In grasses, obligate mutualist fungal endophytes (Neotyphodium spp.) have ecological and economic significance because of the impact of fungal secondary metabolites on herbivores. These endophytes infect leaves and stems ...

When barley, wheat or oat leaf epidermal cells were attacked by their appropriate forma specialis (f.sp.) of Blumeria graminis DC. Speer (f.sp. hordei, tritici and avenae, respectively), many attempted penetrations succeeded, ...

Rainforests biodiversity is sustained by the three-dimensional structure of their canopy which provides a wide range of physical microenvironments. Given the dynamic nature of the forest, the recognition of stable vertical ...

The evolution of the ability to synthesize specialized metabolites is likely to have been key for survival and diversification of different plant species. Oats (Avena spp.) produce antimicrobial triterpenoids (avenacins) ...

How plant cell-cycle genes interface with development is unclear. Preliminary evidence from our laboratory suggested that over-expression of the cell cycle checkpoint gene, WEE1, repressed growth and development. Here the ...

Traditionally, toxicity of river sediments is assessed using whole sediment tests with benthic organisms. The challenge, however, is the differentiation between multiple effects caused by complex contaminant mixtures and ...

Gene flow is a primary determinant of potential ecological impacts of transgenic trees. However, gene flow is a complex process that must be assessed in the context of realistic genetic, management and environmental ...