Plants

Environment

Engineered plants demolish toxic waste

With help from bacteria, plants could one day clean up polluted sites.

Plants

Climbing high to save a threatened West Coast plant

A group of scientists hopes to save a cliff-hugging plant threatened by invasive grasses, drought and fire in California’s Santa Monica Mountains.

Ecosystems

‘Where Do Camels Belong?’ explores invasive species

Ecologist Ken Thompson takes a closer look at the impacts (or lack thereof) of invasive species.

Plants

Borrowed genes raise hopes for fixing “slow and confused” plant enzyme

Inserting some bacterial Rubisco chemistry into a plant might one day boost photosynthesis and help raise crop yields.

Plants

Helping trees adapt to climate change possible but a huge task

A new study finds that it would be possible to assist the migration of trees and help them adapt to climate change, but the scale of such a project would be massive.

Genetics

Source of coffee’s kick found in its genetic code

Coffee doubled up on caffeine-making genes. Those genes evolved independently from similar ones found in tea and chocolate plants.

Plants

These trees don’t mind getting robbed

Desert teak trees in India produce more fruit after they’ve been visited by nectar robbers.

Ecosystems

Moose drool can undermine grass defenses

Saliva from moose and reindeer sabotages plants’ chemical weaponry.

Plants

Wine corks may owe quality to gene activity

Discovery of genes that distinguish superior stoppers from inferior ones could help reverse recent global downturn in quality.

Ecosystems

Invasive insect tied to shrinking river

A river in North Carolina shrank after a hemlock woolly adelgid eradicated eastern hemlock trees in the region.

Animals

Mosses hitch rides on the wings of birds

Seeds may travel from far north to south hidden in the feathers of migratory birds.

Plants

Island life prompts evolution of larger plant seeds

In 40 species of plants, the island versions of seeds were larger than mainland counterparts, perhaps to keep the seeds from being lost at sea.