The evolution of inflorescence diversity in the nightshades and heterochrony during meristem maturation.

ABSTRACT: One of the most remarkable manifestations of plant evolution is the diversity for floral branching systems. These "inflorescences" arise from stem cell populations in shoot meristems that mature gradually to reproductive states in response to environmental and endogenous signals. The morphology of the shoot meristem maturation process is conserved across distantly related plants, raising the question of how diverse inflorescence architectures arise from seemingly common maturation programs. In tomato and related nightshades (Solanaceae), inflorescences range from solitary flowers to highly branched structures bearing hundreds of flowers. Since reproductive barriers between even closely related Solanaceae have precluded a genetic dissection, we captured and compared meristem maturation tran

SUBMITTER: Lemmon ZH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5131819 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature