Brassica is an important genus with economic value. Allopolyploids generally possess abundant genetic diversity, which, when combined with selective breeding, can lead to yield improvement. Previously, we have derived a novel allohexaploid Brassica doubled haploid (DH) population from two genetically different synthetic Brassica allohexaploid parents (2n = AABBCC). However, the underlying mechanisms of seed yield in novel Brassica allohexaploids are unclear. In this study, we aim to explore the genetic basis of yield-related traits controlling seed yield in this allohexaploid Brassica DH population.

The cuticle covers and protects aerial plant tissues from biotic and abiotic stressors, due in part to its unique composition of cuticular wax compounds and the presence of epicuticular wax crystals. The shape of these crystals is known to be dictated by specific compounds dominating the wax mixture. This study aimed to elucidate the chemical basis for such structures and understand the underlying wax biosynthetic mechanisms in two Rosaceae subfamilies: Amygdaloideae and Rosoideae.

Distinctive bicarpellate, elongate, capsular fruits from the early to middle Eocene Green River flora of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, USA, previously named Danaea coloradensis Knowlton 1923, match those of Carpolithus scalariformis Reid and Chandler 1933 from the early Eocene London Clay flora of southern England. We call attention to this biogeographical disjunction, revise the taxonomic nomenclature, and investigate the morphology and potential affinities of the newly recognized genus, Scalarifructus.

The evolutionary history of Fagus is incompletely understood. A unique association of leaves and reproductive structures of Fagus from the Miocene of South China extends our knowledge of morphological variability of Fagus in the geologic past and informs patterns in the evolution of beeches.

Plant elicitor peptides (Peps), which originate from their precursor proteins known as PROPEPs, play essential roles as signaling molecules that modulate both plant defense responses and developmental processes.

Genetic diversity is associated with sexual reproduction and is a driver of plant adaptation and diversification. However, there are also successful but almost exclusively vegetatively reproducing species. Among them is the Eurasian herbaceous woodland species Cardamine bulbifera. Since the Last Glacial Maximum the species expanded as an understory woodland plant in Europe. The dodecaploid species stems from the gene pool of diploid sister species C. bipinnata and C. abchasica from the Caucasus region. We identified a genetically very diverse population in northeastern Austria (the unglaciated Thaya Valley) lacking signatures of contemporary gene flow in which genetic variation most likely stems from ancestral populations. We explored the hypotheses that genetic diversity observed is a remnant of the past reticulate rather than contemporary gene flow.

Understanding spatiotemporal variation in plant functional traits and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) is essential to evaluate how plants respond to environmental change. In forests of the Congo Basin, we examined spatial and century-scale temporal trends in the morphological and physiological characteristics of the leaves of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner, a widespread understory species from West Africa to the African rift (Uganda).

Habitat loss and fragmentation are expected to erode genetic variation and contribute to genetic differentiation by limiting gene flow among isolated habitat patches. Yet, isolated plant populations often retain genetic diversity and exhibit limited population genetic structure. Using an assessment of genetic diversity and pollination patterns in Asclepias viridiflora across 6400 hectares of fragmented prairie remnants in western MN (USA), we aimed to (1) characterize the spatial genetic structure of A. viridiflora in a fragmented landscape and (2) evaluate if pollen movement contributes to gene flow among isolated patches. This spatial scale of our sampling area allowed us to detect pollination events over several kilometers, if they occurred.

Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium, IWG) is an emerging perennial grain currently being domesticated, but its adoption is constrained by a yield decline particularly between the 1st and the 2nd years, which basis is still poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that this decline is primarily driven by shifts in senescence dynamics triggered by plant aging, leading to a limitation on photoassimilate remobilization towards seed filling in the second production year.

The UN-Decade on Restoration declared that 'invest in research' is a critical strategy, as restoration is complex and practices that work in one ecosystem may have adverse impacts in another. However, large-scale restoration has been implemented quickly across the neglected and misunderstood tropical savannas without a corresponding advance in evidence-based guidelines. In other words, we do not know what we are doing.

Plant-plant interactions are crucial in Mediterranean ecosystems for coping with drought conditions, but it remains unclear how these interactions are modulated during plant establishment. This study examined how drought influences plant performance during early life stages and whether interactions depend on functional similarity and phylogenetic distance to the neighbourhood.

The influence of Ficus extends beyond its numbers (800 species), and fig trees are often key-stone species in their habitats. Ficus fills many tropical forest niches. The past 15 years have witnessed an explosion of research in Ficus, and its obligate mutualists in the chalcid family Agaonidae, but also on its wider community of interactants. Long-standing ideas have been challenged and pathways to speciation have been explored. We aim to stimulate collegiate discussion: why are there not more species of fig?

Worldwide, climate change and human activities are accelerating the decline and mortality of adult trees, largely driven by hydraulic dysfunction. While the hydraulic limitation hypothesis (HLH) is well-documented in tall trees, its relevance to the decline of tall shrubs remains poorly understood. Although widely distributed across China, the dioecious shrub Hippophae rhamnoides is experiencing widespread decline. However, the role of height-related hydraulic constraints in shrub decline, especially among dioecious species, is still unclear.

Acrocomia is a Neotropical palm genus that recently gained attention for its potential as a multipurpose crop. Among its species, A. aculeata and A. totai stand out for their potential in sustainable biofuel production and ecosystem restoration. Despite their relevance, the genomic structure and domestication history of these species remain poorly understood. This study aims to characterize the genetic structure and diversity of A. aculeata and A. totai across their natural distribution, to understand the biogeographic processes behind their differentiation, and to investigate the domestication history of A. aculeata through a genetic, ecological, archaeobotanical, and ethnographic lens.

The earliest land plants adapted to the terrestrial environment through physiological and morphological changes, giving rise to differentiated plant lineages. During the Silurian period, however, these plants exhibited uniform external morphology, consisting of leafless, dichotomously branched axes with terminal sporangia. This study focuses on an unusual trilobed structure at the axial tips of a plant fossil from the Přídolí of the Prague Basin. The aim is to provide a detailed description of these structures and interpret their nature.

Trade-offs between current reproduction and future performance are fundamental constraints on evolution. In dioecious plants, females and males may differ in how much of a limiting resource they allocate to reproduction, creating trade-offs that could be sex-specific and environmentally dependent. If so, physiological differences in resource use are expected to coincide with differential costs of reproduction for females versus males, but how these costs are expressed across environmental contexts remains poorly understood.

Cycads are the most threatened group of seed plants, with isolation and habitat fragmentation among the primary drivers of species decline. Understanding how genetic diversity is distributed across populations is crucial for informing conservation management and identifying genetically vulnerable populations that require conservation attention.

Shifts in lineage diversification rates, shaped by speciation and extinction, are influenced by morphological, ecological, and genetic changes. In this study, we investigate the drivers of diversification in Carex, considering chromosome number evolution, bioclimatic variables (temperature and precipitation), and morphological traits (culm and lateral spike unit lengths), along with their evolutionary rates.