Tree species mixing increases stand productivity and density
The benefits of the mixture come on top of the other well-known superiority of provisioning and regulation services.
Category: Close Encounters
Impacts of herbivory on perennial grass species of the Northern Great Basin
How does herbivory impact the survival and growth of three perennial grass species commonly used to revegetate dryland ecosystems?
What happens when pollinators bring the wrong pollen?
Surely once insects have brought pollen to a flower, then plant-plant interaction is over? Not so, says Gerardo Arceo-Gómez, who argues that heterospecific (or other plants’) pollen arriving in a flower might affect plant diversity.
The colour of background vegetation reveals how bees see flowers
Studying how bees perceive flowers gives insight into how pollinators have influenced flower evolution.
Susceptibility to olive quick decline syndrome is linked to xylem anatomy
Can differences in xylem anatomy explain the contrasting responses of two olive cultivars to infection by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa?
Honey bees are bad news for some plants in search of pollination
Some people fixate on honey bees as essential for pollination. Reality is more complicated. For one species, honey bee visits actively harm its chances of pollinating a partner.
The pros and cons of ant mutualism in epiphytic Tillandsia species
Ants provide protection and nutrients to some plant species but are there downsides to this mutualistic relationship?
Do hybrids help a plant expand their range, or do they get in the way?
While hybrid plants might be less successful than their parents, if enough survive they can backcross with a parent species. This can help a parent colonise a new territory.
Ant protection from elephant herbivory in West African Acacias
Ants can provide effective protection from elephant herbivory in East African Acacia species, but is this true for species of West Africa?
Do flowers removed of nectar and pollen attract fewer bumblebee pollinators?
Do pollen thieves and nectar robbers reduce flower attractiveness to bumblebee pollinators in Impatiens oxyanthera?
A healthy sunflower diet can help domesticated bumblebees avoid infection
Sunflower pollen can reduce parasite load for a bumblebee, but it’s not clear how.
Rising sea levels influence a battle to beat the shade in plants
Increasing salinity could free some shade-averse plants from the shadows of their neighbours.
Grapes, mind the (cell wall) barricades against grey mould!
Grape cell walls could explain their susceptibility to fungal disease.
