Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
J Exp Bot. 2013 Apr;64(6):1427-37. doi: 10.1093/jxb/ert025. Epub 2013 Feb 11.
Flowers exhibit amazing morphological diversity in many traits, including their size. In addition to interspecific flower size differences, many species maintain significant variation in flower size within and among populations. Flower size variation can contribute to reproductive isolation of species and thus has clear evolutionary consequences. In this review we integrate information on flower size variation from both evolutionary and developmental biology perspectives. We examine the role of flower size in the context of mating system evolution. In addition, we describe what is currently known about the genetic basis of flower size based on quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in several different plant species and molecular genetic studies in model plants, primarily Arabidopsis thaliana. Work in Arabidopsis suggests that many independent pathways regulate floral organ growth via effects on cell proliferation and/or cell expansion.
花朵在许多特征上表现出惊人的形态多样性，包括它们的大小。除了种间花朵大小差异之外，许多物种在种群内和种群间都保持着显著的花朵大小变异。花朵大小的变异可以促成物种的生殖隔离，因此具有明显的进化后果。在这篇综述中，我们从进化和发育生物学的角度综合了有关花朵大小变异的信息。我们考察了花朵大小在交配系统进化背景下的作用。此外，我们描述了目前基于几个不同植物物种的数量性状位点（QTL）图谱和主要以拟南芥为模式植物的分子遗传学研究，对花朵大小的遗传基础的了解。在拟南芥中的研究表明，许多独立的途径通过对细胞增殖和/或细胞扩展的影响来调节花器官的生长。
