Ancient pollen yields insight into forest biodiversity
Arlington, Va.--By analyzing data on tree pollen extracted from ancient lake sediments, ecologists ...anges in species abundance that are evident in the pollen record." So, Clark and McLachlan examined existing data on pollen from red maple, birch, beech, ash,...Gene may produce drought-resistant plants
...nt also has a male sterility problem that prevents pollen from activating the stigma, where reproduction begins. "The cloning of WAX2 is providing evidence that lipids in the cuticle may serve as signals that control how plants develop," Jenks said. "Lipids in animals are known to play important roles in re...Stung by success: Intensive farming may suppress pollinating bees
...focused on watermelon because it requires a lot of pollen and multiple bee visits to produce marketable frui... the flowers, they determined the median number of pollen grains deposited in each visit. Then, in each of their selected locations, the researchers watched w...Multitasking genes manage related traits in plants
...e the plant and carry away genetic material in the pollen to other flowers. If a flower's tube where the nectar is was short in relation to its stamens, the male parts of the flower, a bee could dive in, nab nectar and leave without rubbing up against the anthers and picking up their pollen. "A flower has...November GEOLOGY and GSA TODAY media highlights
...(from changes in the relative abundance of various pollen types), and (2) independent proxies for past climates (e.g., stable isotopes, aquatic fossil assemblages), are ideal for study because they minimize correlation uncertainty. From a synthesis of high-resolution sediment records from eastern Canada an...Maize's starch pathway found limited
...ity in maize's starch pathway: crossing maize with pollen from its wild relative, teosinte; searching for and extracting important genetic material from Latin or South American maize; or using transgenics, or genetic engineering. Each possibility's rewards come with risks, however. Teosinte's yield is not ...Wildlife corridors shown effective
... different species of butterflies, the movement of pollen from a holly plant, and seed dispersal from a holl...her rates than between isolated patches. To study pollen movement, the researchers planted male deciduous holly plants in the central patch and female holly ...The prehistory of neotropical lowland forests
...rought at the end of the Mayan Classic Period, the pollen record showed the vegetation was not greatly affected except for maize and associated weedy species. Calcite deposited in caves over thousands of years preserves information on changes in rainfall over time. Matt Lachniet of STRI reported on work (w...New gene discovered for male fertility in plants
A new gene shown to be essential for pollen production in flowering plants has been discovered... necessary for the formation of cells required for pollen production, will be published in the 1 August 2002 issue of the journal Genes and Development. "Th...Muddy Mayan mystery made clearer by researchers working in the bajos
...ds a layer of wetland peat, containing evidence of pollen from trees, aquatic plants and corn. But at the end of the Preclassic era, this layer was buried in layers of clay sediment. Judging from these layers, the team says, farming began to deforest the landscape as the Maya population escalated. With the...Study offers a rare view of how species interactions evolve
...process, the moths pollinate the flowers, carrying pollen from one flower to another on their abdomens. After the eggs hatch, the moth larvae feed on the plant's seeds. In extensive field surveys, the researchers found the moths associated with every population of L. parviflorum they sampled. Further studi...Ancient flower fossil points to underwater origins
...stretching up in the water to the surface with its pollen and seed organs extending above the water, Dilcher said. The seeds probably dispersed in the water and floated up along the shore and germinated in shallow water, he said. "The mysteries of the origin and radiation of the flowering plants r...UF expert: ancient fossil suggests flowers may be underwater gift
...stretching up in the water to the surface with its pollen and seed organs extending above the water, Dilcher said. The seeds probably dispersed in the water and floated up along the shore and germinated in shallow water, he said. The mysteries of the origin and radiation of the flowering plants remain amo...Experimental therapy stops allergic reactions in mice
...respond to ordinarily harmless substances, such as pollen or peanut proteins, by releasing chemicals such as histamine that trigger the symptoms of allergic reactions. Histamine, for example, causes swelling, sneezing, itching, and irritation. GE2 binds to receptor molecules on mast cells and basophils tha...May media highlights: GEOLOGY and GSA TODAY
...laciers retreated from North America. They studied pollen diagrams from across North America, which record changes of the vegetation in response to climate variations. The authors show that before the current warming caused by human activities, there were major reorganizations in the vegetation across all o...Genomic study breathes new life into asthma research
... genes plus environmental factors such as dust and pollen which can trigger bouts of asthma. A research team from the Schering-Plough Research Institute in New Jersey, are the first to produce a profile of the genes expressed during a simulated asthma attack in the Philippine cynomolgus monkey. This specie...Cost of inbreeding in Arabidopsis
... mates with itself 99 percent of the time - its pollen will fertilize its own stigma." Flies forced to inbreed for thousands of generations might show the deleterious mutations found in the mustard weed. ...Pollen productionand allergiesmay rise significantly over next 50 years
...ent carbon dioxide levels produced 61 percent more pollen than normal. Such a doubling of atmospheric carbon...dioxide to a million parts air. The indoor ragweed pollen results61 percent more in the second moduleecho the findings of a recent study conducted outdoors in...Potential allergy vaccine boosts hope for sufferers
...veloped a potential vaccine for hayfever and other pollen related allergies. The breakthrough could provide ...e to the current immunotherapy used to treat grass pollen allergies," says Associate Professor Prem Bhalla, joint leader of the group. Their research is publi...Making plants better lovers: Scientists find gene responsible for reproductive success in plants
...ed that the presence of a potassium ion channel in pollen increases reproductive success. During pollination, pollen grains land on the female stigma (the receptacle portion of the female reproductive organ)and begin ...