Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are regions of DNA with high diversity, and they have long been a mainstay for botanists examining the genetic structure of plant populations. However, as the cost of sequencing DNA continues ...
Biotechnology
Jan 31, 2020
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11
Accurately reconstructing the relationships between different species requires analyzing the sequences of a judiciously selected, and preferably large, sample of different genes. Hybrid capture with high-throughput sequencing, ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2019
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3
Analysis of leaf shape and size is a cornerstone of botany, and is crucial in answering a variety of ecological, evolutionary, genetic, and agricultural questions. However, the software packages used to conduct these morphometric ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2019
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2
Growth chambers are a cornerstone of laboratory-based plant science, allowing for the tightly controlled conditions necessary for many experimental designs. However, these conditions can sometimes be a little less than controlled, ...
Biotechnology
Nov 7, 2019
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15
As climate change accelerates, recording shifts in plant flowering times is critical to understanding how changes in climate will impact ecosystem interactions. Currently, when researchers reconstruct historical flowering ...
Ecology
Oct 3, 2019
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16
Remote sensor technologies like cameras, GPS trackers, and weather stations have revolutionized biological data collection in the field. Now researchers can capture continuous datasets in difficult terrain, at a scale unimaginable ...
Ecology
Aug 9, 2019
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9
Third-generation sequencing (TGS) technologies like the portable MinION sequencer promise to revolutionize biology, but getting there will require tweaking techniques. Particularly, the low output delivered by TGS sequencers ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 5, 2019
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13
Plant root systems play a crucial role in ecosystems, radically impacting everything from nutrient cycling to species composition. Despite their importance, scientists are just beginning to develop the tools to understand ...
Biotechnology
Jun 18, 2019
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9
As climate change looms, we urgently need to understand how ecosystems will respond. Plant phenology, or the timing of developmental events like flowering, offers a powerful lens to make sense of the changes we are likely ...
Ecology
Jun 6, 2019
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2
Plants can't run away to avoid being eaten, so instead they employ a variety of chemical defenses to keep herbivores at bay. Understanding plant chemical defenses is critical for keeping crops healthy, and for answering a ...
Biotechnology
Apr 3, 2019
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