Navigation Links
Can plants be altruistic? You bet, says new CU-Boulder-led study
Date:2/1/2013

enefactor is a close relative of the beneficiary. When the endosperm gives all of its food to the embryo and then dies, it doesn't get more altruistic than that."

In corn reproduction, male flowers at the top of the plants distribute pollen grains two at a time through individual tubes to tiny cobs on the stalks covered by strands known as silks in a process known as double fertilization. When the two pollen grains come in contact with an individual silk, they produce a seed containing an embryo and endosperm. Each embryo results in just a single kernel of corn, said Diggle.

The team took advantage of an extremely rare phenomenon in plants called "hetero-fertilization," in which two different fathers sire individual corn kernels, said Diggle, currently a visiting professor at Harvard. The manipulation of corn plant genes that has been going on for millennia -- resulting in the production of multicolored "Indian corn" cobs of various colors like red, purple, blue and yellow -- helped the researchers in assessing the parentage of the kernels, she said.

Wu, who cultivated the corn and harvested more than 100 ears over a three-year period, removed, mapped and weighed every individual kernel out of each cob from the harvests. While the majority of kernels had an endosperm and embryo of the same color -- an indication they shared the same mother and father -- some had different colors for each, such as a purple outer kernel with yellow embryo.

Wu was searching for such rare kernels -- far less than one in 100 -- that had two different fathers as a way to assess cooperation between the embryo and endosperm. "It was very challenging and time-consuming research," said Friedman. "It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, or in this case, a kernel in a silo."

Endosperm -- in the form of corn, rice, wheat and other crops -- is critical to humans, providing about 70 percent of calories we consume annually worldwide. "The tis
'/>"/>

Contact: Pamela Diggle
pamela.diggle@colorado.edu
303-550-3065
University of Colorado at Boulder
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Not just for the birds: Man-made noise has ripple effects on plants, too
2. Human noise has ripple effects on plants
3. Plants mimic scent of pollinating beetles
4. Stomata development in plants unraveled -- a valuable discovery for environmental research
5. Scientists study the catalytic reactions used by plants to split oxygen from water
6. Which plants will survive droughts, climate change?
7. A bit touchy: Plants insect defenses activated by touch
8. UCSB study shows forest insects and diseases arrive in US via imported plants
9. Nutrient and toxin all at once: How plants absorb the perfect quantity of minerals
10. Neural stem cell transplants for spinal cord injury maximized by combined, complimentary therapies
11. Autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cell transplants can reduce diabetic amputations
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Can plants be altruistic? You bet,  says new CU-Boulder-led study
(Date:5/23/2013)... mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the ... approach toward treating certain liver diseases. , With ... are changing long-held views in the field. Study results ... Science Signaling . , "The dogma in the ... only receptors located in the nucleus respond to steroid ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... new report from the Institute of Medicine says schools ... least 60 minutes of vigorous or moderate intensity activity ... of American youth meet current evidence-based guidelines of at ... activity daily, according to the report, which was released ... nearly half of their waking hours, the committee recommends ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... in Neuron , the team reveal the interplay ... work funded by the Wellcome Trust and BBSRC. ... stimuli we improve our perceptual abilities. While these changes ... can also affect the fidelity of that response. ... Neuroscience explains: "When you communicate with others, you can ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):UCI study reveals new mechanism for estrogen suppression of liver lipid synthesis 2Schools should provide students with daily physical activity, IOM recommends 2
... to be the window to the soul, conveying much about ... first time that birds also respond to a humans gaze. ... they attack, so direct eye-gaze can predict imminent danger. Julia ... her colleagues, set up experiments that showed starlings will keep ...
... Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Bioacoustics Research ... teamed up with an international energy company and federal ... Atlantic right whales in New England waters. Building ... and telecommunications, the team built and installed ten auto-detection ...
... Ancient farmers were growing sunflowers in Mexico more than ... team of researchers that includes Florida State University anthropologist ... the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of ... University of Cincinnati said their evidence confirms that farmers ...
Cached Biology News:Are you looking at me? 2New whale detection buoys will help ships take the right way through marine habitat 2New whale detection buoys will help ships take the right way through marine habitat 3Sunflower debate ends in Mexico, researchers say 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 24, 2013 ... angefertigt – Bei der englischen ... , 91 % der Teilnehmer einer groß angelegten ... 20 % laut GINA [*] -Definition [1] als ... Menschen mit Asthma generell einer von vier Denkweisen zugeordnet ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 Graphite Metallizing ... self-lubricating bushings mounted in stainless steel pillow blocks. ... of GRAPHALLOY with the application and installation versatility ... Pillow Blocks work exceptionally well when submerged ... hostile liquids such as acids, alkalies, hydrocarbons, black ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 PI’s new ... and provide 15 mm travel range with closed-loop ... small dimensions make these new positioners the ideal ... A vacuum rated version is also available. ... and datasheets can be found at: , ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 On April ... trips to supermarkets to search for the growing antibiotic ... aisles. Results from a year long study were released ... in foods, specifically meats, over previous years. For those ... the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria in food, may ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 2Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 3Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 4Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 5Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 6Neue Forschungsergebnisse zeigen Verbindung zwischen suboptimaler Asthmaversorgung und Patienteneinstellungen in Europa auf 7Graphite Metallizing Now Offers GRAPHALLOY® Stainless Steel Pillow Blocks for Success in Submersible Applications 2Graphite Metallizing Now Offers GRAPHALLOY® Stainless Steel Pillow Blocks for Success in Submersible Applications 3Precision Positioning System Uses Miniaturezed Piezo Linear Motor: LPS-24 Linear Stage by PI 2Acne Cream, Probiotic Action Shares News on How Some Food may Breed Acne Causing Bacteria 2
... ULURU Inc. (Amex: ULU ),today announced that it ... a recent development, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 10:00 ... please dial (800) 357-0498 for,international callers dial (850) 429-1388 ... initiation of the teleconference. If you are unable to,listen ...
... July 8 Biotech and pharmaceutical,firms are ... to streamline the,complicated drug discovery process, reports ... approaches rely on a combination,of high-throughput screening ... to an article in the July issue,( ...
... Have you ever wondered why a,starfish can completely grow ... fact that a salamander can regenerate a severed leg, ... Many of us have asked the same,questions for a ... are beginning to find the answers. What,s even,more exciting ...
Cached Biology Technology:ULURU Inc. Announces Update on Recent Development 2GEN Reports on Novel Hit-to-Lead Drug Discovery Strategies 2Pittsburgh Region Middle School Students Participate in Hands-on Tissue Engineering Summer Camp 2Pittsburgh Region Middle School Students Participate in Hands-on Tissue Engineering Summer Camp 3
... The new FLA-5000 imaging system ... radioisotopic samples as large as ... as low as 25 microns. ... for protein electrophoresis in the ...
SDS-OutT SDS Precipitation Reagent...
... tray. Ideal for staining westerns and includes ... multipurposes. Pour spouts in each corner facilitate ... may be used for identification. Lid is ... shakers for staining several gels simultaneously. Lid ...
... centrifugal filters are disposable microfiltration devices for the ... the range 100 l to 500 l. They ... 2.2 ml centrifuge tubes. Product Features: ... Low hold up volume ( Fast ...
Biology Products: