Early developmental stages of most organisms (e.g., embryos or floral buds) exhibit highly environmental sensitivity, making the protection of vulnerable offspring and its evolutionary implications a central theme in life history studies. A typical example is the amniotic fluid in mammals, which creates a stable microenvironment throughout gestation.
Humans enjoy sweet drinks, and some animals, too, are drawn to floral “sweet water,” making them important pollinators. Most nectar is colorless, but a few plants produce more conspicuous colored nectar to attract pollinators. It has been proposed that colored nectar may function as an honest signal, helping pollinators associate nectar color with reward, thereby enhancing pollination efficie...
A new study led by researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KIB/CAS), has identified 15 high-priority areas for plant conservation across the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding regions—known collectively as the Third Pole
With the intensification of global agriculture, the annual production of 14 billion tons of crop straw and 125 million tons of livestock manure poses a significant disposal challenge.
Camouflage is a common defensive strategy among animals and has long been a focus in evolutionary biology. By altering their body color and patterns, animals avoid detection or recognition to either ambush prey or evade predators.
Buzz pollination, a process where bees vibrate flowers to release pollen, occurs in more than 20,000 plant species, including tomatoes and blueberries.
As one of the globally cultivated and consumed staple food crops, potato plays a vital role in ensuring food security. However, intensive potato cultivation has resulted in a series of environmental challenges, including soil degradation, water resource depletion, and increased risks of microbial contamination.
Species within the genus Pseudosolorina are characterized by the discrete, disc-shaped apothecium, exhibiting unique morphological features that facilitate reliable field identification even in natural habitats. Historically, taxa displaying these characteristics were classified under the genus Solorina. However, our research reveals two morphologically distinct clades within Solorina, which ar...
Modern cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) originates from interspecific hybridization between two octoploid wild species—F. virginiana and F. chiloensis. However, the divergence in centromere characteristics and evolutionary trajectories between the wild and cultivated octoploids has remained poorly understood.
