A hot topic in plant evolutionary biology is whole genome duplications (WGDs), in which an organism copies its entire genetic dataset. Having double the required DNA is often viewed as detrimental but can be useful in times of rapid environmental change. Recently, the role of WGDs during plant evolution was reviewed, further linking times of […]
Climate change is certain to affect our ability to produce food crops and feed a growing global population in the twenty-first century. Free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments have shown that elevated CO2 (eCO2) levels, a major driver of climate change, have a consistently positive effect on the yield of the world’s most important crops, such […]
Cells have developed different mechanisms including control of ion and pH homeostasis to adapt to their constantly changing environment. Such adaption is accomplished by different ion transporters at the membranes. AtCHX17, AtCHX18 and AtCHX20 are members of the cation-H+ exchanger (CHX) family, which in Arabidopsis is formed by 28 members. Padmanaban et al. studied their […]
Hirooka et al. examined the genome of an acid-loving green alga, Chlamydomonas eustigma, to learn how it tolerates its low pH environment. Key differences between the acidophilic species and the neutrophilic species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii include: an increase in expression of genes encoding plasma membrane H+-ATPases (to better extrude protons) and heat-shock proteins (for molecular stress […]
Pathogenic microbes interfere with the host cellular and physiological processes to promote infection. This interaction is monitored by pathogen molecules called effectors that either act in intercellular space or enter the host cells. Mechanisms underlying the uptake of these effectors are not fully understood. Oomycete effectors including domain-specific RXLR effectors have provided insights into effector […]
Pathogenic microbes manipulate host plants by secreting effector molecules that interfere with immunity. Bacterial phytopathogens achieve this using specialized secretion apparatuses that act as molecular ‘hypodermic needles’ to inject effector proteins directly into plant cells. In comparison, effector delivery in filamentous oomycete and fungal pathogens is less clear. Many filamentous pathogens develop specialized biotrophic structures […]
Plants can hear. We know plants respond to touch, can perceive day and night, and respond to volatile compounds, water and nutrients. Moreno et al. studied root phonotropism (not phototropism). They showed that roots of Arabidopsis plants can perceive and respond to sound waves. Arabidopsis roots grew towards a sound source even in the absence […]
Dodders (Cuscuta spp) are parasitic plants, which absorb water and nutrients from their host. Their vines can embrace, and in this way connect, more than one host. Hettenhausen et al. showed that in certain situations these connections serve as communication routes. In their experiment a pair of soybean plants were parasitized by Cuscuta australis and […]
The evolution of flowers solved one of the largest obstacles of plant reproduction, finding a compatible mate. Since plants are sedentary, they are unable to search for a compatible mate like other organisms. Instead they use pollinators to do the searching for them. Flowers use scent and color to attract pollinators, and many offer rewards […]