Toxomerus basalis: The fly that uses a killer as a babysitter
Sundews are carnivorous plants that feed on small naive insects. So why does a fly deliberately lay its eggs on the plant?
Category: Close Encounters
Infectious bacteria force host plants to feed them
Not only do bacteria have tools to try to shut down plant defences, pathogens can also try to get the plant to direct water and food to help feed the attack.
What makes bees feel at home in the city?
A study of the bees of Toronto aimed to uncover what factors help or hinder urban pollinators.
Ecologists learn how to increase thieving by bumblebees
Bees are more likely to turn to robbery if there are plenty of flowers that they don’t have to rob in an area.
Gene expression reveals differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic infection in tobacco
Different types of plant interactions with a particular pathogen are characterized by the different oxylipin profiles of the host plant.
Weeds with a bad reputation have value for pollinators and biodiversity
Ecologists have found that weeds are far more valuable in supporting biodiversity than we give them credit for.
What does cyanobacteria look for in a good moss host?
Cyanobacteria can provide an important source of nitrogen for mosses, but some mosses are better at attracting them than others.
With hundreds of thousands of flowers, macadamia can be limited by not getting enough pollen
This study is the first to demonstrate pollen limitation in a mass-flowering tree.
Plants that have adapted to exploit human activity now depend on disturbance
Plants that have grown in partnership with human activity in meadows can be a great source of seeds for restoration projects, but their ability to germinate is also a problem.
What happens to carnivorous plants when the insects bite back?
A moth could be interfering with a pitcher plant’s reproduction by developing a taste for flowers – or at least parts of a flower.
Pathogens can’t hide under the covers
Research published in Phytobiomes shows that cover crops could help improve the health of crops.
Hawkmoths prefer for the young to eat with the competition
Food is critical for larvae development, so a good insect should lay her eggs away from other competition for food. That’s why scientists were surprised that female hawkmoths chose plants hosting competitors when laying eggs.
Herbivores can cause dioecious plants to partly swap sex
Rather than inherently being ‘male’ or ‘female’, Mercurialis annua can produce flowers as a plastic response to its environment.
When foraging for pollen from flowers, timing can be crucial
By timing their visits to twilight, just as nocturnal flowers are opening, some bees can grab most of Pseudobombax longiflorum‘s pollen.