Summary Pollination syndromes are a key component of flowering plant diversification, prompting questions about the architecture of single traits and genetic coordination among traits. Here, we investigate the genetics of extreme floral divergence between naturally hybridizing monkeyflowers, Mimulus parishii (self‐pollinated) and M. cardinalis (hummingbird‐pollinated). We mapped quantitative trait

SummaryDroughts of increasing severity and frequency are a primary cause of forest mortality associated with climate change. Yet, fundamental knowledge gaps regarding the complex physiology of trees limit the development of more effective management strategies to mitigate drought effects on forests. Here, we highlight some of the basic research needed to better understand tree drought physiology and

Introduction Mountains play crucial roles in sustaining biodiversity by simultaneously serving as cradles, museums, or graves (Rangel et al., 2018; Rahbek et al., 2019), and are vital for the survival and sustainable development of human societies (Perrigo et al., 2020). The long-term changes in temperature and precipitation regimes driven by global warming have the potential to cause significant shifts

Summary Abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) are important plant hormones in response to drought stress. We have identified that ZmHsf28 elevated ABA and JA accumulation to confer drought tolerance in maize; however, the underlying mechanism still remains elusive. The knockout line zmhsf28 is generated to confirm the positive role of ZmHsf28 in drought response. Multiple approaches are combined

Summary The barley disease Septoria Speckled Leaf Blotch, caused by the fungus Zymoseptoria passerinii, last appeared in North America in the early 2000s. Although rare in crops, field sampling of wild grasses in the Middle East revealed the disease persistence in wild barley. Identification of Z. passerinii in various wild barley species prompted us to examine genomic signatures of host specialization

SummaryGlobal demand for food may rise by 60% mid‐century. A central challenge is to meet this need using less land in a changing climate. Nearly all crop carbon is assimilated through Rubisco, which is catalytically slow, reactive with oxygen, and a major component of leaf nitrogen. Developing more efficient forms of Rubisco, or engineering CO2 concentrating mechanisms into C3 crops to competitively

Summary Changes in chromosome numbers are a prominent driver of plant evolution, impacting ecological diversification, stress tolerance, and phenotypes. ChromEvol is a widely used software tool for deciphering patterns of chromosome‐number change along a phylogeny of interest. It evaluates the fit of alternative models to the data, estimates transition rates of different types of events, and infers

Summary Tropical cyclones (TCs) sporadically cause extensive damage to forests. However, little is known about how TCs affect forest dynamics in mountainous terrain, due to difficulties in modelling wind flows and quantifying structural changes. Typhoon Mangkhut (2018) was the strongest TC to strike Hong Kong in over 40 yr, with gusts > 250 km h−1. Remarkably, the event was captured by a dense anemometer

There has been widespread interest in developing trait-based models to predict photosynthetic capacity from leaves to ecosystems (Walker et al., 2014; Xu & Trugman, 2021), but comparably less for nonphotorespiratory mitochondrial CO2 release (dark respiration, Rdark). This is significant, given that about half of the CO2 released from plants is via Rdark – which occurs day and night – and supports

Summary During periods of stomatal closure, such as drought, plant leaves continue to lose water at a rate determined by the minimum leaf conductance, gmin. Although gmin varies with temperature, less is known about what drives this variation, including how the pathways of water loss (cuticle or stomata) vary with temperature. We used gas exchange and bench drying methods to measure gmin and cuticular

Summary Plant height is a critical agronomic trait that affects crop yield, plant architecture, and environmental adaptability. Gibberellins (GAs) regulate plant height, with DELLA proteins acting as key repressors in the GA signaling pathway by inhibiting GA‐induced growth. While DELLA phosphorylation is essential for regulating plant height, the precise mechanisms underlying this process remain incompletely

New Phytologist 244 (2024), 1408–1421, doi: 10.1111/nph.20153 Since its publication, the authors of El Arbi et al. (2024) have identified that under the heading ‘RNA extraction, strand-specific RNA sequencing and data analysis’, the text ‘MRNA sequences were aligned with Salmon (v.0.14.2) (Patro et al., 2017) to the A. thaliana Reference Transcript Dataset 2 (Zhang et al., 2017)’ should read ‘MRNA

Summary There is an increasing demand to boost photosynthesis in rice to increase yield potential. Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis, and increasing their number and size is a potential route to elevate photosynthetic activity. Notably, bundle sheath cells do not make a significant contribution to overall carbon fixation in rice, and thus, various attempts are being made to increase chloroplast

Summary Passion flower extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) protrude from leaves and facilitate mutualistic interactions with insects; however, how age cues control EFN growth remains poorly understood. Here, we examined leaf and EFN morphology and development of two Passiflora species with distinct leaf shapes, and compared the phenotype of these to transgenics with manipulated activity of the age‐dependent

