Kunth. was introduced to northern Australia from Africa as a forage crop but has become an invasive species that increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires. This study used freehand sectioning, microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy to compare leaf morphology of specimens from Australia and Africa to identify potential variations and describe characteristics that make it such successful as a weed. Leaf hairiness was found to be highly variable and may enhance its adaptability to Australian environments. Photograph by Keith R. McDonald ..read more

Pollination syndromes were allocated for all plants in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region, an ancient landscape and global biodiversity hotspot. Allocations based on floral traits were highly consistent and well supported by visitor records and scientific studies. Their complexity was highest in large plant families, involving many pollination transitions, especially from general insects to bees, birds or the wind. Photograph by Mark Brundrett ..read more

Considering the role of plant species in the functioning of ecosystems, it is important to understand the ecological strategies that allow their survival in contrasting environments. We evaluated the functional responses of two species in a environment and highlighted that species occuring in environmental gradients need to develop a set of diverse strategies to deal with differences in resource availability. Last, our comprehension of the survival mechanisms of plants helps us create accurate model predictions for entire ecosystems. Image by Beatriz Barbosa ..read more

Unlike most other groups, Myrtaceae flowers have oil glands in floral tissues. The apex of anthers of most species has an oil gland that can be obvious and globular or embedded within the apical tissues. Depending on the species, the oil may deter herbivores from eating the anthers, may mix with pollen to aid adhesion to pollinators or may be chemically modified to be a food source for pollinators. Photograph by P. Ladd ..read more

This study examined how floristically diverse components of wet sclerophyll forest and adjoining dry sclerophyll communities in the Nightcap Range, North Coast, New South Wales, responded to fire. Functional and phytogeographical clades composing the flora displayed distinctive patterns of resprouting and seedling-recruitment fire response. Predominant fire responses (OSR, FR and OR) in phytogeographic clades in WSRf were: Gondwanan-rainforest (OR), immigrant-rainforest (OSR) and autochthonous-sclerophyll components (OSR and FR), with exceptions. The species complex in intergrading rainforest ..read more

species dominate parts of northern Australia and contain potentially useful traits for crop improvement, but the diversity within these species has not been sufficiently examined. We assessed phenotypic and genotypic diversity of three species and found unexpected complexity in the relationships among the environment, genotype and phenotype. Our results challenge assumptions that diversity levels can be assumed from phenotype or environment alone, with implications for conservation and crop improvement. Photograph by Jack McCausland ..read more

Insects can live inside plant galls, and the composition of the gall cell walls plays an important role in its structure and function. Herein, the cell walls of galls changed throughout the developmental stages of and between storage and nutritive tissues. Cell wall epitopes in the storage tissue gave it a good balance between rigidity and flexibility, and xyloglucans in the nutritive tissue seem to be important for the insect’s diet in the larval stage. Image by Patrícia Dias Santos ..read more

Chemical and isotopic analyses of lead in lichen and fungal herbarium collections were used to reconstruct patterns of deposition over a period of 150 years in eastern Australia. The central role of herbaria in two case studies of temporal changes in atmospheric lead pollution is discussed and used to address future collection management challenges. Photograph by Dr Xinyu Wang ..read more

Seed science is fundamental for addressing global challenges including biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, sustainable development and restoration. This paper highlights current and emerging directions in seed science and conservation, summarises the Australasian Seed Science Conference 2021, and introduces this Special Issue of the ..read more

Chemical and isotopic analyses of lead in lichen and fungal herbarium collections were used to reconstruct patterns of deposition over a period of 150 years in eastern Australia. The central role of herbaria in two case studies of temporal changes in atmospheric lead pollution is discussed and used to address future collection management challenges. Photograph by Dr Xinyu Wang ..read more