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Coiro M, McLoughlin S, Steinthorsdottir M, Vajda V, Fabrikant D, Seyfullah LJ. Parallel evolution of angiosperm-like venation in Peltaspermales: a reinvestigation of Furcula. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:2845-2856. [PMID: 38623034 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Leaf venation is a pivotal trait in the success of vascular plants. Whereas gymnosperms have single or sparsely branched parallel veins, angiosperms developed a hierarchical structure of veins that form a complex reticulum. Its physiological consequences are considered to have enabled angiosperms to dominate terrestrial ecosystems in the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Although a hierarchical-reticulate venation also occurs in some groups of extinct seed plants, it is unclear whether these are stem relatives of angiosperms or have evolved these traits in parallel. Here, we re-examine the morphology of the enigmatic foliage taxon Furcula, a potential early Mesozoic angiosperm relative, and argue that its hierarchical vein network represents convergent evolution (in the Late Triassic) with flowering plants (which developed in the Early Cretaceous) based on details of vein architecture and the absence of angiosperm-like stomata and guard cells. We suggest that its nearest relatives are Peltaspermales similar to Scytophyllum and Vittaephyllum, the latter being a genus that originated during the Late Triassic (Carnian) and shares a hierarchical vein system with Furcula. We further suggest that the evolution of hierarchical venation systems in the early Permian, the Late Triassic, and the Early Cretaceous represent 'natural experiments' that might help resolve the selective pressures enabling this trait to evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Coiro
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
- Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA
| | - Stephen McLoughlin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Margret Steinthorsdottir
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden
- Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, 114 19, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vivi Vajda
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, 114 18, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dolev Fabrikant
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel
| | - Leyla J Seyfullah
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
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Jia L, Wang S, Hu J, Miao K, Huang Y, Ji Y. Plastid phylogenomics and fossil evidence provide new insights into the evolutionary complexity of the 'woody clade' in Saxifragales. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:277. [PMID: 38605351 PMCID: PMC11010409 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-04917-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The "woody clade" in Saxifragales (WCS), encompassing four woody families (Altingiaceae, Cercidiphyllaceae, Daphniphyllaceae, and Hamamelidaceae), is a phylogenetically recalcitrant node in the angiosperm tree of life, as the interfamilial relationships of the WCS remain contentious. Based on a comprehensive sampling of WCS genera, this study aims to recover a robust maternal backbone phylogeny of the WCS by analyzing plastid genome (plastome) sequence data using Bayesian inference (BI), maximum likelihood (ML), and maximum parsimony (MP) methods, and to explore the possible causes of the phylogenetic recalcitrance with respect to deep relationships within the WCS, in combination with molecular and fossil evidence. RESULTS Although the four WCS families were identically resolved as monophyletic, the MP analysis recovered different tree topologies for the relationships among Altingiaceae, Cercidiphyllaceae, and Daphniphyllaceae from the ML and BI phylogenies. The fossil-calibrated plastome phylogeny showed that the WCS underwent a rapid divergence of crown groups in the early Cretaceous (between 104.79 and 100.23 Ma), leading to the origin of the stem lineage ancestors of Altingiaceae, Cercidiphyllaceae, Daphniphyllaceae, and Hamamelidaceae within a very short time span (∼4.56 Ma). Compared with the tree topology recovered in a previous study based on nuclear genome data, cytonuclear discordance regarding the interfamilial relationships of the WCS was detected. CONCLUSIONS Molecular and fossil evidence imply that the early divergence of the WCS might have experienced radiative diversification of crown groups, extensive extinctions at the genus and species levels around the Cretaceous/Paleocene boundary, and ancient hybridization. Such evolutionarily complex events may introduce biases in topological estimations within the WCS due to incomplete lineage sorting, cytonuclear discordance, and long-branch attraction, potentially impacting the accurate reconstruction of deep relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linbo Jia
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Shuying Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Jinjin Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Ke Miao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Yongjiang Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Yunheng Ji
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