Summary Nitrogen (N) uptake by plant roots from soil is the largest flux within the terrestrial N cycle. Despite its significance, a comprehensive analysis of plant uptake for inorganic and organic N forms across grasslands is lacking. Here we measured in situ plant uptake of 13 inorganic and organic N forms by dominant species along a 3000 km transect spanning temperate and alpine grasslands. To generalize

Summary Plant root exudates are involved in nutrient acquisition, microbial partnerships, and inter‐organism signaling. Yet, little is known about the genetic and environmental drivers of root exudate variation at large geographical scales, which may help understand the evolutionary trajectories of plants in heterogeneous environments. We quantified natural variation in the chemical composition of

Summary Low‐temperature stress causes various types of physiological and biochemical damage to plants. The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family transcription factor HY5 plays a significant role in multiple stress responses in plants. Here, cold stress was found to induce the upregulation of MdHY5 expression, which, in turn, positively regulates the cold tolerance of apple (Malus domestica). MdHY5 directly

Summary Plant immunity is suppressed in the symbiotic nodule cells, thereby facilitating rhizobial infection. Medicago truncatula NODULES WITH ACTIVATED DEFENSE1 (MtNAD1) is crucial for suppressing immunity in nodules; however, its molecular function is unclear. We explored the molecular basis of the role of MtNAD1 in suppressing innate immunity in M. truncatula nodules. Medicago truncatula mutants

Summary Juniperus spp. are keystone shrubs in western North America and important climatic indicators in paleo‐records. However, a lack of taxonomic resolution among fossil species limits our ability to track past environmental changes. Plant macrofossils at Rancho La Brea (RLB) allow for reconstructions of juniper occurrence to species across 60 000 yr. We use microscopy, image analysis, species distribution

Summary A unique cell size‐sensing mechanism is at the heart of the life cycle of diatoms. During population growth, cell size decreases until a sexual size threshold (SST) is reached, below which cells become sexually competent. In most pennate diatoms, the two mating types undergo biochemical and behavioral differentiation below the SST, although the molecular pathways underlying their size‐dependent

Summary Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (Fol) that causes a globally devastating wilt disease on tomato relies on the secretion of numerous effectors to mount an infection, but how the pathogenic fungus precisely regulates expression of effector genes during plant invasion remains elusive. Here, using molecular and cellular approaches, we show that the histone H4K8 acetyltransferase FolSas2 is

Summary Nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations might reflect the strategies described in the leaf economic spectrum (LES) due to their dependence on photosynthesis and respiration. We examined if NSC concentrations correlate with leaf structure, chemistry, and physiology traits for 114 species from 19 sites and 5 biomes around the globe. Total leaf NSC concentrations varied greatly from 16

Summary Many plant species experience a prolonged subterranean phase during which they rely entirely on mycorrhizal fungi for carbon. While this mycoheterotrophic strategy spans liverworts, lycophytes, and ferns, most empirical research has centered on angiosperms. This study explores the fungal associations of Sceptridium (Ophioglossaceae), an early‐diverging fern with mycoheterotrophic gametophytes

Summary The mode of transport of lignin monomers to the sites of polymerization in the apoplast remains controversial. C‐Lignin is a recently discovered form of lignin found in some seed coats that is composed exclusively of units derived from caffeyl alcohol. RNA‐seq and proteome analyses identified a number of transporters co‐expressed with C‐lignin deposition in the seed coat of Cleome hassleriana

SummaryProtein isoforms (PIs) play pivotal roles in regulating plant growth and development that confer adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. PIs are widely present in plants and generated through alternative splicing (AS), alternative polyadenylation (APA), alternative initiation (AI), and ribosomal frameshifting (RF) events. The widespread presence of PIs not only significantly increases

A response to Antala et al. (2024): ‘Nonphotochemical quenching does not alter the relationship between sun-induced fluorescence and gross primary production under heatwave’ We appreciate Antala et al. (2024) for their critical assessment of our article titled ‘Heatwave breaks down the linearity between sun-induced fluorescence and gross primary production’ (Martini et al., 2022), and support their

A comment on Martini et al. (2022): ‘Heatwave breaks down the linearity between sun-induced fluorescence and gross primary production’ Sun-induced fluorescence (SIF) is a remote sensing signal that has recently received substantial attention due to its origin from plants' photosynthetic apparatus, which makes it more related to photosynthesis than reflectance-based vegetation indices (Mohammed et al

Summary Tropical forests play a large role in the global carbon cycle by annually absorbing 30% of our annual carbon emissions. However, these forests have evolved under relatively stable temperature conditions and may be sensitive to current climate warming. Few experiments have investigated the effects of warming on large, mature trees to better understand how higher temperatures affect these forests

