Analysis of genetic mutations is one of the most effective ways to investigate gene function. We now have methods that allow for mass production of mutant lines and cells in a variety of model species. Recently, large numbers of mutant lines have been generated by both 'loss-of-function' and 'gain-of-function' techniques. In parallel, phenotypic information covering various mutant resources has...

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 394-407 Abstract Mycorrhizal fungi influence plant growth, local biodiversity and ecosystem function. Effects of the symbiosis on plants span the continuum from mutualism to parasitism. We sought to understand this variation in symbiotic function using meta-analysis with information theory-based model selection to assess the relative importance of factors in five cate...

Plant-herbivore interactions shape community dynamics across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. From amphipods to elephants and from algae to trees, plant-herbivore relationships are the crucial link generating animal biomass (and human societies) from mere sunlight. These interactions are, thus, pivotal to understanding the ecology and evolution of virtually any ecosystem. Here, we ...

The variety of plant architectures observed in nature is predominantly determined by vegetative and reproductive branching patterns, the positioning of lateral organs, and differential stem elongation. Branches, lateral organs, and stems are the final products of the activity of meristems, groups of stem cells whose function is genetically determined and environmentally influenced. Several deca...

Plant dcfcncr rcsponscs to pathogcn clicitation, plant ccll growth and dcvclopmcnt arc complex and highly integrated pmcesses. Intcraction betwecn host plant and pathogcn result in significant differences in defence gcnc cxprcssion. A mynad 01 defence-related gcncs arc induccd in many caws of inumpati blc interaction betwccn host plant and pathogcn. Tcchniqucs that monitor individual rcsponscs ...

To understand many aspects of the metabolism of complex plant structures such as leaves, fruit and roots it is important to understand how metabolic processes are compartmentalized between tissues. The aim of this article is to show how immunohistochemistry, in conjunction with biochemical and physiological studies, is useful in understanding both the function of an enzyme in a tissue and metab...

Plant trait variation drives plant function, community composition and ecosystem processes. However, our current understanding of disproportionately relies on aboveground observations. Here we integrate root traits into the global framework form function. We developed tested an overarching conceptual that integrates two recently identified gradients with a well-established framework. confronted...

In metabolic scaling theory the size-dependence of plant processes is described by a power function of form Y=Y o M (θ) where Y is a characteristic such as plant productivity that changes with plant size (M) raised to the θ (th) power and Y o is a normalization constant that adjusts the general relationship across environments and species. In essence, the theory considers that the value of θ ar...