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Bickner MA, Herrera F, Shi G, Ichinnorov N, Crane PR, Herendeen PS. Mongolitria: A new Early Cretaceous three-valved seed from Northeast Asia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2024; 111:e16268. [PMID: 38050806 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Fossil seeds recovered from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China, are described and assigned to Mongolitria gen. nov., a new genus of gymnosperm seed. METHODS Abundant lignitized seeds along with compression specimens isolated from the matrix were studied using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, anatomical sectioning, light microscopy, synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography, and cuticle preparations. A single permineralized seed was examined by light microscopy of cellulose acetate peels and X-ray microtomography. RESULTS Two species are recognized, Mongolitria friisae sp. nov. and Mongolitria exesum sp. nov. Both seeds are orthotropous with a short apical micropyle and a small, basal, circular attachment scar. The thick sclerenchymatous integument has a consistently three-parted organization and about 20 conspicuous longitudinal ribs on the surface. Mongolitria exesum differs from M. friisae primarily in its much larger size and thicker seed coat, which also preserves clear evidence of insect damage. CONCLUSIONS Mongolitria is similar to other fossil seeds that have been assigned to Cycadales, but displays a unique combination of characters not found in any living or extinct cycadaceous plant, leaving its higher-level systematic affinities uncertain. Germination apparently involved splitting of the integument into three valves. Mongolitria was prominent among the plant parts accumulating in peat swamps in eastern Asia during the Early Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabiany Herrera
- Earth Sciences, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, 60605, Illinois, USA
| | - Gongle Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Niiden Ichinnorov
- Institute of Paleontology and Geology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar-51, Mongolia
| | - Peter R Crane
- Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, 20184, Virginia, USA
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA
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Leslie AB, Mander L. Quantifying the complexity of plant reproductive structures reveals a history of morphological and functional integration. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231810. [PMID: 37909082 PMCID: PMC10618862 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular plant reproductive structures have undoubtedly become more complex through time, evolving highly differentiated parts that interact in specialized ways. But quantifying these patterns at broad scales is challenging because lineages produce disparate reproductive structures that are often difficult to compare and homologize. We develop a novel approach for analysing interactions within reproductive structures using networks, treating component parts as nodes and a suite of physical and functional interactions among parts as edges. We apply this approach to the plant fossil record, showing that interactions have generally increased through time and that the concentration of these interactions has shifted towards differentiated surrounding organs, resulting in more compact, functionally integrated structures. These processes are widespread across plant lineages, but their extent and timing vary with reproductive biology; in particular, seed-producing structures show them more strongly than spore or pollen-producing structures. Our results demonstrate that major reproductive innovations like the origin of seeds and angiospermy were associated with increased integration through greater interactions among parts. But they also reveal that for certain groups, particularly Mesozoic gymnosperms, millions of years elapsed between the origin of reproductive innovations and increased interactions among parts within their reproductive structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B. Leslie
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 320, Room 118, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Luke Mander
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
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Wu Y, Ge Y, Hu H, Stidham TA, Li Z, Bailleul AM, Zhou Z. Intra-gastric phytoliths provide evidence for folivory in basal avialans of the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4558. [PMID: 37507397 PMCID: PMC10382595 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40311-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Angiosperms became the dominant plant group in early to middle Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems, coincident with the timing of the earliest pulse of bird diversification. While living birds and angiosperms exhibit strong interactions across pollination/nectivory, seed dispersal/frugivory, and folivory, documentation of the evolutionary origins and construction of that ecological complexity remains scarce in the Mesozoic. Through the first study of preserved in situ dietary derived phytoliths in a nearly complete skeleton of the early diverging avialan clade Jeholornithidae, we provide direct dietary evidence that Jeholornis consumed leaves likely from the magnoliid angiosperm clade, and these results lend further support for early ecological connections among the earliest birds and angiosperms. The broad diet of the early diverging avialan Jeholornis including at least fruits and leaves marks a clear transition in the early evolution of birds in the establishment of an arboreal (angiosperm) herbivore niche in the Early Cretaceous occupied largely by birds today. Morphometric reanalysis of the lower jaw of Jeholornis further supports a generalized morphology shared with other herbivorous birds, including an extant avian folivore, the hoatzin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-zhi-men-wai Street, 100044, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Ge
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-zhi-men-wai Street, 100044, Beijing, China
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Han Hu
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Thomas A Stidham
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-zhi-men-wai Street, 100044, Beijing, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-zhi-men-wai Street, 100044, Beijing, China.
