Flowering plants, or angiosperms, are a clade of seed-producing vascular plants characterized by flowers, enclosed ovules, and fruits that develop from ovaries. They exhibit double fertilization, producing both a diploid zygote and a triploid endosperm, and possess highly diversified floral structures that underpin complex pollination syndromes. Angiosperms dominate most terrestrial ecosystems in species richness, morphological diversity, and functional roles, driving global primary productivity and biogeochemical cycles. Research on flowering plants spans phylogenomics, developmental genetics of floral organs, plant–pollinator coevolution, and physiological adaptations, making them central model systems for understanding plant evolution, speciation, and ecosystem dynamics.
For flowering plants, reproduction is a question of the birds and the bees. Attracting the right pollinator can be a matter of survival—and new research shows how flowers do it is more intriguing than anyone realized, and ...
Evolution
Jan 27, 2026
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A recent study shows that viruses in wild bees are closely linked to the flowers they visit and the availability of floral resources across the landscape. Researchers found that certain floral communities increase the likelihood ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 15, 2026
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Angiosperms, also known as flowering plants, represent the most diverse group of seed plants, and their origin and evolution have long been a central question in plant evolutionary biology. Whole-genome duplication (WGD), ...
Evolution
Jan 2, 2026
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The centromere is necessary for the transport of chromosomes during cell division and, therefore, for the correct transmission of genetic information. Most plants and animals have chromosomes with a single centromere, known ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 22, 2025
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Aquatic plants are specialized evolutionary groups adapted to life in water. They play critical roles as food and medicinal supplies (e.g., lotus root and foxnut) and industrial raw materials (e.g., reeds), as well as in ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 12, 2025
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At the base of mossy trees, deep in the mountains of Taiwan and mainland Japan or nestled in the subtropical forests of Okinawa, grows what most might mistake for a mushroom—but it is actually a very unique plant with some ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 10, 2025
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Floral scents play essential ecological roles, attracting pollinators and deterring herbivores. Geraniol, a monoterpene with a sweet, rose-like aroma, is a major commercial fragrance component widely used in the perfume and ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 17, 2025
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Hops are an essential ingredient in beer brewing and an important economic crop. The female flowers of hops are covered in tiny glandular trichomes that synthesize and store a variety of specialized metabolites, collectively ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 5, 2025
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Using information on alpine plant species, researchers investigated how the chemistry of flowers' scent affects not only the diversity of insect pollinators but also the communities of bacteria living on the flowers.
Ecology
Oct 22, 2025
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That vibrant carpet of pink and yellow flowers blanketing Mediterranean cliffs might look beautiful in holiday photos on a social media feed. But scientists have discovered these same Instagram snapshots are revealing how ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 15, 2025
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