The regulatory sequences of many genes encoding seed storage proteins have been used to drive seed-specific expression of a variety of proteins in transgenic plants. Because the levels at which these transgene-derived proteins accumulate are generally quite low, we investigated the utility of the arcelin-5 regulatory sequences in obtaining high seed-specific expression in transgenic plants. Arc...

Dry seeds of four cotton varieties were irradiated with 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 kR doses of gamma irradiation from Co source of gamma irradiation in 2012 at Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), 60 Tarnab, Peshawar, Pakistan. Three highly potential cotton varieties i.e. Gomal-93, Bt-131 and Bt-CIM-602 with irradiation of 15, 20 and 25 kR, respectively selected for the second year (May...

Invasive plants may compete with native plants by increasing the pressure of native consumers, a mechanism known as "apparent competition." Apparent competition can be as strong as or stronger than direct competition, but the role of apparent competition has rarely been examined in biological invasions. We used four years of demographic data and seed-removal experiments to determine if introduc...

Arabidopsis and other species, this work has also begun to reveal the levels of evolutionary conservation within the flowering plants and even outside the plant kingdom. What does the future hold for Antirrhinum research? In addition to its continuing role as a genetic model for plant biology and development, several new experimental avenues are beginning to be explored with Antirrhinum. A majo...

Generalized mutualisms are often predicted to be resilient to changes in partner identity. Variation in mutualism-related traits between native and invasive species however, can exacerbate the spread of invasive species ('invasional meltdown') if invasive partners strongly interact. Here we show how invasion by a seed-dispersing ant (Myrmica rubra) promotes recruitment of a co-introduced invasi...

Ant-aphid interactions may affect host plants in several ways, however, most studies measure only the amount of fruit and seed produced, and do not test seed viability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of the presence of ant-aphid interactions upon host plant productivity and seed viability in two different contexts: isolated and within an arthropod community. For this...

electron micrographs of many plant features and details of their reproduction. “Our work results from an enthusiasm to communicate and express our shared passion and fascination for the beauty of sexual reproduction among flowering plants,” the authors write. Their aim is to engage audiences for the research and conservation work in the plant sciences carried out throughout the world. And they ...

Plant biologists have an enduring interest in assessing components of plant fitness and determining limits to seed set. Consequently, the relative contributions of resource and pollinator availability have been documented for a large number of plant species. We experimentally examined the roles of resource and pollen availability on seed set by the northern pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. We...

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is an invasive weed of field crops and human-disturbed habitats in Europe. As well as in its natural range (North America), common ragweed is a threat to human health due to its abundant allergenic pollen release. Most studies have been focused on airborne pollen monitoring, but to date, no data have been available on precise individual plant pollen a...