A new global-scale modeling study that takes into account nitrogen -- a key nutrient for plants -- estimates that carbon emissions from human activities on land were 40 percent higher in the 1990s than in studies that did not account for nitrogen. Plant regrowth -- and therefore carbon assimilation by plants -- is limited by nitrogen availability, causing other studies to overestimate regrowth and underestimate net emissions from the harvest-regrowth cycle.

Biocontrol programs use an invasive plant's natural enemies (insects and pathogens) to reduce its population. Most biocontrol programs combine many different enemies. Some combinations of enemy species can actually end up competing or interfering with each other, instead of attacking the weed.

In low doses, hydrogen sulfide, a substance implicated in several mass extinctions, could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new research shows.

Showing a range of peculiar habits and difficult to be discovered and collected, Ypsolophid moths present an exciting catch for scientists. Russian entomologists have discovered and described two species of these engaging moths, coming from the southernmost areas of the Russian Far East.

A team of researchers has succeeded in transforming cellulose into starch, a process that has the potential to provide a previously untapped nutrient source from plants not traditionally though of as food crops.

Researchers believe they have solved a puzzle that has long vexed science. The researchers provide the first three-dimensional model of an enzyme that links a simple sugar, glucose, into long-chain cellulose, the basic building block within plant cell walls that gives plants structure. Cellulose is nature's most abundant renewable biomaterial and an important resource for production of biofuels that represent alternatives to fossil fuels.

New research fuels hope of efficient hydrogen production with green algae may be possible in the future, despite the prevailing scepticism based on previous research.

The extraordinary level of conservation of the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) mitochondrial genome has redefined our interpretation of evolution of the angiosperms (flowering plants). This beautiful ‘molecular fossil’ has a remarkably slow mutation rate meaning that its mitochondrial genome has remained largely unchanged since the dinosaurs were roaming Earth.

Stepping into unexplored territory in efforts to use corn stalks, grass and other non-food plants to make biofuels, scientists have now described the discovery of a potential treasure-trove of candidate enzymes in fungi thriving in the feces and intestinal tracts of horses.

Some plants, such as succulents, have managed to grow very plump leaves. For that to happen, according to a new study, plants had to evolve three-dimensional arrangements of their leaf veins. That's how they could maintain adequately efficient hydraulics for photosynthesis.

Proteomics is a powerful technique for examining the structure and function of the proteome. Proteomics can uncover the relationship between DNA, RNA, and the production of proteins -- enabling the comparison of the genome to the proteome. For organisms that have not yet been sequenced, proteomics facilitates the discovery and identification of proteins. A new study demonstrates the suitability of proteomics in determining the composition of gymnosperm pollination drops.

Fruit-eating animals are known to use their spatial memory to relocate fruit, yet, it is unclear how they manage to find fruit in the first place. Researchers have now investigated which strategies chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, use in order to find fruit in the rain forest. The result: Chimpanzees know that trees of certain species produce fruit simultaneously and use this botanical knowledge during their daily search for fruit.

Rising temperatures will lead to a massive "greening" of the Arctic by mid-century, as a result of marked increases in plant cover, according to new research.

A new discovery about the malaria-related parasite Toxoplasma gondii -- which can threaten babies, AIDS patients, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems -- may help solve the mystery of how this single-celled parasite establishes life-long infections in people. The study places the blame squarely on a family of plant proteins, known as AP2 factors.

Taking an approach similar to that used for discovering new therapeutic drugs, chemists have found several compounds that can boost oil production by green microscopic algae, a potential source of biodiesel and other "green" fuels.

Scientists have found that the plant species making up an ecosystem are better predictors of ecosystem chemistry than environmental conditions such as terrain, geology, or altitude. This is the first study using a new, high-resolution airborne, chemical-detecting instrument to map multiple ecosystem chemicals.

Enormous amounts of energy are wasted in greenhouses where our food is grown as a result of the plants receiving too much and the wrong kind of light. This can also stress and damage the plants. Researchers are working on a globally unique method to measure how much and what type of light plants want.

Scientists have described technology that accelerates microalgae’s ability to produce many different types of renewable oils for fuels, chemicals, foods and personal-care products within days using standard industrial fermentation.

Genes from the family of bacteria that produce vinegar, Kombucha tea and nata de coco have become stars in a project -- which scientists today said has reached an advanced stage -- that would turn algae into solar-powered factories for producing the "wonder material" nanocellulose. They have now reported on advances in getting those genes to produce fully functional nanocellulose.

Researchers have managed to breed for the first time in captivity a marine animal known as the snakelocks anemone and have also begun breeding a species of sea cucumber although this process is still in its initial stages. Both species have great culinary potential and possess excellent nutritional properties.