Tag: Evo-devo

The diversity in plants’ adaptations and evolution is vast. One driver of this variety gaining traction in evolutionary studies is gene co-option, or “tinkering”, the ability to repurpose existing genes for new purposes. In a recent review by Di Stilio and Garcia, the authors bring together recent…

A recent study from Miguel Blázquez´s lab addressed the question of how plants integrate light and temperature information through a comparative analysis of four plant lineages, from algae to flowering plants. Catarino et al. compared Ostreococcus tauri (a chlorophyate alga), and three streptophytes, …

Compared to their aquatic relatives, early land plants faced many challenges, such as a lack of buoyancy, harmful UV light, the challenge of nutrient uptake, and the need to avoid desiccation. In a fascinating review (part of the Plant Physiology focus collection on early land plant evolution), Domozych…

Plants cannot escape a bite from herbivore or being cut by a lawn mower, but they can regrow new leaves or even entire stems after damage. From simple mosses to giant sequoia trees, the process of building a new organ after wounding may be more similar than we previously thought. Key players in this…

Flowering plants are the most widespread group of plants, occupying almost every environment on our planet. They play important roles in maintaining the earth’s biodiversity and have a remarkably high rate of diversification. What’s always puzzled scientists is how they became so incredibly diverse.…

Leaf venation patterns display remarkable diversity across both living and fossil plant lineages, yet key questions remain about when and how these architectural differences emerged and what functional roles they serve. In their recent review, Mantos et al. explored the evolutionary history of venation…

Cycads are an ancient lineage of gymnosperms with fascinating ecological interactions. In a recent review, Salzman et al. examine the various adaptations of cycads, from attracting pollinators to repelling parasites, focusing on the roles of their wide array of specialized metabolites. A somewhat unique…

For a plant, form is function. Despite the diversity of forms that exist in nature, plant root diversity is notoriously understudied compared to their aerial counterpart. This review by Ramachandran and Ramirez et al. aims to revitalize the field of root form-function research by accentuating the vast…