http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/botany/ Botany news. Read full text botany new, articles, images, updated daily. en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 15:05:01 EDT Fri, 16 May 2008 15:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/botany/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145350.htm A large quantity of nitrogen compounds -- emitted into the atmosphere by humans through the burning of fossil fuels and the use of nitrogen fertilizers -- enters the oceans and may lead to the removal of some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, concluded a team of international scientists. Fri, 16 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516125934.htm Using empirical tests, a pioneering study shows how plant species, such as the prickly pear, invade Mediterranean ecosystems, and can either rob the native plants of pollinating insects, or, surprisingly, can attract them, thus benefiting the whole plant community, such as in the case of balsam. The research contradicts the hypothesis of the "floral market" whereby only the invasive flowers are seen to benefit and the native flowers are no longer visited by pollinating insects. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516125934.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094431.htm Preliminary findings in one of the first landscape-scale experiments on how forest management affects western Ponderosa pine ecosystems have been completed. The results suggests that in the absence of treatments like thinning and controlled burns, old-growth characteristics will be lost as a result of lower growth rates and higher tree mortality. The scientists reached this conclusion by evaluating decades of growth data obtained on the experimental forest. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145412.htm Evidence of physically similar species hidden within plant tissues suggest that diversity of neotropical herbivorous insects may not simply be a function of plant architecture, but may also reflect the great age and area of the neotropics. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120750.htm Now that high school biology students can recite that genes are made of DNA, which is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which is then translated into protein, along comes a new class of molecules, sending students -- and many scientists -- scrambling for updated textbooks. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092618.htm US Forest Service scientists with the Center for Urban Forest Research have completed a study that found planting and nurturing Indianapolis street trees brought a 500 percent return in benefits from storm water reduction, energy conservation, cleaner air and increased property values. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172317.htm Plants have an ambivalent relationship with light. They need it to live, but too much light leads to the increased production of high-energy chemical intermediates that can injure or kill the plant. The intermediates do this because the efficient conversion of sunlight into chemical energy cannot keep up with sunlight streaming into the plant. Tue, 13 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094440.htm Medical researchers have discovered a key step in the mechanism by which cells destroy themselves. In this process, called "apoptosis," certain proteins cause the cell to self-destruct by puncturing its "power plant." How the proteins do this has now been clarified. The discovery is an important step towards the identification of targets for drugs designed to regulate cell death. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512094440.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm Scientists have discovered how to keep one's tomatoes from wilting -- the answer lies at the molecular level. Farmers and fellow agriculturalists are continuously battling the ability of plant pathogens to co-evolve alongside their host's immune system. In agriculture, the most environmentally friendly way to combat the evolutionary change in plant diseases is to make use of the innate immune system of plants. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132850.htm As the popularity of sunflowers grows among commercial growers and everyday gardeners, scientists are looking for new supplements and growing methods to enhance production and quality of this celebrated annual. Sat, 10 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508144332.htm In a study of the molecular mechanisms by which plants protect themselves from oxidation damage should they absorb too much sunlight during photosynthesis, researchers have discovered a molecular "dimmer switch" that helps control the flow of solar energy moving through the system of light harvesting proteins. This discovery holds important implications for the future design of artificial photosynthesis systems that could provide the world with a sustainable and secure source of energy. Fri, 09 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508144332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm Walking through the last rainforests on the volcanic island of Mauritius, located some 800 km east of Madagascar, one is surrounded by ghosts. Since human colonisation in the 17th century, the island has lost most of its unique animals. The litany includes the famous flightless dodo, giant tortoises, parrots, pigeons, fruitbats, and giant lizards. It is comparatively easy to notice the los­­s of a species, but much more difficult to realise how many interactions have been lost as a result. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.htm Genetically engineered rice plants that resist the uptake of toxic metals could boost production and ease the shortage of this staple crop in Asia, India and Bangladesh, where irrigation with contaminated groundwater has created soils with toxic levels of arsenic. More than 80 percent of the world's population depends on rice as a staple food, but production is dropping in the rice paddies of Bangladesh, parts of India and South and East Asia due to toxic levels of arsenic in the topsoil. Om Parkash of the University of Massachusetts Amherst leads a research team that uses genetic engineering to produce rice plants that block the uptake of arsenic, which could increase production of this valuable crop and provide safer food supplies for millions. Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103117.htm Hot and barren, Kenya's dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture, at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock. Today, the landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought. As a result, small farming families are realizing harvests on farmlands once considered too poor to cultivate, to the country´s social and economic benefit. Wed, 07 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506111626.htm It's a familiar notion that an individual might interpret and respond to stressful events in a unique way based on previous experience and genetic predispositions. A new study by researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy finds that the same can be said of the individual cells in a plant. They respond in a variety of ways to too much salt or too little iron, both widespread environmental challenges for agricultural crops around the world. Tue, 06 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506111626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211806.htm The quality of pollen a plant produces is closely tied to its sexual habits, ecologists have discovered. As well as helping explain the evolution of such intimate relationships between plants and pollinators, the study also helps explain the recent dramatic decline in certain bumblebee species found in the shrinking areas of species-rich chalk grasslands and hay meadows across Northern Europe. