Bridging evolution and development in plants

The role of ontogeny in wood diversity and evolution

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) explores the link between developmental patterning and phenotypic change through evolutionary time. In this review, we highlight the scientific advancements in understanding xylem evolution afforded by the evo-devo approach, opportunities for further engagement, and future research directions for the field. We review evidence that (1) heterochrony-the change in rate and timing of developmental events, (2) homeosis-the ontogenetic replacement of features, (3) heterometry-the change in quantity of a feature, (4) exaptation-the co-opting and repurposing of an ancestral feature, (5) the interplay between developmental and capacity constraints, and (6) novelty-the emergence of a novel feature, have all contributed to generating the diversity of woods. We present opportunities for future research engagement, which combine wood ontogeny within the context of robust phylogenetic hypotheses, and molecular biology.

Reconsideration of Plant Morphological Traits: From a Structure-Based Perspective to a Function-Based Evolutionary Perspective

This opinion article proposes a novel alignment of traits in plant morphogenesis from a function-based evolutionary perspective. As a member species of the ecosystem on Earth, we human beings view our neighbor organisms from our own sensing system. We tend to distinguish forms and structures (i.e., "morphological traits") mainly through vision. Traditionally, a plant was considered to be consisted of three parts, i.e., the shoot, the leaves, and the root. Based on such a "structure-based perspective," evolutionary analyses or comparisons across species were made on particular parts or their derived structures. So far no conceptual framework has been established to incorporate the morphological traits of all three land plant phyta, i.e., bryophyta, pteridophyta and spermatophyta, for evolutionary developmental analysis. Using the tenets of the recently proposed concept of sexual reproduction cycle, the major morphological traits of land plants can be aligned into five categories from a function-based evolutionary perspective. From this perspective, and the resulting alignment, a new conceptual framework emerges, called "Plant Morphogenesis 123." This framework views a plant as a colony of integrated plant developmental units that are each produced via one life cycle. This view provided an alternative perspective for evolutionary developmental investigation in plants.