Plants
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Agriculture
Sweet potato weevils have favorite colors
When it comes to eradicating the sweet potato weevil, the devil is in the colorful details.
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Climate
Mangroves move up Florida’s coast
Satellite images reveal that the tropical trees are expanding north up Florida’s Atlantic coast, taking advantage of rising winter temperatures.
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Animals
Smoker’s breath saves caterpillars’ lives
Larvae of the tobacco hornworm caterpillar exhale nicotine, driving away predatory spiders.
By Susan Milius -
Plants
Kleptoplast
A cellular part such as a light-harvesting chloroplast that an organism takes from algae it has eaten.
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Animals
A year of rediscovered species
Thousands of species go extinct each year, but at least a few are found after many years of being lost.
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Plants
Lone survivor of ancient flowers is gluttonous gene consumer
The rare Amborella shrub has engulfed whole genomes from other species.
By Susan Milius -
Plants
How weeds hitchhike across the country
A drive down a muddy lane can be fun, but it can also pick up the seeds of weeds or invasive species and transport them far away.
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Plants
Tannosome
A newly discovered structure where mouth-puckering compounds called tannins form inside plant cells.
By Susan Milius -
Plants
In dry times, these trees invest in ants
The insects provide adequate defense by ganging up on leaf-eating caterpillars and biting their undersides until the herbivores fall off the tree.
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Plants
Single-sex flowers release his, hers fragrances
Growing on the same tree, male blooms smell different from female blooms in certain tropical plant species.
By Susan Milius -
Earth
Trees mark the spot of buried gold
Tiny bits of the precious metal in eucalyptus leaves indicate treasure lurks belowground.
By Beth Mole -
Plants
Just a few tree species dominate Amazon forest
The Amazonian rainforest, known to be one of the most species-rich areas on the planet, is actually dominated by a only few tree species.
By Science News