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SUMMARY:Assessing the Roles of Parallelism versus Convergence in the Evolu
 tion of Floral Diversity - Sam Brockington
DTSTART:20100430T120000Z
DTEND:20100430T123000Z
UID:TALK23959@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:15560
DESCRIPTION:The ABC model of floral organ identity\, derived from eudicot 
 organisms such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Antirrhinum majus\, has stimula
 ted new approaches in the study of floral diversity and petal evolution. M
 ore specifically\, the model suggests that MADS-box genes may play an impo
 rtant role in generating floral diversity through expression changes in co
 nserved floral organ identity programs\, resulting in homoeotic shifts in 
 floral organ identity. We have been examining the role of heterotopic MADS
 -box gene expression in the evolution of petals in the eudicot order Caryo
 phyllales. We previously constructed a phylogeny of the order using multip
 le chloroplast and nuclear gene markers\, and demonstrated that numerous s
 eparate instances of petal evolution have occurred across the order. Howev
 er analyses of MADS-box gene expression patterns in separate instances of 
 petal evolution reveal little evidence for a common petal identity program
 \, indicative of homoeosis. Therefore\, within the Caryophylalles\, differ
 ent floral organs with a distinct developmental genetic basis appear to ha
 ve converged on similar petal morphology. We are now examining how this co
 nvergence might be achieved at the developmental genetic level. 
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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