Plants capable of selfing are more likely to become naturalized

Plants capable of selfing are more likely to become naturalized

Many plant species have established self-sustaining populations outside their natural range because of human activities. Plants with selfing ability should be more likely to establish outside their historical range because they can reproduce from a single individual when mates or pollinators are not available. Here, we compile a global breeding-system database of 1,752 angiosperm species and us...

South African Iridaceae with rapid and profuse seedling emergence are more likely to become naturalized in other regions

1 Plant invasions constitute a large biological problem and screening protocols are needed to assess the invasive potential of species considered for introduction. However, insufficient information is available on species characteristics associated with successful establishment outside their native range. 2 We tested experimentally whether seed and seedling emergence characteristics and early g...

Mechanisms underlying myogenesis: complex and likely to become more so!

IN THIS ISSUE, Geiger and her colleagues (7) provide an excellent and comprehensive database of mRNA abundance and protein expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms in the rat diaphragm during a period of rapid growth [i.e., postnatal days (P) 0, 14, 28, and 84 (adult)]. Although the authors postulated that changes in mRNA abundance would be followed by concomitant changes in MHC protein ...

Are generous people more likely to vote?

Policymakers in the Unites States and many other countries encourage charitable giving through various subsidies. In the United States, for instance, charitable contributions can be deducted from taxable income making the price of giving inversely related to the marginal tax rate. However, the net effects of such subsidies can be better understood by exploring the relationship between generosit...

Food Taxes: How Likely Are Likely Effects?