| | - Alida M Bailleul
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-zhi-men-wai Street, 100044, Beijing, China
| | - Zhonghe Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-zhi-men-wai Street, 100044, Beijing, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
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Elgorriaga A, Atkinson BA. Cretaceous pollen cone with three-dimensional preservation sheds light on the morphological evolution of cycads in deep time. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 238:1695-1710. [PMID: 36943236 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The Cycadales are an ancient and charismatic group of seed plants. However, their morphological evolution in deep time is poorly understood. While molecular divergence time analyses estimate a Cretaceous origin for most major living cycad clades, much of the extant diversity is inferred to be a result of Neogene diversifications. This leads to long branches throughout the cycadalean phylogeny that, with few exceptions, have yet to be rectified by unequivocal fossil cycads. We report a permineralized pollen cone from the Campanian Holz Shale located in Silverado Canyon, CA, USA (c. 80 million yr ago). This fossil was studied via serial sectioning, SEM, 3D reconstruction and phylogenetic analyses. Microsporophyll and pollen morphology indicate this cone is assignable to Skyttegaardia, a recently described genus based on disarticulated lignitized microsporophylls from the Early Cretaceous of Denmark. Data from this new species, including a simple cone architecture, anatomical details and vasculature organization, indicate cycadalean affinities for Skyttegaardia. Phylogenetic analyses support this assignment and recover Skyttegaardia as crown-group Cycadales, nested within Zamiaceae. Our findings support a Cretaceous diversification for crown-group Zamiaceae, which included the evolution of morphological divergent extinct taxa with unique traits that have yet to be widely identified in the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Elgorriaga
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Brian A Atkinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
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7
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Liu H, Li J, Gong P, He C. The origin and evolution of carpels and fruits from an evo-devo perspective. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 65:283-298. [PMID: 36031801 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The flower is an evolutionary innovation in angiosperms that drives the evolution of biodiversity. The carpel is integral to a flower and develops into fruits after fertilization, while the perianth, consisting of the calyx and corolla, is decorative to facilitate pollination and protect the internal organs, including the carpels and stamens. Therefore, the nature of flower origin is carpel and stamen origin, which represents one of the greatest and fundamental unresolved issues in plant evolutionary biology. Here, we briefly summarize the main progress and key genes identified for understanding floral development, focusing on the origin and development of the carpels. Floral ABC models have played pioneering roles in elucidating flower development, but remain insufficient for resolving flower and carpel origin. The genetic basis for carpel origin and subsequent diversification leading to fruit diversity also remains elusive. Based on current research progress and technological advances, simplified floral models and integrative evolutionary-developmental (evo-devo) strategies are proposed for elucidating the genetics of carpel origin and fruit evolution. Stepwise birth of a few master regulatory genes and subsequent functional diversification might play a pivotal role in these evolutionary processes. Among the identified transcription factors, AGAMOUS (AG) and CRABS CLAW (CRC) may be the two core regulatory genes for carpel origin as they determine carpel organ identity, determinacy, and functionality. Therefore, a comparative identification of their protein-protein interactions and downstream target genes between flowering and non-flowering plants from an evo-devo perspective may be primary projects for elucidating carpel origin and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Pichang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Chaoying He
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
- The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
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8
