新しい研究により、サボテンは地球上で最も急速に進化する植物グループのひとつであることが明らかになった。その原動力は大きさや送粉者の変化ではなく、花そのものの形状の急速な変化にあるという。レディング大学によるこの研究成果は、ダーウィンの時代から続く種の形成に関する定説に異議を唱えるものだ。科学者らは750種以上のデータを分析し、この結論に至った。
レディング大学の研究チームは、数百種のサボテンの花の長さに関するデータを調査した。その結果、花の大きさは2ミリメートルから37センチメートルまで幅があるものの、この変異は新種の形成速度にはほとんど影響を与えていないことがわかった。むしろ、花が形状を変化させるスピードこそが、直近および古代の進化の過程における多様化の鍵となる要因であることが浮かび上がった。
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Collectors are racing to acquire rare plant cultivars and variegated leaves amid growing demand. Specialty nurseries offer limited preorders, while online auctions fuel bidding wars as spring nears. Younger buyers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, view these plants as symbols of individuality and lasting investment.
A study on the scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis) shows it recovered from a severe drought in California via rapid evolution, marking the first observed case of evolutionary rescue in the wild. Researchers led by Daniel Anstett at Cornell University tracked the plant's response to the 2012-2015 megadrought. While this offers hope for species facing climate change, experts note limitations for long-term adaptation.
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Extra copies of genetic material appear to have boosted the survival of flowering plants during Earth's major environmental crises, including the event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have revealed how squid and cuttlefish survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction by retreating to oxygen-rich deep-sea refuges. Their analysis of newly sequenced genomes shows these cephalopods originated in the deep ocean over 100 million years ago, followed by rapid diversification into shallow waters. The findings, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, provide the first comprehensive evolutionary tree for decapodiform cephalopods.
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Scientists have determined that structures once seen as traces of tiny animals in 540-million-year-old Brazilian rocks are actually fossilized communities of bacteria and algae. The reexamination uses advanced imaging to reveal preserved cells and organic material.
Researchers have discovered that aggressive green wall lizards, dubbed 'Hulk' lizards, are rapidly outcompeting and eliminating yellow and orange color morphs that coexisted for millions of years. The common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, across the Mediterranean now shows only white-throated individuals in many populations. A study analyzing over 10,000 lizards revealed this shift in evolutionary dynamics.
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An international team including researchers from Cornell University, the Boyce Thompson Institute, the University of Edinburgh, and others has uncovered how hornwort plants use a modified protein, RbcS-STAR, to cluster the key photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco into pyrenoid-like compartments. This mechanism boosts carbon capture and could enhance crop yields by up to 60 percent while reducing needs for water and fertilizers.