The Plant Vigor Hypothesis (PVH) predicts an oviposition preference of females and higher offspring performance for insect herbivores on longer and fast-growing plant modules. We tested the PVH predictions by investigating the effects of leaf size of Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. (Melastomataceae) on the oviposition preference and on the offspring survival of the gall-inducing weevil Prospoliata bi...

This study addresses the question of how size-related changes in leaf morphology and physiology influence light absorption and carbon gain of the epiphytic bromeliad Vriesea sanguinolenta. A geometrically based computer model, Y-plant, was used for the three-dimensional reconstruction of entire plants and for calculation of whole plant light interception and carbon gain. Plants of different siz...

The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CYCD2;1 gene introduced in genomic form increased cell formation in the Arabidopsis root apex and leaf, while generating full-length mRNA, raised CDK/CYCLIN enzyme activity, reduced G1-phase duration, and reduced size of cells at S phase and division. Other cell cycle genes, CDKA;1, CYCLIN B;1, and the cDNA form of CYCD2;1 that produced an aberrantly splic...

Rhizophora mangle L. trees of Biscayne National Park (Florida, USA) have two distinct growth forms: tall trees (5-10 m) growing along the coast and dwarf trees (1 m or less) growing in the adjacent inland zone. Sharp decreases in salinity and thus increases in soil water potential from surface soil to about a depth of 1 m were found at the dwarf mangrove site but not at the tall mangrove site. ...

Production of silver nanoparticles from the leaf extracts of Pimenta dioica is reported for the first time in this paper. Three different sets of leaves were utilized for the synthesis of nanoparticles-fresh, hot-air oven dried, and sun-dried. These nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy and AFM. The results were diverse in that different sizes were seen for different leaf c...

Soil temperature influences crop growth and quality under field and greenhouse conditions; however, precise investigation using controlled cultivation systems is largely lacking. We investigated effects of root-zone temperatures on growth and components of hydroponically grown red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Red Wave) under a controlled cultivation system at 20 ̊C. Compared with ambient ...

Background: The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the sexual reproduction and the resource allocation in a natural Polygonatum humile population grown in a temperate mixed forest gap. For this aim, the plant size, the node which flower was formed, the fruiting rate, and the dry weight of each organ were monitored from June 2014 to August 2015. Results: Firstly, in 3–13-l...

Embryogenesis in flowering plants is controlled by a complex interplay of genetic, biochemical, and physiological regulators. LEAFY COTYLEDON2 (LEC2) is among a small number of key transcriptional regulators that are known to play important roles in controlling major events during the maturation stage of embryogenesis, notably, the synthesis and accumulation of storage reserves. LEC2 overexpres...

1. The optimal defence theory (ODT) of chemical defence provides a predictive framework for the distribution of anti-herbivore defences in plants. One of its predictions is that chemical defences will be allocated within a plant as a function of tissue value, where value is correlated with the cost of having that tissue removed. While many studies have examined intra-plant variation in defence ...

In 27 C4 grasses grown under adequate or deficient nitrogen (N) supplies, N-use efficiency at the photosynthetic (assimilation rate per unit leaf N) and whole-plant (dry mass per total leaf N) level was greater in NADP-malic enzyme (ME) than NAD-ME species. This was due to lower N content in NADP-ME than NAD-ME leaves because neither assimilation rates nor plant dry mass differed significantly ...