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Skinner DJ, Dang T, Gasser CS. The Arabidopsis INNER NO OUTER ( INO) gene acts exclusively and quantitatively in regulation of ovule outer integument development. PLANT DIRECT 2023; 7:e485. [PMID: 36845169 PMCID: PMC9947456 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The INNER NO OUTER (INO) gene is essential for formation of the outer integument of ovules in Arabidopsis thaliana. Initially described lesions in INO were missense mutations resulting in aberrant mRNA splicing. To determine the null mutant phenotype, we generated frameshift mutations and found, in confirmation of results on another recently identified frameshift mutation, that such mutants have a phenotype identical to the most severe splicing mutant (ino-1), with effects specific to outer integument development. We show that the altered protein of an ino mRNA splicing mutant with a less severe phenotype (ino-4) does not have INO activity, and the mutant is partial because it produces a small amount of correctly spliced INO mRNA. Screening for suppressors of ino-4 in a fast neutron-mutagenized population identified a translocated duplication of the ino-4 gene, leading to an increase in the amount of this mRNA. The increased expression led to a decrease in the severity of the mutant effects, indicating that the amount of INO activity quantitatively regulates outer integument growth. The results further confirm that the role of INO in Arabidopsis development is specific to the outer integument of ovules where it quantitatively affects the growth of this structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra J. Skinner
- Dept. of Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of California—DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
- Present address:
Dept. of Plant BiologyUniversity of California—DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Trang Dang
- Dept. of Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of California—DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
- Present address:
Lark Seeds InternationalDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Charles S. Gasser
- Dept. of Molecular and Cellular BiologyUniversity of California—DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
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Clark EG, Jenkins KM, Brodersen CR. Back to life: Techniques for developing high-quality 3D reconstructions of plants and animals from digitized specimens. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283027. [PMID: 36989314 PMCID: PMC10058149 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Expanded use of 3D imaging in organismal biology and paleontology has substantially enhanced the ability to visualize and analyze specimens. These techniques have improved our understanding of the anatomy of many taxa, and the integration of downstream computational tools applied to 3D datasets have broadened the range of analyses that can be performed (e.g., finite element analyses, geometric morphometrics, biomechanical modeling, physical modeling using 3D printing). However, morphological analyses inevitably present challenges, particularly in fossil taxa where taphonomic or preservational artifacts distort and reduce the fidelity of the original morphology through shearing, compression, and disarticulation, for example. Here, we present a compilation of techniques to build high-quality 3D digital models of extant and fossil taxa from 3D imaging data using freely available software for students and educators. Our case studies and associated step-by-step supplementary tutorials present instructions for working with reconstructions of plants and animals to directly address and resolve common issues with 3D imaging data. The strategies demonstrated here optimize scientific accuracy and computational efficiency and can be applied to a broad range of taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G Clark
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Kelsey M Jenkins
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Craig R Brodersen
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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10
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Scutt CP. Model Species to Investigate the Origin of Flowers. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2686:83-109. [PMID: 37540355 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3299-4_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
The angiosperms, or flowering plants, arose at least 135 million years ago (Ma) and rapidly diversified to form over 300,000 species alive today. This group appears, however, to have separated from its closest living relatives, the extant gymnosperms, much earlier: over 300 Ma. Representatives of basally-diverging angiosperm lineages are of key importance to studies aimed at reconstructing the most recent common ancestor of living angiosperms, including its morphological, anatomical, eco-physiological and molecular aspects. Furthermore, evo-devo comparisons of angiosperms with living gymnosperms may help to determine how the many novel aspects of angiosperms, including those of the flower, first came about. This chapter reviews literature on the origin of angiosperms and focusses on basally-diverging angiosperms and gymnosperms that show advantages as potential experimental models, reviewing information and protocols for the use of these species in an evo-devo context. The final section suggests a means by which data from living and fossil groups could be integrated to better elucidate evolutionary events that took place on the long stem-lineage that apparently preceded the radiation of living angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles P Scutt
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon-1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France.