Summary Photosynthetic protists, named microalgae, are key players in global primary production. The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a well‐studied model organism. In nature, it dwells in acetate‐rich paddy rice soil, which is not mimicked by standard liquid laboratory conditions. Here, we maintained the algae in a liquid environment with spatially structured 3‐D components (S3‐D) and

Summary The barley Mla locus contains functionally diversified genes that encode intracellular nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat receptors (NLRs) and confer strain‐specific immunity to biotrophic and hemibiotrophic fungal pathogens. In this study, we isolated a barley gene Scs6, which is an allelic variant of Mla genes but confers susceptibility to the isolate ND90Pr (BsND90Pr) of the necrotrophic

Summary Lignin, a major wood component, is the key limiting factor for wood conversion efficiency. Its biosynthesis is controlled by transcriptional regulatory networks involving transcription factor (TF)–DNA interactions. However, the epigenetic mechanisms underlying these interactions in lignin biosynthesis remain largely unknown. Here, using yeast one‐hybrid, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and electrophoretic

SummaryCellular membranes primarily consist of proteins and lipids. These proteins perform cellular functions such as metabolic regulation, environmental and hormonal signal sensing, and nutrient transport. There is increasing experimental evidence that certain lipids, particularly anionic phospholipids, can act as signaling molecules. Specific examples of functional regulation by anionic phospholipids

Summary Strigolactones (SLs) and gibberellins (GAs) have been found to inhibit plant branching or tillering, but molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay between SL and GA signaling to modulate tillering remain elusive. We found that the transcription factor OsMADS23 plays a crucial role in the crosslink between SL and GA signaling in rice tillering. Loss‐of‐function mutant osmads23 shows normal

SummaryChannelrhodopsins (CHRs), originating within algae and protists, are membrane‐spanning ion channel proteins that are directly activated and/or deactivated by specific wavelengths of light. Since 2005, CHRs have been deployed as genetically encoded optogenetic tools to rapidly advance understanding of neuronal networks. CHRs provide the opportunity to finely tune ion transport across membranes

The New Phytologist Foundation is delighted to announce that Professor Maarja Öpik will take up the position of Editor-in-Chief of New Phytologist from January 2025, for an initial term of 5 years. Maarja has served as a member of New Phytologist's editorial board since 2013 and is a professor of Molecular Ecology and Director of the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences at the Faculty of Science

SummaryThe plant community has a strong track record of RNA sequencing technology deployment, which combined with the recent advent of spatial platforms (e.g. 10× genomics) has resulted in an explosion of single‐cell and nuclei datasets that can be positioned in an in situ context within tissues (e.g. a cell atlas). In the genomics era, application of proteomics technologies in the plant sciences has

Summary Floral traits, including floral display and nutritional rewards from pollen and nectar, drive pollinator visitation. Even within a single plant species, environmental factors can influence the quality and quantity of floral resources. Yet, the ecological interactions driving this variation in floral resources, especially those belowground, remain unknown. Here, we investigate how soil microbial

Summary Soil salinization is a major factor limiting the sustainable development of the grape industry. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are more stable than linear mRNAs and are involved in stress responses. However, the biological functions and molecular mechanisms underlying antisense circRNAs in plants remain unclear. We identified the antisense circRNA VvcircABH through high‐throughput sequencing. Using

Summary Carbon reserves are distributed throughout plant cells allowing past photosynthesis to fuel current metabolism. In trees, comparing the radiocarbon (Δ14C) of reserves to the atmospheric bomb spike can trace reserve ages. We synthesized Δ14C observations of stem reserves in nine tree species, fitting a new process model of reserve building. We asked how the distribution, mixing, and turnover

Summary Ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) exhibits catalytic promiscuity, resulting in error‐prone reactions and the formation of inhibitory sugar phosphates. Specifically, Xylulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate (XuBP) acts as an inhibitor by binding to the active site of Rubisco, thereby impairing its catalytic function. Thermolabile Rubisco activase (Rca) facilitates the release of such

Summary Climate change is forcing species to shift their distribution ranges. Animal seed dispersers might be particularly important in assisting plants tracking suitable climates to higher elevations. However, this role is still poorly understood due to a lack of comprehensive multi‐guild datasets along elevational gradients. We compiled seed dispersal networks for the five altitudinal vegetation

Summary Pollen has an extraordinary ability to convert from a dry state to an extremely rapidly growing state. During pollination, pollen receives water and Ca2+ from the contacting pistil, which will be a directional cue for pollen tube germination. The subsequent rapid activation of directional vesicular transport must support the pollen tube growth, but the molecular mechanism leading to this process

