Frohlich Michael W, Chase Mark W
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3DS, UK.
Nature. 2007 Dec 20;450(7173):1184-9. doi: 10.1038/nature06393.
Here we discuss recent advances surrounding the origin of angiosperms. Putatively primitive characters are now much better understood because of a vastly improved understanding of angiosperm phylogenetics, and recent discoveries of fossil flowers have provided an increasingly detailed picture of early diversity in the angiosperms. The 'anthophyte theory', the dominant concept of the 1980s and 1990s, has been eclipsed; Gnetales, previously thought to be closest to the angiosperms, are related instead to other extant gymnosperms, probably most closely to conifers. Finally, new theories of flower origins have been proposed based on gene function, duplication and loss, as well as on morphology. Further studies of genetic mechanisms that control reproductive development in seed plants provide a most promising avenue for further research, including tests of these recent theories. Identification of fossils with morphologies that convincingly place them close to angiosperms could still revolutionize understanding of angiosperm origins.
在此，我们讨论被子植物起源的近期进展。由于对被子植物系统发育学的理解有了极大提升，现在对假定的原始特征有了更好的认识，并且近期化石花的发现为被子植物早期多样性提供了越来越详细的图景。20世纪80年代和90年代的主导概念“花植物理论”已黯然失色；以前被认为与被子植物关系最密切的买麻藤目，反而与其他现存裸子植物有关，可能与针叶树关系最为密切。最后，基于基因功能、复制和丢失以及形态学，提出了新的花起源理论。对控制种子植物生殖发育的遗传机制的进一步研究为进一步研究提供了最有前景的途径，包括对这些最新理论的检验。鉴定出形态上令人信服地表明它们与被子植物关系密切的化石，仍可能彻底改变我们对被子植物起源的理解。
