生物谷報(bào)道：花序是指植物開花的排列方式，自然界中大約有數(shù)千種花序類型,。長(zhǎng)期以來,，科學(xué)家們以為花序的不同形式是由完全不同的機(jī)制造成的，而5月24日《科學(xué)》雜志在線發(fā)表的一篇文章指出，不同花序其實(shí)只是同一機(jī)制不同方面的影響結(jié)果,。
研究人員闡述了造成花序差異的數(shù)學(xué)模型、分子遺傳機(jī)制以及進(jìn)化過程,。論文第一作者,、加拿大卡爾加里大學(xué)（UniversityofCalgary）的計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)家PrzemyslawPrusinkiewicz表示，“最新的研究提出了一個(gè)統(tǒng)一的理論,，能夠解釋自然界中花序類型的多樣性,。”
不同花序類型
( 生物谷配圖)
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論文的合著者、卡爾加里大學(xué)生物學(xué)家LawrenceHarder表示,，他們提出的模型的一個(gè)顯著特點(diǎn)就是能夠預(yù)測(cè)植物局部的花序結(jié)構(gòu),，并且使科學(xué)家們認(rèn)識(shí)到一些花序類型是不可能存在的。
這一統(tǒng)一理論最為關(guān)鍵的部分在于,，在Prusinkiewicz等人開發(fā)的計(jì)算機(jī)數(shù)學(xué)模型里,，微小的改變就能產(chǎn)生不同的花序結(jié)構(gòu)。此后,，論文的另一位合著者,、英國(guó)約翰·英納斯中心（JohnInnesCentre）遺傳學(xué)家EnricoCoen將Prusinkiewicz的模型與實(shí)際的植物基因聯(lián)系了起來，最終得到了統(tǒng)一的理論,。
新的研究結(jié)果無疑將加深科學(xué)家對(duì)自然界中植物花序機(jī)制的理解,。相關(guān)論文將正式發(fā)表在6月8日的《科學(xué)》雜志上。
原始出處:
Published Online May 24, 2007
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1140429
Research Articles
Submitted on January 25, 2007
Accepted on April 30, 2007
Evolution and Development of Inflorescence Architectures
Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz 1, Yvette Erasmus 2, Brendan Lane 1, Lawrence D. Harder 3, Enrico Coen 4*
1 Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W. Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
2 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK; Present address: Institute of Molecular Plant Science, Daniel Rutherford Building, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, UK.
3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W. Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
4 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Enrico Coen , E-mail: [email protected]
To understand the constraints on biological diversity, we analyzed how selection and development interact to control the evolution of inflorescences, the branching structures that bear flowers. We show that a single developmental model accounts for the restricted range of inflorescence types observed in nature and that this model is supported by molecular genetic studies. The model predicts associations between inflorescence architecture, climate, and life history, which we validated empirically. Paths, or evolutionary wormholes, link different architectures in a multidimensional fitness space, but the rate of evolution along these paths is constrained by genetic and environmental factors, explaining why some evolutionary transitions are rare between closely related plant taxa.
