Plants compete with each other over finite resources like water and nutrients, but also for sunlight when they grow in each other’s shadow. Light filtered through leaves is rich in far-red light and initiates responses, known as shade avoidance syndrome (SAS), that aim to out-compete neighbors by promoting hypocotyl elongation and returning the plant to […]
Going grocery-shopping on an empty stomach is a bad idea. You’re bound to make poor decisions, not based on nutritional content of the food but based on temporary cravings that will leave you asking for more later. Plants face this nutritional puzzle every day, since they eat where they shop, and shop while they eat. […]
Cell division is essential for growth and reproduction. The cell cycle machinery is well conserved between yeast and animals, but whether this conservation extends to the plant lineage is not clear, having diverged over two billion years ago: ample time and opportunity for divergence in sequence and function, and for introduction of plant-specific innovations. Discovering […]
Although they lack eyes, plants can differentiate between colors with a full complement of photoreceptors. Phytochromes (phys) are such photoreceptors dedicated to the visible light spectrum ranging from red light (600-700 nm) to far-red light (700-750 nm). phys are some of the most studied genes and control plant architecture and flowering time. phyA is a […]
Meiosis takes a single, diploid cell and turns it into four haploid spores. The equal distribution of genetic material is critical for genome stability across generations, and relies heavily on proper pairing of chromosomes and their timely release. During the first meiotic division, crossovers (COs) are responsible both for the exchange of genetic material between […]
Plant growth and development are extremely adaptable to changes in the external environment, including nutrient status, light quality and intensity, and temperature. Thanks to their developmental plasticity, plants can also initiate new organs from differentiated tissue following wounding, to the benefit of horticulturists everywhere. Plants establish a balance between cell proliferation and cell growth that […]
The ability to acclimate to high temperatures that are normally lethal is common to virtually all organisms on the planet. A short exposure to milder heat stress informs organisms that they should ready themselves in case they experience even warmer conditions. Acquired thermo-tolerance in plants is important because plants must constantly balance growth and defense; […]