The evolution of novel features, such as eyes or wings, that allow organisms to exploit their environment in new ways can lead to increased diversification rates. Therefore, understanding the genetic and developmental mechanisms involved in the origin of these key innovations has long been of interest to evolutionary biologists. In flowering plants, floral nectar spurs are a prime example of a key innovation, with the independent evolution of spurs associated with increased diversification rates in multiple angiosperm lineages due to their ability to promote reproductive isolation via pollinator specialization. As none of the traditional plant model taxa have nectar spurs, little is known about the genetic and developmental basis of this trait. Nectar spurs are a defining feature of the columbine genus
The petal spur of the basal eudicot Here, we focus on a pair of closely related homologs of the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR family, Expression analyses of the two genes show that they are broadly expressed in vegetative and floral organs, but have relatively higher expression in petal spurs, particularly at later stages. Knockdown of the two This study provides the first evidence of
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10456361
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- New Phytologist
- Volume:
- 227
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0028-646X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 1392-1405
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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