The selection of floral and reproductive traits is influenced by the plant’s abiotic environment, florivores and pollinators. Leroy et al.  show that mutualistic associations with ants can result in an enhanced reproductive allocation for the tank‐bromeliad Aechmea mertensii. They find that association with Camponotus femoratus results in more and larger inflorescences, more flowers and fruits, and [...]

Stomatal aperture is regulated by the stress-induced phyto-hormone abscisic acid (ABA), and by CO2 and Ca2+ concentrations. Hubbard et al. review the topic and propose models to explain the specificity of signalling for the common intermediate, intracellular Ca2+. These models are put in the context of recent research identifying ABA receptors. New genetic Ca2+-dependent protein kinase [...]

These are links from our Scoop It page between January 18th and January 30th: Landscapes for People, Food and Nature: a new Blog from Bioversity, FAO, UNEP et al A new blog on Landscapes for People, Food and Nature is launched today. Fortunately, its just in time for a new University of Leicester undergraduate module [...]

Crop science research today is top-heavy with work on just 3 species: wheat, maize and rice. However, advances in knowledge on these 3 crops will neither be enough to meet the food needs of the exploding global population, nor to answer the full range of fundamental questions in plant science. Our ancestors had the right [...]

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get more organised in 2012, here is advanced notice of two entries for your diary. First, the 18–19th of April (2012), the Inaugural Meeting of the UK Plant Science Federation ( sorry, RoW). Imaginatively entitled UK PlantSci 2012, this event takes place at the John Innes Centre in [...]