Convergent Evolution and the Diverse Ontogenetic Origins of Tendrils in Angiosperms.

ABSTRACT: Climbers are abundant in tropical forests, where they constitute a major functional plant type. The acquisition of the climbing habit in angiosperms constitutes a key innovation. Successful speciation in climbers is correlated with the development of specialized climbing strategies such as tendrils, i.e., filiform organs with the ability to twine around other structures through helical growth. Tendrils are derived from a variety of morphological structures, e.g., stems, leaves, and inflorescences, and are found in various plant families. In fact, tendrils are distributed throughout the angiosperm phylogeny, from magnoliids to asterids II, making these structures a great model to study convergent evolution. In this study, we performed a thorough survey of tendrils within angiosperms, focusi

SUBMITTER: Sousa-Baena MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5891604 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature