Plant Biology Teaching Resources (Higher Education)

"TCP (TEOSINTE BRANCHED1-CYCLOIDEA-PCF) transcription factors participate in plant developmental processes associated with cell proliferation and growth. Most members of class I, one of the two classes that compose the family, have a conserved Cys at position 20 of the TCP DNA binding and dimerization domain. We show that Arabidopsis thaliana class I proteins with Cys20 are sensitive to redox conditions.."

"There are several examples of transcription factors whose activity is modified by redox agents in plants. The best studied case is perhaps the NPR1-TGA system (Després et al., 2003; Mou et al., 2003; Lindermayr et al., 2010)."

"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

Parts of the vast High Plains Aquifer, once a prodigious source of water, are now so low that crops can’t be watered and bridges span arid stream beds.

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 ....