Plant evolutionary developmental biology : the evolvability of the phenotype
AUTHOR : Minelli, Alessandro
CALL NO : QK980 M664p 2018
IMPRINT : Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, c2018
Compared to animals, plants have been largely neglected in evolutionary developmental biology. Mainstream research has focused on developmental genetics, while a rich body of knowledge in comparative morphology is still to be exploited. No integrated account is available. In this volume, Minelli fills this gap using the same approach he gave to animals, revisiting traditional concepts and providing an articulated analysis of genetic and molecular data. Topics covered include leaf complexity and the evolution of flower organs, handedness, branching patterns, flower symmetry and synorganization, and less conventional topics such as fractal patterns of plant organization. Also discussed is the hitherto neglected topic of the evolvability of temporal phenotypes like a plant’s annual, biennial or perennial life cycle, flowering time and the timing of abscission of flower organs. This will be informative reading for anyone in the field of plant evo-devo, from students to lecturers and researchers.
- Presents a novel, unconventional view of plant evolutionary developmental biology, encouraging readers to think afresh about the subject
- Challenges traditional concepts on which current research is based
- Brings together information from different research traditions in an integrated way
