Improvements to leaf photosynthetic rates of crops can be achieved by targeted manipulation of individual component processes, such as the activity and properties of RuBisCO or photoprotection. This study shows that simple forward genetic screens of mutant populations can also be used to rapidly generate photosynthesis variants that are useful for breeding. Increasing leaf vein density (concent...

Our understanding of leaf acclimation in relation to temperature of fully grown or juvenile tree crowns is mainly based on research involving spatially uncontrolled growth temperature. In this study, we test the hypothesis that leaf morphology and chemical elements are modulated by within-crown growth temperature differences. We ask whether within-species variation can influence acclimation to ...

The effects of water flow on the leaf-biofilm interface of Vallisneria natans and Hydrilla verticillata were investigated using artificial plants as the control. Water flow inhibited the growth of two species of submerged macrophytes, reduced oxygen concentrations in plant leaves and changed oxygen profiles at the leaf-biofilm interface. The results from confocal laser scanning microscopy and m...

The diversity of plant neighbors commonly results in direct, bottom-up effects on herbivore ability to locate their host, and in indirect effects on herbivores involving changes in plant traits and a top-down control by their enemies. Yet, the relative contribution of bottom-up and top-down forces remains poorly understood. We also lack knowledge on the effect of abiotic constraints such as sum...

The dynamics of leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been intensively explored in short-term experiments, but rarely at longer timescales. Here, we investigated leaf N : P stoichiometry over a 27-year interval in an Inner Mongolia grassland by comparing leaf N : P concentration of 2006 with that of 1979. Across 80 species, both leaf N and P increased, but the increase in leaf N lagged behi...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Slow coronary flow (SCF) is characterized by delayed contrast dye opacification without significant stenosis of epicardial coronary arteries. However, the pathophysiology and clinical implications of SCF are not fully understood. Some reports have suggested that SCF might be caused by atherosclerosis in the coronary artery microvasculature. Measuring carotid intima-med...

Leaf mass per area (LMA) is a morphological trait widely used as a good indicator of plant functioning (i.e. photosynthetic and respiratory rates, chemical composition, resistance to herbivory, etc.). The LMA can be broken down into the leaf density (LD) and leaf volume to area ratio (LVA or thickness), which in turn are determined by anatomical tissues and chemical composition. The aim of this...

Changes in dry matter and water-soluble carbohydrate components, especially fructan, were examined in the basal 25 mm of expanding leaf blades of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) to assess their roles in plant response to water deficit. Water was withheld from vegetative plants grown in soil in controlled-environment chambers. As stress progressed, leaf elongation rate decreased sooner...

response of tea plants to b deficiency was studied in hydroponic medium under environmentally controlled conditions. plants height, number of leaves and dry matter production of shoot and root were significantly decreased by b deficiency. concentration of chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins and flavonoids was not affected by b deficiency in the young leaf, while a significant reduction of ch...