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Floral organs are produced by floral meristems (FMs), which harbor stem cells in their centers. Since each flower only has a finite number of organs, the stem cell activity of an FM will always terminate at a specific time point, a process termed floral meristem termination (FMT). Variation in the timing of FMT can give rise to floral morphological diversity, but how this process is fine-tuned at a developmental and evolutionary level is poorly understood. Flowers from the genus Aquilegia share identical floral organ arrangement except for stamen whorl number (SWN), making Aquilegia a well-suited system for investigation of this process: differences in SWN between species represent differences in the timing of FMT. By crossing A. canadensis and A. brevistyla, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping has revealed a complex genetic architecture with seven QTL. We explored potential candidate genes under each QTL and characterized novel expression patterns of select loci of interest using in situ hybridization. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to dissect the genetic basis of how natural variation in the timing of FMT is regulated, and our results provide insight into how floral morphological diversity can be generated at the meristematic level.

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 genusAquilegia(Ranunculaceae), a lineage that has experienced a relatively recent and rapid radiation. We use a combination of genetic mapping, gene expression analyses, and functional assays to identify a gene crucial for nectar spur development,POPOVICH(POP), which encodes a C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor.POPplays a central role in regulating cell proliferation in theAquilegiapetal during the early phase (phase I) of spur development and also appears to be necessary for the subsequent development of nectaries. The identification ofPOPopens up numerous avenues for continued scientific exploration, including further elucidating of the genetic pathway of which it is a part, determining its role in the initial evolution of theAquilegianectar spur, and examining its potential role in the subsequent evolution of diverse spur morphologies across the genus.

The petal spur of the basal eudicotAquilegiais a key innovation associated with the adaptive radiation of the genus. Previous studies have shown that diversification ofAquilegiaspur length can be predominantly attributed to variation in cell elongation. However, the genetic pathways that control the development of petal spurs are still being investigated.

Plants, and the biological systems around them, are key to the future health of the planet and its inhabitants. The Plant Science Decadal Vision 2020–2030 frames our ability to perform vital and far‐reaching research in plant systems sciences, essential to how we value participants and apply emerging technologies. We outline a comprehensive vision for addressing some of our most pressing global problems through discovery, practical applications, and education. The Decadal Vision was developed by the participants at the Plant Summit 2019, a community event organized by the Plant Science Research Network. The Decadal Vision describes a holistic vision for the next decade of plant science that blends recommendations for research, people, and technology. Going beyond discoveries and applications, we, the plant science community, must implement bold, innovative changes to research cultures and training paradigms in this era of automation, virtualization, and the looming shadow of climate change. Our vision and hopes for the next decade are encapsulated in the phrase reimagining the potential of plants for a healthy and sustainable future. The Decadal Vision recognizes the vital intersection of human and scientific elements and demands an integrated implementation of strategies for research (Goals 1–4), people (Goals 5 and 6), and technology (Goals 7 and 8). This report is intended to help inspire and guide the research community, scientific societies, federal funding agencies, private philanthropies, corporations, educators, entrepreneurs, and early career researchers over the next 10 years. The research encompass experimental and computational approaches to understanding and predicting ecosystem behavior; novel production systems for food, feed, and fiber with greater crop diversity, efficiency, productivity, and resilience that improve ecosystem health; approaches to realize the potential for advances in nutrition, discovery and engineering of plant‐based medicines, and green infrastructure. Launching the Transparent Plant will use experimental and computational approaches to break down the phytobiome into a parts store that supports tinkering and supports query, prediction, and rapid‐response problem solving. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are indispensable cornerstones of realizing our vision. We make recommendations around funding and systems that support customized professional development. Plant systems are frequently taken for granted therefore we make recommendations to improve plant awareness and community science programs to increase understanding of scientific research. We prioritize emerging technologies, focusing on non‐invasive imaging, sensors, and plug‐and‐play portable lab technologies, coupled with enabling computational advances. Plant systems science will benefit from data management and future advances in automation, machine learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence‐assisted data integration, pattern identification, and decision making. Implementation of this vision will transform plant systems science and ripple outwards through society and across the globe. Beyond deepening our biological understanding, we envision entirely new applications. We further anticipate a wave of diversification of plant systems practitioners while stimulating community engagement, underpinning increasing entrepreneurship. This surge of engagement and knowledge will help satisfy and stoke people's natural curiosity about the future, and their desire to prepare for it, as they seek fuller information about food, health, climate and ecological systems.