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171010.htm Beginning this crop season, farmers will be able to receive text messages on their cell phones from their plants saying whether they are thirsty or not. Accent Engineering, Inc., of Lubbock, Tex., developed the SmartCropTM automated drought monitoring system based on a patent held by the Agricultural Research Service. They are offering it for sale in time for this growing season. Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502154258.htm A research team offers a novel pathway for how "antiaging" products like EthylBloc and SmartFresh block ethylene in plants, delaying the plants' demise and allowing people to enjoy their beauty and products for longer than nature allows. Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502154258.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171324.htm Nitric oxide has emerged as an important signaling molecule in plants as in mammals, including people. In studies of a tropical medicinal herb as a model plant, researchers have found that nitric oxide targets a number of proteins and enzymes in plants. Mon, 05 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502171324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501062734.htm The relatively recent expansion of China's overseas trade probably accounts for China's being less invaded than the United States by alien plants, but the potential for invasion of China by shrubs, trees, climbers and aquatic plants is high. Decisive action is needed now to avert potentially large economic losses from invasive plants in China and other countries in Asia. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501062734.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429085916.htm Australian researchers are a step closer to turning plants into 'biofactories' capable of producing oils which can be used to replace petrochemicals used to manufacture a range of products. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429085916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rain forests were cut down, researchers are attempting what many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rain forest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle pastures in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees in the early 1990s, native species of plants began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rain forests could one day be replaced. Ten years after the tree plantings, researchers counted the species of plants that took up residence in the shade of the new planted areas. They found remarkably high numbers of species -- more than 100 in each plot. And many of the new arrivals were also to be found in nearby remnants of the original forests. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm Researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have confirmed evidence of domesticated sunflower in Mexico -- 4,000 years before what had been previously believed. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429075321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194945.htm Nitric oxide has emerged as an important signaling molecule in plants -- as in mammals, including people. In studies of a tropical medicinal herb as a model plant, researchers have found that nitric oxide targets a number of proteins and enzymes in plants. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080427194945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm German scientists are engaging bats to kick-start natural reforestation in the tropics by installing artificial bat roosts in deforested areas. The researchers report that the deployment of artificial bat roosts significantly increases seed dispersal of a wide range of tropical forest plants into their surroundings, providing a simple and cheap method to speed up natural forest regeneration. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428124235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101813.htm Ecologists have discovered that subterranean and aboveground herbivorous insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals via the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are alerted that the plant is already "occupied." Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112451.htm In the first experiment in a natural environment, scientists have shown that greater plant diversity significantly enhances an ecosystem's productivity. The finding underscores the importance of biodiversity to an ecosystem's value, such as capturing the global warming gas carbon dioxide. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424165309.htm Conditions are ripe for another large red tide bloom in New England waters; weather and current patterns will determine outcome. The end of April usually brings the first signs of harmful algae in New England waters, and this year, researchers are preparing for the worst. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424165309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422203305.htm "Don't eat the green parts of tomatoes, cut the green off the potatoes." Any child would know that eating these parts of vegetables is a bad idea. The reason behind this is that they contain secondary plant compounds which may have detrimental effects on the consumer. Each night, tropical fruit-eating bats ingest large amounts of secondary plant compounds with their food. This may become particularly problematic for pregnant or lactating bat mothers, since secondary plant compounds may damage the embryo or the juvenile. Biologists have now found evidence that fruit-eating bats take up large amounts of mineral rich water and clay from so-called mineral licks to detoxify the secondary plant compounds they ingest in fruits. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422203305.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112906.htm Agricultural geneticists have released "Purple Bounty," the first winter-hardy, early-flowering vetch for the northern United States. Until now, hairy vetch -- a cover crop and weed-suppressing mulch favored particularly by organic farmers -- had limited use north of Maryland because it copes poorly with northern winters. But Purple Bounty has survived winters as far north as upstate New York. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420113317.htm Agricultural scientists have made recommendations to help growers deal with several whitefly-transmitted viruses that threaten cucurbits and other crops in that state. In recent years, the number of whitefly-transmitted viruses in cucurbit fields, home to crops like cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, melons and watermelons, has increased to almost epidemic proportions in Florida. