Uncovering developmental diversity in the field.

Many developmental biologists seldom leave the lab for research, relying instead on establishing colonies of traditional and emerging model systems. However, to fully understand the mechanisms and principles of development and evolution, including the role of ecology and the environment, it is important to study a diverse range of organisms in context. In this Perspective, we hear from five research teams from around the world about the importance and challenges of going into the field to study their organisms of interest. We also invite you to share your own fieldwork stories on the Node.

A cornucopia of diversity-Ranunculales as a model lineage.

The Ranunculales are a hyperdiverse lineage in many aspects of their phenotype, including growth habit, floral and leaf morphology, reproductive mode, and specialized metabolism. Many Ranunculales species, such as opium poppy and goldenseal, have a high medicinal value. In addition, the order includes a large number of commercially important ornamental plants, such as columbines and larkspurs. The phylogenetic position of the order with respect to monocots and core eudicots and the diversity within this lineage make the Ranunculales an excellent group for studying evolutionary processes by comparative studies. Lately, the phylogeny of Ranunculales was revised, and genetic and genomic resources were developed for many species, allowing comparative analyses at the molecular scale. Here, we review the literature on the resources for genetic manipulation and genome sequencing, the recent phylogeny reconstruction of this order, and its fossil record. Further, we explain their habitat range and delve into the diversity in their floral morphology, focusing on perianth organ identity, floral symmetry, occurrences of spurs and nectaries, sexual and pollination systems, and fruit and dehiscence types. The Ranunculales order offers a wealth of opportunities for scientific exploration across various disciplines and scales, to gain novel insights into plant biology for researchers and plant enthusiasts alike.

The gynostemium: More than the sum of its parts with emerging floral complexities.

Partial or complete floral organ fusion, which occurs in most angiosperm lineages, promotes integration of whorls leading to specialization and complexity. One of the most remarkable floral organ fusions occurs in the gynostemium, a highly specialized structure formed by the congenital fusion of the androecium and the upper portion of the gynoecium. Here we review the gynostemia evolution across flowering plants, the morphological requirements for the synorganization of the two fertile floral whorls, and the molecular basis most likely responsible for such intimate fusion process.

Parte iii de hesslow a hooker: darwin y los inicios del pensamiento evolutivo en botánica / From Henslow to Hooker: Darwin and the Early Evolutionary Thought in Botany

Aunque no lo suficientemente conocida y difundida, la obra botánica de Darwin aportó una gran cantidad de evidencia empírica fundamental para el establecimiento de la revolución darwinista. Se describe el desarrollo de esta obra, en especial con relación a los dos mentores de Darwin en botánica: J. S. Henslow y J. D. Hooker. Además de numerosos artículos y notas en sus diarios de viaje, su correspondencia y numerosos apartes de sus dos obras magnas El origen de las especies y selección natural, Darwin escribió siete libros relacionados con diversos aspectos de la botánica, incluída la polinización en orquídeas, la morfología y fisiología de plantas trepadoras, la domesticación, las plantas insectívoras, la polinización, las formas florales, y los movimientos de las plantas. Cada uno de estos libros es ahora clásico en cada tema. La introducción de la teoría evolutiva en la sistemática de plantas enriqueció los distintos sistemas de clasificación en los 70 años que siguieron a la publiación de El origen, lo cual está en estrecha relación con las preguntas, aún vigentes, acerca del origen y la diversificación temprana de las angiospermas. A la vez, se revisa la influencia de las contribuciones botánicas de Darwin en las obras de autores en diversos países de Europa y América, y en disciplinas tan diversas y actuales como la biogeografía, la biología reproductiva en muy diversos grupos de plantas con flor, la citología y mecanismos de herencia en la célula vegetal, la teratología vegetal, las variaciones debidas a domesticación, y la reciente integración de evolución, genética y desarrollo en la disciplina conocida como evo-devo.

Despite Darwin s botanical works are not sufficiently known, they provided a large amount of critical, empirical evidence in favor of the darwinian revolution. This paper describes the development of such works in connection to the influence of two of Darwin s mentors in botany, J. S. Henslow and J. D. Hooker. Besides numerous articles, field notes, extensive correspondence, and Darwin s main books, The Origin of Species and Natural Selection, he wrote seven books related to different botanical issues, including orchid pollination, morphology and physiology of climbers, domestication, insectivorous plants, cross-and self-pollination, floral forms, and plant movements. Each of these volumes became classic on each topic. The introduction of the evolutionary theory in plant systematics had a positive effect by increasing the systems of classification during the 70 years following the publication of The Origin, which is in close relation to the still unresolved questions about the origin and early diversification of angiosperms. In addition, we review the influence of Darwin s contributions in European and American authors, as well as in current disciplines such as biogeography, reproductive biology, citology and mechanisms of heredity in the plant cell, plant teratology, plant domestication, and the new integration of evolution, genetics and development under the discipline known as evo-devo.