C4 photosynthesis is one of the most convergent evolutionary phenomena in the biological
world, with at least 66 independent origins. Evidence from these lineages consistently …

The evolution and subsequent ecological expansion of grasses (Poaceae) since the Late
Cretaceous have resulted in the establishment of one of Earth's dominant biomes, the …

Background Opal phytoliths (microscopic silica bodies produced in and between the cells of
many plants) are a very resilient, often preserved type of plant microfossil. With the …

We aimed to identify the limits of savanna across Africa, Australia and South America. We
based our investigation on the rich history of hypotheses previously examined: that the limits …

Nonhost resistance describes the immunity of an entire plant species against nonadapted
pathogen species. We report that Arabidopsis PEN2 restricts pathogen entry of two …

Over 450 pre-Columbian (pre-AD 1492) geometric ditched enclosures (“geoglyphs”)
occupy∼ 13,000 km2 of Acre state, Brazil, representing a key discovery of Amazonian …

Plants' ability to take up silicon from the soil, accumulate it within their tissues and then
reincorporate it into the soil through litter creates an intricate network of feedback …

Fundamental differences in the distribution of oceans and landmasses in the Northern and
Southern Hemispheres potentially impact patterns of biological diversity in the two areas …

Silicified plant tissues (phytoliths) preserved in Late Cretaceous coprolites from India show
that at least five taxa from extant grass (Poaceae) subclades were present on the Indian …

The Miocene is characterized by a series of key climatic events that led to the founding of the
late Cenozoic icehouse mode and the dawn of modern biota. The processes that caused …