Flower color is one of the most important features of ornamental plants. Its development and regulation are influenced by many internal and external factors. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of color development and its regulation provides an important theoretical basis and premise for the cultivation and improvement of new color varieties of ornamental plants. This paper outlines the fun...

Recently, fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of morphological traits has attracted great attention as a short-cut measure of individual quality. Whereas there is some evidence that FA of sexual ornaments is negatively associated with immune function, studies concerning FA and immune function in non-ornamental traits are absent. Here, we tested whether FA of three non-ornamental traits in hind limbs is ...

The propagation of palms for agricultural and ornamental purposes is accomplished typically by seeds. The few exceptions are certain cultivars of Phoenix dactylifera and some ornamental palms such as Rhapis spp., which propagate by vegetative (division) and tissue culture. Because of slow, irregular germination in most species, seed propagation may be a challenge. New palm species are being int...

The Early Cretaceous bird Jeholornis was previously only known to have a distally restricted ornamental frond of tail feathers. We describe a previously unrecognized fan-shaped tract of feathers situated dorsal to the proximal caudal vertebrae. The position and morphology of these feathers is reminiscent of the specialized upper tail coverts observed in males of some sexually dimorphic neornith...

The capacity to control developmental and morphogenetic processes in vitro has always been the fascination and primary focus of many ornamental tissue culture studies. Thin cell layers or TCLs were first used to control the development of flowers, roots, shoots and somatic embryos in tobacco pedicels. Since those studies over 30 years ago, TCLs have been successfully used in the micropropagatio...

Marigold botanically identifies as Tagetes (Compositae) genus is an ethnobotanically known drug, used from ancient times in the Indian system of Medicine for the treatment of rheumatism, cold, bronchitis, eye diseases, ulcers etc. Tagetes species, commonly known as marigold, are grown as ornamental plants and thrive in varied agro-climates. The genus has been recognized as a potential source of...

BACKGROUND Antimicrobials are used to directly control bacterial infections in pet (ornamental) fish and are routinely added to the water these fish are shipped in to suppress the growth of potential pathogens during transport. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To assess the potential effects of this sustained selection pressure, 127 Aeromonas spp. isolated from warm and cold water ornamental fi...

Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) methods for evaluating invasiveness in plants have evolved rapidly in the last two decades. Many WRA tools exist, but none were specifically designed to screen ornamental plants prior to being released into the environment. To be accepted as a tool to evaluate ornamental plants for the nursery industry, it is critical that a WRA tool accurately predicts non-invasivene...

The marine ornamental fish trade began in the 1930s in Sri Lanka, spread to Hawaii and the Philippines in the 1950s, and expanded to a multi-million dollar industry in the 1970s with fisheries established throughout the tropical Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Currently, 45 countries supply global markets an estimated 14-30 million fish annually, with an import value of US$28-44 million. T...

Many animal displays involve colorful ornamental traits that signal an individual's quality as a mate or rival. Brilliant iridescent ornaments are common, but little is currently known about their production cost and signaling value. One potential cost of colorful ornaments is the acquisition of limited dietary resources that may be involved, directly or indirectly, in their production. Protein...