Call for Papers: Special issue on the Ecology and Evolution of Plant Reproduction

Botanists have long been fascinated by the extraordinary diversity in flowering plant reproductive patterns and have sought to understand the ecological processes and genetic mechanisms influencing plant mating. Over the last five years, research progress in this discipline has rapidly accelerated. Important new insights in this field often combine elegant theoretical models with innovative field and laboratory experiments. Annals of Botany will release a Special Issue on the Ecology and Evolution of Plant Reproduction in January 2019, and it will highlight papers from 3 symposia at the XIX International Botanical Congress in Shenzhen, China. These symposia address 1) the evolution of floral traits, 2) the ecology and evolution of plant mating systems, and 3) the ecological circumstances and behavioral mechanisms that give rise to interspecific pollen transfer, as well as the evolutionary consequences of pollen misplacement.

The special issue will be edited by Annals of Botany North American editor Jeffrey Karron, and guest editors James Thomson, and Shuang-Quan Huang.  The journal also welcomes submission of additional papers on this topic, which can be considered for inclusion in the Special Issue, following the usual peer-review process.  All categories of manuscript are welcomed for this “open call for submissions” including review articles, primary research articles and viewpoints [See the AoB Author Information for Authors].

Manuscripts must be written concisely in clear English, and must meet the criteria for publication in Annals of Botany: papers that are novel, substantial, and advancing the field of plant science.  All papers in the Special Issue will be refereed against those criteria, and the usual standards for an international journal.

If you have a manuscript that you would like to be considered for this Special Issue of Annals of Botany, please send an outline (Title, Authors and 250–500 words) to office@annbot.com by 4th December, 2017. If the abstract is approved for consideration in the Special Issue, articles must be received via AoB’s submission portal by 1st March 2018, in order to be considered for peer review and possible inclusion in the Special Issue.

The 2019 Special Issue of Annals of Botany on Ecology and Evolution of Plant Reproduction builds on the Annals of Botany’s strong tradition of publication on plant reproductive biology. Previous Annals special issues on this topic include:  

Pollinator-Driven Speciation  (Vol. 113, No 2, January 2014)

Plant Mating Systems  (Vol. 109, February 2012)

Ecology and Evolution of Plant–Pollinator Interactions  (Vol 103, No 9, June 2009)