Pollen viability in Mediterranean orchids Evaluation of pollen viability has generally been confined to a relatively low number of species. Bellusci et al. study five related Mediterranean orchid genera (Anacamptis, Orchis, Dactylorhiza, Ophrys and Serapias) that are characterized by different types of deceptive pollination and find that pollen viabilities of species groups with different deception [...]

Genetic relationships between sympatric and allopatric Casearia Casearia sylvestris var. sylvestris inhabits humid, dense forests, while var. lingua is restricted to xeric habitats, yet despite differences in morphology and habitat preference, intermediate forms exist in transitional environments, complicating the delimitation of the taxa. Cavallari et al. examine nine microsatellite markers and conclude that the two [...]

Over the years, hundreds of papers have been published describing the genetic changes that occur during evolution of plants, and the differences evident between individual species. An equally high number of papers has been published about the definition of species, their separation and naming. Many have joined discussions of where and why new species form [...]

Times Higher Education asks if there is problem with science reporting and if anything can be done to make it better. (link)

Tetrad shape and aperture pattern ontogeny in pollen Patterns of male cytokinesis are suspected to play a role in the diversity of aperture patterns found in pollen grains of angiosperms. By comparing two eudicots, Epilobium roseum and Paranomus reflexus, that exhibit intra-individual variation in aperture number, Abert et al. demonstrate that the positions of apertures [...]

We have a new press release out, this time on biodiversity and indigenous farming in Mexico. As you can see the photo is stunning, so it’s a bit of a shame that it didn’t go out with the text for some reason. You can download the massive version of the photo here (right-click or cmd-click [...]

Evolution of mycoheterotrophy from mixotrophic ancestors Nutritional changes associated with the evolution of achlorophyllous, mycoheterotrophic plants have not been inferred within a robust phylogenetic framework. Motomura et al. examine variations in heterotrophy in association with the evolution of leaflessness using a chlorophyllous/achlorophyllous species pair in Cymbidium (Orchidaceae) and demonstrate that mycoheterotrophy evolved after the establishment [...]