Current trends and future directions in flower development research.
نویسندگان
چکیده
Flowers, the reproductive structures of the approximately 400 000 extant species of flowering plants, exist in a tremendous range of forms and sizes, mainly due to developmental differences involving the number, arrangement, size and form of the floral organs of which they consist. However, this tremendous diversity is underpinned by a surprisingly robust basic floral structure in which a central group of carpels forms on an axis of determinate growth, almost invariably surrounded by two successive zones containing stamens and perianth organs, respectively. Over the last 25 years, remarkable progress has been achieved in describing the molecular mechanisms that control almost all aspects of flower development, from the phase change that initiates flowering to the final production of fruits and seeds. However, this work has been performed almost exclusively in a small number of eudicot model species, chief among which is Arabidopsis thaliana. Studies of flower development must now be extended to a much wider phylogenetic range of flowering plants and, indeed, to their closest living relatives, the gymnosperms. Studies of further, more wide-ranging models should provide insights that, for various reasons, cannot be obtained by studying the major existing models alone. The use of further models should also help to explain how the first flowering plants evolved from an unknown, although presumably gymnosperm-like ancestor, and rapidly diversified to become the largest major plant group and to dominate the terrestrial flora. The benefits for society of a thorough understanding of flower development are self-evident, as human life depends to a large extent on flowering plants and on the fruits and seeds they produce. In this preface to the Special Issue, we introduce eleven articles on flower development, representing work in both established and further models, including gymnosperms. We also present some of our own views on current trends and future directions of the flower development field.
منابع مشابه
Patient Engagement and its Evaluation Tools – Current Challenges and Future Directions; Comment on “Metrics and Evaluation Tools for Patient Engagement in Healthcare Organization- and System-Level Decision-Making: A Systematic Review”
Considering the growing recognition of the importance of patient engagement in healthcare decisions, research and delivery systems, it is important to ensure high quality and efficient patient engagement evaluation tools. In this commentary, we will first highlight the definition and importance of patient engagement. Then we discuss the psychometric properties of the patient engagement evaluati...
متن کاملReverse Electrodialysis for Salinity Gradient Power Generation: Challenges and Future Perspectives
Salinity gradient energy, which is also known as Blue energy, is a renewable energy form that can be extracted from the mixing of two solutions with different salinities. About 80% of the current global electricity demand could potentially be covered by this energy source. Among several energy extraction technologie...
متن کاملرشد لایههای نازک ابررساناهای مسی دمای بالا
This paper reviews briefly the development of physical vapour deposition based HTS thin film preparation technologies to today’s state-of-the-art methods. It covers the main trends of in-situ process and growth control. The current activities to fabricate tapes for power applications as well as to tailor interfaces in cuprate are described. Some future trends in HTS thin film research, both f...
متن کاملFuture research and presentation of quality development trends in public universities in Tehran: Based on the approach of the world-class university
Introduction: A brief study of the evolution of higher education in Iran and how universities and higher education centers have expanded shows that the process of university planning is not being considered. The purpose of this study is to design and validate the future research model of qualitative development trends of public universities in Tehran based on the university's approach at the g...
متن کاملComparative assessment between historical and future trends in the daily maximum temperature parameter over selected stations of Iran
Objective of this study is to determine whether there are significant changes in maximum temperature trends between the current (1981-2010) and future (2011-2099) periods. To this end, statistical downscaling is used to project future changes in the maximum temperatures according to A2 and B2 scenarios of HADCM3 in the 7 selected stations of Iran. The possibilities of an accelerating trend are ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
- Annals of botany
دوره 114 7 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2014