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420113317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423115917.htm A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists. They say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation's transportation fuel if production can be scaled up. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423115917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423131624.htm Researchers have produced a first draft of the papaya genome. This draft sheds new light on the evolution of flowering plants. And because it involves a genetically modified plant, the newly sequenced papaya genome offers the most detailed picture yet of the genetic changes that make the plant resistant to the papaya ringspot virus. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423131624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420110157.htm Some people comb through neighborhood yard sales and secondhand stores to find that one-of-a-kind treasure. Agricultural Research Service plant geneticists used similar tactics --- but on a much larger scale --- in his search for distinctive varieties of Carolina collards. Collard, a cole crop related to broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, has always been a local staple in the South. But its commercial cultivation expanded dramatically in the 20th century, and is now dominated by a few hybrid varieties. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420110157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421151804.htm Recent research that links specific pieces of RNA to an infectious organism's duplication and spread could lead the way to the prevention of viroids, pathogens that can kill or damage food crops and other plants. The findings could also have applications in the study of how certain viruses spread in humans because the pathogens have some similar characteristics. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421151804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421114609.htm Researchers have identified a key function of a large family of virulence proteins that play an important role in the production of infectious disease by the plant pathogen Phytophthora sojae, which damages soybean crops, resulting in $1-2 million in annual losses in the United States and much more worldwide. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421114609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112351.htm Scientists are embarking on a study to index the useful genetic variation of more than 2,000 accessions in the Agricultural Research Service, USDA, grape germplasm collection. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420112351.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416104320.htm The world's oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden. The spruce tree has shown to be a tenacious survivor that has endured by growing between erect trees and smaller bushes in pace with the dramatic climate changes over time. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416104320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101203.htm Washing fresh fruits and vegetables alone -- even with chlorine disinfectants -- may not be enough to reduce the risk of food poisoning. Studies show that certain disease-causing microbes can make their way inside the leaves of lettuce, spinach and other vegetables and fruit, where surface treatments cannot reach. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411083002.htm Elastic stresses may play a crucial role in determining a leaf's venation pattern, according to a new study. Biologists have developed a model that reproduces statistical properties of venation patterns, based on the assumption that cells can suffer abrupt elastic distortions during growth. These distortions appear due to the elastic stresses generated by the unequal growth rate of different leaf tissues. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411083002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409174609.htm Researchers have found a new type of molecule -- a kind of "micro-switch" -- that can turn off genes in rice, which is the primary source of food for more than half the world's population. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409174609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408085453.htm An enzyme from a microbe that lives inside a cow's stomach is the key to turning corn plants into fuel. The enzyme that allows a cow to digest grasses and other plant fibers can be used to turn other plant fibers into simple sugars. These simple sugars can be used to produce ethanol to power cars and trucks. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408085453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405094818.htm A new bahiagrass may provide forage growers with a better shot at beating back weeds before they gain a stranglehold on forage pastures. Agricultural scientists have now developed a cultivar called "TifQuik" that would do just that. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405094818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405092836.htm Beneficial flower-dwelling bacteria could soon join the fight against Fusarium graminearum, the fungus that causes Fusarium head blight disease ("scab") in wheat, barley and other cereal crops. Plant pathologists believe that the naturally occurring bacteria may compete with F. graminearum for nutrients exuded by the wheat plant's anthers. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405092836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403125601.htm Those spindly plants that desperately try to reach for a break in the canopy formed by larger plants all suffer from the same affliction: Shade avoidance syndrome or SAS. Now, the molecular details of SAS have been brought to light. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403125601.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407172703.htm Whether a plant withers unproductively or thrives in salty conditions may now be better understood by biologists. The cellular mechanism that controls salt tolerance has been found in the arabidopsis plant. Complex-N-glycan, a carbohydrate linked to a protein in plant cells, was previously thought to have no helpful function for plant growth and to cause certain allergies in humans, said one of the researchers. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407172703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131915.htm Researchers have pinpointed a small group of genes responsible for "telling" plants when, where and how to produce a hormone that is key to their development. Their findings shed light on the ways in which hormone production in plants affects both a plant's growth and its ability to adapt to changing environments. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131915.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403140921.htm If you get a chance to sip some shade-grown Mexican organic coffee, please pause a moment to thank the bats that helped make it possible. At Mexican organic coffee plantations, where pesticides are banned, bats and birds work night and day to control insect pests that might otherwise munch the crop. Until now, the birds got nearly all the credit. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403140921.htm