste
Floral displays, such as the color, shape, size, and arrangement of flowers, are typically thought to have evolved primarily in response to selection by pollinators—for animal-pollinated species, being able to attract animal vectors is vital to an individual plant's reproductive success. But can herbivores also exert similarly strong selective forces on floral characters? New research on two siste
Plant Biology
Source: American Journal of Botany
Posted on: Friday, Jun 08, 2012, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1297 | Comments: 0
Source: American Journal of Botany
Posted on: Friday, Jun 08, 2012, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1297 | Comments: 0
ScienceShot: Unraveling the Mystery of Self-Planting Seeds
A simple model shows how seeds can drill themselves into the ground
A simple model shows how seeds can drill themselves into the ground
Plant Biology
Source: Science
Posted on: Thursday, Jun 07, 2012, 8:28am
Rating: | Views: 1079 | Comments: 0
Source: Science
Posted on: Thursday, Jun 07, 2012, 8:28am
Rating: | Views: 1079 | Comments: 0
How plants make cocaine
Humans encounter alkaloids every day, they constitute a very large group of natural nitrogen-containing compounds with diverse effects on the human organism. A large variety of plant-produced alkaloids have strong pharmacological effects, and are used as toxins, stimulants, pharmaceuticals or recreational drugs, including caffeine, nicotine, morphine, quinine, strychnine, atropine and cocaine.
Humans encounter alkaloids every day, they constitute a very large group of natural nitrogen-containing compounds with diverse effects on the human organism. A large variety of plant-produced alkaloids have strong pharmacological effects, and are used as toxins, stimulants, pharmaceuticals or recreational drugs, including caffeine, nicotine, morphine, quinine, strychnine, atropine and cocaine.
Plant Biology
Source: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Posted on: Wednesday, Jun 06, 2012, 12:45pm
Rating: | Views: 2990 | Comments: 0
Source: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Posted on: Wednesday, Jun 06, 2012, 12:45pm
Rating: | Views: 2990 | Comments: 0
Scientists identify 81 new plant and fungus species
The palms that Vietnamese villagers weave into hats, many varieties of lichens that depend on the pristine environment of the Great Smoky Mountains, and small, shrub-like trees that are threatened by development and deforestation in Brazil were among the scores of plant and fungus species that scientists at The New York Botanical Garden discovered and described in the course of one year.
The palms that Vietnamese villagers weave into hats, many varieties of lichens that depend on the pristine environment of the Great Smoky Mountains, and small, shrub-like trees that are threatened by development and deforestation in Brazil were among the scores of plant and fungus species that scientists at The New York Botanical Garden discovered and described in the course of one year.
Plant Biology
Source: The New York Botanical Garden
Posted on: Wednesday, Jun 06, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1237 | Comments: 0
Source: The New York Botanical Garden
Posted on: Wednesday, Jun 06, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1237 | Comments: 0
It's in the genes: Research pinpoints how plants know when to flower
Scientists believe they've pinpointed the last crucial piece of the 80-year-old puzzle of how plants "know" when to flower.
Scientists believe they've pinpointed the last crucial piece of the 80-year-old puzzle of how plants "know" when to flower.
Plant Biology
Source: University of Washington
Posted on: Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 10:00am
Rating: | Views: 1176 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Washington
Posted on: Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 10:00am
Rating: | Views: 1176 | Comments: 0
Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of past climate
UCLA life scientists have discovered new laws that determine the construction of leaf vein systems as leaves grow and evolve. These easy-to-apply mathematical rules can now be used to better predict the climates of the past using the fossil record.
UCLA life scientists have discovered new laws that determine the construction of leaf vein systems as leaves grow and evolve. These easy-to-apply mathematical rules can now be used to better predict the climates of the past using the fossil record.
