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Seed banks preserve plant diversity
'Some seed gene banks contain more higher plant species per square meter than anywhere else on the planet', write Simon Linington and colleagues of the Millenium Seed Bank, Kew, in the October issue of Biologist. This helps to 'ensure plant diversity is available long term for use in development or... view more (2003-10-02)

Catastrophic shift in species diversity and productivity of an ecosystem
Ecology and environmental management is largely predicated on the view that ecosystems respond to environmental changes in a smooth and straightforward way. However, in Ecology Letters, May, Schmitz reports on a long-term field experiment that may prompt a hard, critical look at this reigning view.... view more (2004-05-04)

All species are not created equal when assessing the impacts of species loss on ecosystems
Numerous studies have shown that when species are randomly lost from communities, ecosystem function declines. But such patterns of species loss do not reflect those in natural communities where major drivers of change, such as stress and disturbance, cause preferential loss of rare and uncommon... view more (2003-05-22)

An unexpected outcome of atmospheric CO2 enrichment
Unseen belowground interactions impact the composition of natural plant communities. Mycorrhizae, symbiotic associations between soil fungi and plant roots, help plants acquire soil nutrients but also drain substantial carbon from plants. Whether mycorrhizae help or hinder plant growth depends upon... view more (2003-05-22)

Drought sensitivity shapes species distribution patterns in tropical forests
Looking at a rainforest it's easy to see that there are hundreds of different tropical plant species that inhabit the forest. Although the patterns of plant distributions in tropical forests have been widely studied, the reasonings behind these patterns are not as well known.   view more (2007-05-15)

Whitefly spreads emerging plant viruses
A tiny whitefly is responsible for spreading a group of plant viruses that cause devastating disease on food, fiber, and ornamental crops, say plant pathologists with The American Phytopathological Society (APS).   view more (2007-01-19)

Study: Rain forest insects eat no more tree species than temperate counterparts
A study initiated by University of Minnesota plant biologist George Weiblen has confirmed what biologists since Darwin have suspected-that the vast number of tree species in rain forests accounts for the equally vast number of plant-eating species of insects.   view more (2006-08-24)

Too much water, fertilizer bad for plant diversity
Too much of multiple good things - water or nutrients, for example - may decrease the diversity of plant life in an ecosystem while increasing the productivity of a few species, a UC Irvine scientist has discovered.   view more (2007-03-27)

Manipulating biotope space can enhance beneficial biodiversity effects
Using diverse plant mixtures instead of monocultures can increase yield and other ecosystem goods and services on which humans depend. Recent studies showed that such beneficial effects of biodiversity depend on complementarity between species in resource use, as is the case if species root in... view more (2004-06-10)

How to share a bat
New research shows how different species of plants evolve unique floral adaptations in order to transfer pollen on different regions of bats' bodies, thus allowing multiple plant species to share bats as pollinators.   view more (2007-08-23)

Scientists warn that species extinction could reduce productivity of plants on Earth by half
An international team of scientists has published a new analysis showing that as plant species around the world go extinct, natural habitats become less productive and contain fewer total plants -- a situation that could ultimately compromise important benefits that humans get from nature.   view more (2007-11-06)

Ecosystems with many plant species produce more and survive threats better
Ecosystems containing many different plant species are not only more productive, they are better able to withstand and recover from climate extremes, pests and disease over long periods, according to a new study.   view more (2006-06-01)

Brown Scientists Say Biodiversity Is Crucial to Ecosystem Productivity
In the first experiment involving a natural environment, scientists at Brown University have shown that richer plant diversity significantly enhances an ecosystem's productivity.   view more (2008-04-25)

Climate change opens new avenue for spread of invasive plants
Plants that range northward because of climate change may be better at defending themselves against local enemies than native plants.   view more (2008-11-20)

Grazer diversity counteracts plant diversity effects on ecosystem functioning in seagrass beds
Several influential experiments have shown that high plant diversity enhances ecosystem productivity, animal diversity, and invasion resistance. Yet theory predicts that plant and herbivore diversity, which often co vary in nature, should have countervailing effects on ecosystem properties. In the... view more (2003-07-02)

Woody and aquatic plants pose greatest invasive threat to China
Although China currently has fewer invasive woody plants than the United States, China's potential for invasion by nonnative trees and shrubs is high, according to an article in the May 2008 issue of BioScience.   view more (2008-05-01)

Thale cress goes on the defensive
Thale cress has a complicated defence technique against insects and microorganisms that use the plant as a source of food.   view more (2007-05-15)

Vineyard weeds found to host Pierce's disease of grapes
New research just released in the September issue of Plant Disease suggests that weeds commonly found in California's wine country may enable the spread of Pierce's disease of grapes, one of the most destructive plant diseases affecting grapes.   view more (2005-09-22)

Ruminating cows receive digestive aid
Scientists at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research are developing new plant breeding techniques which can improve the efficiency of cow digestion and reduce pollution at the same time. Grass isn't the easiest food to digest, and even cows appear to have difficulty doing it... view more (2004-04-01)

Biologists Produce Global Map of Plant Biodiversity
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego and the University of Bonn in Germany have produced a global map of estimated plant species richness. Covering several hundred thousand species, the scientists say their global map is the most extensive map of the distribution of biodiversity on... view more (2007-03-21)

Drought limits tropical plant distributions, scientists at the Smithsonian report
Drought tolerance is a critical determinant of tropical plant distributions, researchers working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama report in the journal Nature, May 3.   view more (2007-05-03)

DNA 'barcode' identified for plants
A 'barcode' gene that can be used to distinguish between the majority of plant species on Earth has been identified by scientists who publish their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.   view more (2008-02-06)

Symbiotic fungi promote invasion into diverse plant communities (Rudgers et al.)
The biodiversity of a community can affect its functional properties, such as its productiveness or its ability to resist invasion by exotic species. Many grass species host fungi in their leaves that can render them more resistant to herbivory, drought, and competition. In a forthcoming issue of... view more (2003-12-10)

Global changes alter plant growth schedule
Any gardener knows that different plant species mature at different times. Scientists studying natural plant communities know this phenomenon allows species to co-exist by reducing overlap so there is less competition for limited resources.   view more (2006-09-05)

Why does species diversity vary so much?
The diversity of life varies predictably with climate and is greatest where it is warm and wet (the humid tropics). But the question "why" has puzzled biologists for over a century. In the December issue of Ecology Letters, Currie and colleagues examine three hypotheses about the origin... view more (2005-01-11)
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