skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Editorial: Model organisms in plant developmental biology—their effectiveness and limitations
Model organisms represent an invaluable resource for fundamental and applied research allowing the identification of the mechanistic basis of evolutionary innovations. This Research Topic showcases studies performed on established and emerging model organisms in Plant Developmental Biology that have broad significance to the field. Increased phylogenetic breadth and availability of genomes and transgenic techniques have fostered innovative ideas and syntheses spanning the range from fossil analyses to single-cell sequencing. However, broad taxonomic applicability of the knowledge gained from studies on model organisms and relevance to the field of Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo) often remains unresolved. To address such questions, this Research Topic focuses on new insights, latest discoveries, current challenges, and future perspectives on the use of model organisms and the extent to which the knowledge gained from them can be extrapolated. Authors were encouraged to identify the greatest unifying concepts in their sub-disciplines, as well as to put forward potential solutions to address the challenges emerging from the use of model plants.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1920408
PAR ID:
10541997
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Editor(s):
Cheng, Chi-Lien
Publisher / Repository:
Frontiers
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Frontiers in Plant Science
Volume:
15
ISSN:
1664-462X
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
model organisms model clade plant development Evo Devo #collectionseries
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Integrative and Comparative Biology)
    null (Ed.)
    Abstract Teeth are a model system for integrating developmental genomics, functional morphology, and evolution. We are at the cusp of being able to address many open issues in comparative tooth biology and we outline several of these newly tractable and exciting research directions. Like never before, technological advances and methodological approaches are allowing us to investigate the developmental machinery of vertebrates and discover both conserved and excitingly novel mechanisms of diversification. Additionally, studies of the great diversity of soft tissues, replacement teeth, and non-trophic functions of teeth are providing new insights into dental diversity. Finally, we highlight several emerging model groups of organisms that are at the forefront of increasing our appreciation of the mechanisms underlying tooth diversification. 
    more » « less
  2. ; (, New Phytologist)
    Summary Although it is well appreciated that genetic studies of flowering time regulation have led to fundamental advances in the fields of molecular and developmental biology, the ways in which genetic studies of flowering time diversity have enriched the field of evolutionary biology have received less attention despite often being equally profound. Because flowering time is a complex, environmentally responsive trait that has critical impacts on plant fitness, crop yield, and reproductive isolation, research into the genetic architecture and molecular basis of its evolution continues to yield novel insights into our understanding of domestication, adaptation, and speciation. For instance, recent studies of flowering time variation have reconstructed how, when, and where polygenic evolution of phenotypic plasticity proceeded from standing variation andde novomutations; shown how antagonistic pleiotropy and temporally varying selection maintain polymorphisms in natural populations; and provided important case studies of how assortative mating can evolve and facilitate speciation with gene flow. In addition, functional studies have built detailed regulatory networks for this trait in diverse taxa, leading to new knowledge about how and why developmental pathways are rewired and elaborated through evolutionary time. 
    more » « less
  3. ; (, Advances in biology laboratory education)
    Thueck, Suzanne; Ettinger, Audrey J. (Ed.)
    Many undergraduate students understand that model organisms are important for understanding how biology works, but may not make the connection that animal models such as Drosophila melanogaster can be used to understand such human conditions as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). To address this knowledge gap, we introduced an inquiry-based laboratory module in which students perform hands-on Ethanol Behavior Mobility Assays (EMBAs) using flies with either different Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) alleles or different developmental exposure to ethanol. The lab module contains a bioinformatic component for students to explore the evolutionary conservation of the ADH gene between flies and humans. The implementation of this exercise in a sophomore/junior-level Genetics course led to a high level of student satisfaction and a more integrated view of the role of model organisms in studying AUD and FAS. Funding acknowledgements: ABLE Roberta Williams Laboratory Teaching Initiative Grant and NSF HBCU-UP TIP Grant # 1912188. 
    more » « less
  4. ; (, Advances in biology laboratory education)
    Thuecks, Suzanne; Ettinger, Audrey J. (Ed.)
    Many undergraduate students understand that model organisms are important for understanding how biology works, but may not make the connection that animal models such as Drosophila melanogaster can be used to understand such human conditions as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). To address this knowledge gap, we introduced an inquiry-based laboratory module in which students perform hands-on Ethanol Behavior Mobility Assays (EMBAs) using flies with either different Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) alleles or different developmental exposure to ethanol. The lab module contains a bioinformatic component for students to explore the evolutionary conservation of the ADH gene between flies and humans. The implementation of this exercise in a sophomore/junior-level Genetics course led to a high level of student satisfaction and a more integrated view of the role of model organisms in studying AUD and FAS. Funding acknowledgements: ABLE Roberta Williams Laboratory Teaching Initiative Grant and NSF HBCU-UP TIP Grant # 1912188. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; (, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)
    Maternal nesting behavior in oviparous species strongly influences the environmental conditions their embryos experience during development. In turn, these early-life conditions have consequences for offspring phenotypes and many fitness components across an individual’s lifespan. Thus, identifying the evolutionary and ecological causes and effects of nesting behavior is a key goal of behavioral ecology. Studies of reptiles have contributed greatly to our understanding of how nesting behavior shapes offspring phenotypes. While some taxonomic groups have been used extensively to provide insights into this important area of biology, many groups remain poorly studied. For example, the squamate genus Anolis has served as a model to study behavior, ecology, and evolution, but research focused on Anolis nesting behavior and developmental plasticity is comparatively scarce. This dearth of empirical research may be attributed to logistical challenges (e.g., difficulty locating nests), biological factors (e.g., their single-egg clutches may hinder some experimental designs), and a historical focus on males in Anolis research. Although there is a gap in the literature concerning Anolis nesting behavior, interest in nesting ecology and developmental plasticity in this group has grown in recent years. In this paper, we (1) review existing studies of anole nesting ecology and developmental plasticity; (2) highlight areas of anole nesting ecology that are currently understudied and discuss how research in these areas can contribute to broader topics (e.g., maternal effects and global change biology); and (3) provide guidelines for studying anole nesting in the field. Overall, this review provides a foundation for establishing anoles as models to study nesting ecology and developmental plasticity. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email