Plant Biology
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Posted on: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 12:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1320 | Comments: 0
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Posted on: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 12:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1320 | Comments: 0
How plants chill out
Although scientists have made significant advances in understanding how plants elongate at high temperature, little is known of the physiological consequences of this response. To investigate these consequences, the researchers, led by Dr Kerry Franklin and Professor Alistair Hetherington in Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, studied thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a small flower
Although scientists have made significant advances in understanding how plants elongate at high temperature, little is known of the physiological consequences of this response. To investigate these consequences, the researchers, led by Dr Kerry Franklin and Professor Alistair Hetherington in Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, studied thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a small flower
Plant Biology
Source: University of Bristol
Posted on: Monday, May 21, 2012, 2:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1224 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Bristol
Posted on: Monday, May 21, 2012, 2:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1224 | Comments: 0
ScienceShot: Every (Plant) Sperm Is Sacred
Pollen grains steer clear of already-fertilized eggs
Pollen grains steer clear of already-fertilized eggs
Plant Biology
Source: Science
Posted on: Friday, May 18, 2012, 8:34am
Rating: | Views: 1085 | Comments: 0
Source: Science
Posted on: Friday, May 18, 2012, 8:34am
Rating: | Views: 1085 | Comments: 0
Pollination with precision: How flowers do it
Next Mother's Day, say it with an evolved model of logistical efficiency — a flower. A new discovery about how nature's icons of romance manage the distribution of sperm among female gametes with industrial precision helps explain why the delicate beauties have reproduced prolifically enough to dominate the earth.
Next Mother's Day, say it with an evolved model of logistical efficiency — a flower. A new discovery about how nature's icons of romance manage the distribution of sperm among female gametes with industrial precision helps explain why the delicate beauties have reproduced prolifically enough to dominate the earth.
Plant Biology
Source: Brown University
Posted on: Friday, May 18, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1179 | Comments: 0
Source: Brown University
Posted on: Friday, May 18, 2012, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1179 | Comments: 0
Plant growth without light control
Plants are dependent on the sun. Sunlight does not only supply them with energy, but also controls their development steps. So-called photoreceptors activate the processes of germination, leaf development, bud formation, and blossoming in the cells. The light-absorbing component of a photoreceptor may be replaced by a chemically similar synthetic substance. For the first time, the effects on compl
Plants are dependent on the sun. Sunlight does not only supply them with energy, but also controls their development steps. So-called photoreceptors activate the processes of germination, leaf development, bud formation, and blossoming in the cells. The light-absorbing component of a photoreceptor may be replaced by a chemically similar synthetic substance. For the first time, the effects on compl
Plant Biology
Source: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Posted on: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1253 | Comments: 0
Source: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Posted on: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1253 | Comments: 0
European mountain plant population shows delayed response to climate change
A modeling study from the European Alps suggests that population declines to be observed during the upcoming decades will probably underestimate the long-term effects of recent climate warming on mountain plants. A European team of ecologists around Stefan Dullinger from the Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology of the University of Vienna presents a new modeling too
A modeling study from the European Alps suggests that population declines to be observed during the upcoming decades will probably underestimate the long-term effects of recent climate warming on mountain plants. A European team of ecologists around Stefan Dullinger from the Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology of the University of Vienna presents a new modeling too
Environment
Source: University of Vienna
Posted on: Monday, May 07, 2012, 1:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1193 | Comments: 0
Source: University of Vienna
Posted on: Monday, May 07, 2012, 1:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1193 | Comments: 0
How neonatal plant estrogen exposure leads to adult infertility
A paper published today in Biology of Reproduction's Papers-in-Press describes the effects of brief prenatal exposure to plant estrogens on the mouse oviduct, modeling the effects of soy-based baby formula on human infants. The results suggest that exposure to estrogenic chemicals in the womb or during childhood has the potential to affect a woman's fertility as an adult, possibly pr
A paper published today in Biology of Reproduction's Papers-in-Press describes the effects of brief prenatal exposure to plant estrogens on the mouse oviduct, modeling the effects of soy-based baby formula on human infants. The results suggest that exposure to estrogenic chemicals in the womb or during childhood has the potential to affect a woman's fertility as an adult, possibly pr
Development
Source: Society for the Study of Reproduction
Posted on: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1104 | Comments: 0
Source: Society for the Study of Reproduction
Posted on: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1104 | Comments: 0
Researchers find mechanism that gives plants 'balance'
When a plant goes into defense mode in order to protect itself against harsh weather or disease, that's good for the plant, but bad for the farmer growing the plant. Bad because when a plant acts to defend itself, it turns off its growth mechanism.
When a plant goes into defense mode in order to protect itself against harsh weather or disease, that's good for the plant, but bad for the farmer growing the plant. Bad because when a plant acts to defend itself, it turns off its growth mechanism.
Plant Biology
Source: Michigan State University
Posted on: Tuesday, Apr 24, 2012, 4:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1142 | Comments: 0
Source: Michigan State University
Posted on: Tuesday, Apr 24, 2012, 4:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1142 | Comments: 0
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