Plant Biology Teaching Resources (Higher Education)

"One of the most astonishing secrets in biology is this: every plant you see makes two different plants from the same genome. And, scientists recently reported, a single gene from an ancient, powerful lineage can make the difference."

From the abstract... "We found evidence suggestive of the incorporation of adaptive Zea mays ssp mexicana [aka teosinte] alleles into maize during its expansion to the highlands of central Mexico. In contrast, very little evidence was found for adaptive introgression from maize to mexicana."

ScienceShot: Snap! How Carnivorous Plants Capture Prey - ScienceNOW.

"These results suggest that in carnivorous sundew plants the jasmonate cascade might have been adapted to facilitate carnivory rather than to defend against herbivores."

Ooh - nice!

Here's a link to the paper in ProcRoySocB http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/280/1759/20130228

Here's a review of how epigentic marks and chromatin organization affect the global regulation of Hox gene clusters, from the special issue of Proc. Roy. Soc. B. on "Regulation from a distance: long-range control of gene expression in development and disease."

From the abstract, "The fascinating correspondence between the topological organization of Hox clusters and their transcriptional activation in space and time has served as a paradigm for understanding the relationships between genome structure and function."

This short review is recommended for students of molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology etc...

The image, from the special issue cover, shows a mouse embry showing expression of the wild-type cat-derived sonic hedgehog ZRS limb enhancer - the dark spots are the developing fingers and toes (Image courtesy of Dr Laura Lettice.)

"The critical developmental switch from heterotrophic to autotrophic growth of plants involves light signaling transduction and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS function as signaling molecules that regulate multiple developmental processes, including cell death. However, the relationship between light and ROS signaling remains unclear. Here, we identify transcriptional modules composed of the basic helix-loop-helix and bZIP transcription factors PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR1 (PIF1), PIF3, ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5), and HY5 HOMOLOGY (HYH) that bridge light and ROS signaling to regulate cell death and photooxidative response."

"Using a new allele of the Medicago truncatula mutant Lumpy Infections, lin-4, which forms normal infection pockets but cannot initiate infection threads, we show that infection thread initiation is required for normal nodule development. lin-4 forms nodules with centrally located vascular bundles similar to that found in lateral roots rather than the peripheral vasculature characteristic of legume nodules."

Sixty seven pages, twenty seven figures, but still very readable. If you ever teach about transport or homeostasis, add this comprehensive update to your folder.

As the title indicates, this big review pulls together the latest information on the evolution, development and functions of the plant vascular system (including its role as an effective long-distance communication system).

"Multiple biological structures have demonstrated fog collection abilities, such as beetle backs with bumps and spider silks with periodic spindle-knots and joints. Many Cactaceae species live in arid environments and are extremely drought-tolerant. Here we report that one of the survival systems of the cactus Opuntia microdasys lies in its efficient fog collection system."

I missed this very nice article last December, but discovered it whilst reading this new COPB paper (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369526613000319).

I think the Nature Communication paper would be interesting for students - it's always good to augment your teaching with! botanical oddities! And it's got movies, too :)

A google search led to me this wonderful, information-rich site produced by the Australian National Botanic Gardens and the Australian National Herbarium. It's worth taking the time to explore the whole site - loads of well-written articles and photos about plants. The cultural history section is also interesting, especially the part about Aboriginal uses of plants.

How and why to use your PhD as leverage to get into teaching. Pros include job security, the joy of teaching, and (somewhat) shorter hours. I'm not sure about the summers off claim - most teachers I know don't really sit by the pool all summer ....

I was trying to find the correct citation for the classic 1935 and 1937 Flint and McAlister lettuce seed germination studies that showed the contrasting effects of red and far-red light, and I stumbled upon this summary of their work in a 1935 issue of Science News. It's kind of like opening a time capsule...

"ALMOST INVISIBLE LIGHT CAN RETARD PLANT GROWTH

A new and unsuspected link in the relationship between light and biological activity has been discovered by Dr. Lewis H. Flint of the Department of Agriculture and Dr E.D. McAlister of the Smithsonian Institution...... " (follow the link to read the rest).

Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect...