plant biology, evolution

A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.

A study suggests that several species of brown algae may have independently evolved to express both sexes simultaneously, and it’s likely that female algae evolved male traits—not the other way around.

The dual purposes of the plants’ hidden colors may conflict as the climate warms, authors of a new study suggest.

An analysis of more than half a million trees reveals that many species begin to taper off seed production once they hit a certain size.

Spores found in 480 million-year-old rock bring the fossil record in line with molecular estimates of when plants first adapted to life on land.

Phylogenomics data place the enigmatic plankton in the middle of the algal family tree, despite their apparent lack of plastids—an organelle characteristic of all other algae.

A volunteer nature guide teamed up with researchers to discover a unique reproductive role for one vine’s leaves.

Hand weeding of fields spurred an interloper to evolve a rice-like appearance, researchers conclude.

Goldenrods that evolved in the presence of herbivores release volatile chemicals that trigger defenses in neighboring plants of their species, even those that are genetically unrelated.

The 1-billion-year-old impressions have features similar to modern algae and indicate that photosynthesizing plants evolved at least that long ago.

An analysis suggests that DNA cribbed from soil microbes enabled plants’ ancestors to colonize a terrestrial environment.

Aphids induce their host plants to produce tiny hairs that help keep the surfaces water-repellent.

A 99-million-year-old beetle preserved in amber alongside grains of pollen likely pollinated prehistoric plants.

A new study describes an unusual water harvesting method in plants.

Humanity would be nothing without plants. It’s high time we recognize their crucial role in sustaining life on Earth.

Plantings of non-GM refuges counter the development of resistance.

Spruce and pine and have relied on similar genetic toolkits for climate adaptation despite millions of years of evolution.

Caffeine-producing plants use three different biochemical pathways and two different enzyme families to make the same molecule.

A chloroplast mutation has dramatically affected the genomes of railside populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.