The flowering plant life cycle is completed by an alternation of diploid and haploid generations. The diploid sporophytes produce initial cells that undergo meiosis and produce spores. From haploid spores, male or female gametophytes, which produce gametes, develop. The union of gametes at fertilization restores diploidy in the zygote that initiates a new cycle of diploid sporophyte development. During

Summary Marine microalgae demonstrate a notable capacity to adapt to high CO2 and warming in the context of global change. However, the dynamics of their evolutionary processes under simultaneous high CO₂ and warming conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we analyze the dynamics of evolution in experimental populations of a model marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. We conducted whole‐genome

Summary The precise mechanisms by which plant viral proteases interact with and cleave host proteins, thereby participating in virus–host interactions, are not well understood. Potyviruses, the largest group of known plant‐infecting RNA viruses, are known to rely on the nuclear inclusion protease a (NIa‐Pro) for the processing of viral polyproteins. Here, we demonstrate that the proteolytic activity

Summary Rice false smut disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens, significantly restricts both the production and quality of rice grains. However, the molecular mechanism underlying rice resistance against U. virens remain largely elusive. Transcriptome analysis of rice panicles infected with U. virens revealing the crucial role of genes involved in sakuranetin biosynthesis in conferring

Summary Whole genome duplication (WGD) likely plays an important role in plant macroevolution, and has been implicated in diversification rate shifts, structural innovations, and increased disparity. But the general effects of WGD are challenging to evaluate, in part due to the difficulty of directly comparing morphological patterns across disparate clades. We explored relationships between WGD and

Summary Bolting time is an important agronomic trait in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) production. Premature bolting significantly reduces crop quality and marketability. Here, we report map‐based cloning and characterization of a LsKN1 gene that controls bolting in lettuce. A segregating population was developed by crossing a crisphead‐type cultivar with a stem‐type cultivar to genetically map and clone

Summary The response of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis to environmental fluctuations involves resource exchange between host plants and fungal partners, associations between different AM fungal taxa, and biomass allocation between AM fungal spore and hyphal structures; yet a systematic understanding of these responses to meadow degradation remains relatively unknown, particularly in Xizang alpine

A comment on Bochynek & Burd (2024) ‘Pollination efficiency and the pollen–ovule ratio’ There is a long-debated question in pollination biology regarding the effect of selection on pollen production. Intuitively, one would expect selection for increased pollen production if pollen is a limiting resource (i.e. only a fraction of ovules is successfully fertilised). Yet, classical sex allocation theory

New Phytologist, 225(2020), 2048–2063, doi: 10.1111/nph.16272. Since its publication, it has been brought to our attention that there are errors in the article by Yan et al. (2023). Some of the images in Figs 7, 8 & S11 were duplicated in error during the compilation of these figures. The correct Figs 7, 8 & S11, and the associated legends, are given below. We apologize to our readers for these errors

Introduction While conventional intensive agricultural practices allowed yields to drastically increase to feed a growing population, this relied mainly on plant breeding and a large use of inputs (e.g. fertilizers and pesticides). However, inputs have negatively impacted the environment, biodiversity and human health. Now agricultural production faces the challenge of supplying an increasing world

SummaryThe potential for widespread sink‐limited plant growth has received increasing attention in the literature in the past few years. Despite recent evidence for sink limitations to plant growth, there are reasons to be cautious about a sink‐limited world view. First, source‐limited vegetation models do a reasonable job at capturing geographic patterns in plant productivity and responses to resource

Summary Fossilized plant–insect herbivore associations provide fundamental information about the assembly of terrestrial communities through geologic time. However, fossil evidence of associations originating in deep time and persisting to the modern day is scarce. We studied the insect herbivore damage found on 284 Eucalyptus frenguelliana leaves from the early Eocene Laguna del Hunco rainforest locality

SummaryThe tall eucalypt forests (TEFs) of the Australian tropics are often portrayed as threatened by ‘invasive’ neighboring rainforests, requiring ‘protective’ burning. This framing overlooks that Australian rainforests have suffered twice the historical losses of TEFs and ignores the ecological and paleobiological significance of rainforest margins. Early Eocene fossils from Argentina show that

Summary Understanding the evolution of pathogen resistance genes (nucleotide‐binding site‐leucine‐rich repeats, NLRs) within a species requires a comprehensive examination of factors that affect gene loss and gain. We present a new reference genome of Solanum chilense, which leads to an increased number and more accurate annotation of NLRs. Using a target capture approach, we quantify the presence–absence

Cultivating knowledge to enable accurate estimates of soil carbon fluxes has never been more critical as we contend with climate change. Nevertheless, the incredible diversity of soil communities and the environmental conditions that they experience obfuscates this understanding. Many of these environmental scenarios are influenced by the widespread, human-caused disturbance that has characterized