Abstract

Plant reproductive development starts after the plant perceives several external and endogenous signals. I will illustrate the journey of plant reproductive development from the induction of the reproductive phase to the development of the floral organs. During the vegetative phase, multiple sets of leaves originate from the meristem. Subsequently, a complex network of genes determines the transformation within a meristem that gives rise to the reproductive organs. Many years of research have elucidated key regulatory genes involved in this process. We are now using the knowledge we have of these genes to investigate their evolutionary history. We use transgenic approaches to study the function of closely-related genes from different species to characterize how their functional abilities have changed through time. The ultimate aim is to understand how the complex regulatory network that controls plant development has originated.