It's not food, so why would cats chew on catnip and silver vine? Scientists have found cats are improving the plants' mosquito repellent by damaging the leaves in a specific way.
Plants have no opportunity to get out of the sun into the shade, so how do they avoid damage by UV-B light? The answer lies in the cuticle, the outermost layer of a plant.
Botanists show for the first time that reduced phosphorus investment in lipids in plants improves phosphorus use efficiency in rice without reducing photosynthesis.
"As water potential is regarded the best indicator of plant water status, because it is the integrated result of above- and below-ground environmental conditions, it holds promise as a pivotal model variable to which...