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.
Tag: gymnosperms
Flowering plants spelled the end of gymnosperm dominance
Coupled with the negative effects of global cooling, angiosperms pushed gymnosperm extinction past the point of recovery.
Scientists suggest bringing a fresh set of eyes to the problem, ‘When did the first flowers evolve?’
A disagreement on when flowers evolved could be solved by studying the real experts on pollination, the pollinators.
Unexpected flowers in the Jurassic
Did flowering plants appear earlier than the fossil record indicates? Two papers independently conclude they did – and suggest what fossil evidence we should look for.
Integrative approaches to understanding angiosperm origins and diversity
The rise of angiosperms should be studied as part of the global increase in biodiversity.
Phylogenetic and functional signals in ovular secretions of gymnosperms
This study reinforces the antiquity of insect–plant pollination mutualisms in Gnetophyta, which have a fossil record beginning in the Triassic.
Photosynthetic plasticity and survival across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary
Why did Gingko almost disappear during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction when ferns did so well? The answer has relevance for future atmospheric changes.
A stable phylogeny for the cycads
Giant organisms, giant genomes…
Humans are 98% junk! But a carnivorous plant is far more efficient – containing only 3% junk-DNA.