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11
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Sauquet H, Ramírez-Barahona S, Magallón S. What is the age of flowering plants? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3840-3853. [PMID: 35438718 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The origin of flowering plants (angiosperms) was one of the most transformative events in the history of our planet. Despite considerable interest from multiple research fields, numerous questions remain, including the age of the group as a whole. Recent studies have reported a perplexing range of estimates for the crown-group age of angiosperms, from ~140 million years (Ma; Early Cretaceous) to 270 Ma (Permian). Both ends of the spectrum are now supported by both macroevolutionary analyses of the fossil record and fossil-calibrated molecular dating analyses. Here, we first clarify and distinguish among the three ages of angiosperms: the age of their divergence with acrogymnosperms (stem age); the age(s) of emergence of their unique, distinctive features including flowers (morphological age); and the age of the most recent common ancestor of all their living species (crown age). We then demonstrate, based on recent studies, that fossil-calibrated molecular dating estimates of the crown-group age of angiosperms have little to do with either the amount of molecular data or the number of internal fossil calibrations included. Instead, we argue that this age is almost entirely conditioned by its own prior distribution (typically a calibration density set by the user in Bayesian analyses). Lastly, we discuss which future discoveries or novel types of analyses are most likely to bring more definitive answers. In the meantime, we propose that the age of angiosperms is best described as largely unknown (140-270 Ma) and that contrasting age estimates in the literature mostly reflect conflicting prior distributions. We also suggest that future work that depends on the time scale of flowering plant diversification be designed to integrate over this vexing uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hervé Sauquet
- National Herbarium of New South Wales (NSW), Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Susana Magallón
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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12
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Klymiuk AA, Rothwell GW, Stockey RA. A novel cupulate seed plant, Xadzigacalix quatsinoensis gen. et sp. nov., provides new insight into the Mesozoic radiation of gymnosperms. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:966-985. [PMID: 35435244 PMCID: PMC9328379 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Anatomically preserved evidence for a novel clade of gymnosperms emphasizes diversity of seed plants immediately prior to the appearance of angiosperm fossils in the paleontological record. METHODS Cupulate seeds from the Early Cretaceous Apple Bay locality (Vancouver Island) are described from serial cellulose acetate peels and three-dimensional reconstruction. Phylogenetic context is assessed through the comparative analysis of gymnosperm seed producing fructifications and maximum parsimony analysis of a revised morphological data set for seed plant phylogeny. RESULTS Xadzigacalix quatsinoensis gen. et sp. nov. is characterized by an orthotropous ovule with an elongated micropyle and complex integument, enclosed within a radial cupule. The micropylar canal is elongated; and the nucellus extends into the micropyle to seal the post pollination ovule. Except at the apex of the micropyle, the seed is completely enclosed by a parenchymatous cupule with ca. 20 axially elongated secretory ducts. The cupulate seed is produced upon a triangular woody stele, consisting of a parenchymatous pith surrounded by radially aligned tracheids. The stele produces three short terete traces that terminate within the base of the cupule as transfusion tissue at the seed chalaza. CONCLUSIONS Organography, vascularization, nature of the integument and nucellus, and configuration of the micropylar canal distinguish Xadzigacalix quatsinoensis from all other gymnosperm clades. Cladistic analyses suggest the new plant may have affinities with gnetophytes or angiosperms. These results are complemented with a critical re-evaluation of ovulate structures for Mesozoic gymnosperms, providing new insight into plant diversity immediately antecedent to the explosive diversification of flowering plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley A. Klymiuk
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaR3T 2N2Canada
- Gantz Family Collections Center, Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore DriveChicagoIL60605USA
| | - Gar W. Rothwell
- Department of Botany and Plant PathologyOregon State UniversityCorvallisOR97331−2902USA
- Department of Environmental and Plant Biology317 Porter Hall, Ohio UniversityAthensOH45701USA
| | - Ruth A. Stockey
- Department of Botany and Plant PathologyOregon State UniversityCorvallisOR97331−2902USA
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Herrera F, Testo WL, Field AR, Clark EG, Herendeen PS, Crane PR, Shi G. A permineralized Early Cretaceous lycopsid from China and the evolution of crown clubmosses. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:2310-2322. [PMID: 34981832 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Lycopodiaceae are one of three surviving families of lycopsids, a lineage of vascular plants with a fossil history dating to at least the Early Devonian or perhaps the Late Silurian (c. 415 Ma). Many fossils have been linked to crown Lycopodiaceae, but the lack of well-preserved material has hindered definitive recognition of this group in the paleobotanical record. New, exceptionally well-preserved permineralized lycopsid fossils from the Early Cretaceous (125.6 ± 1.0 Ma) of Inner Mongolia, China, were examined in detail using acetate peel and micro-computed tomography techniques. The anatomy of extant Lycopodiaceae was analyzed for comparison using fluorescence microscopy. Phylogenetic relationships of the new fossil to extant Lycopodiaceae were evaluated using parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses. Lycopodicaulis oellgaardii gen. et sp. nov. provides the earliest unequivocal and best-documented evidence of crown Lycopodiaceae and Lycopodioideae, based on anatomically-preserved fossil material. Recognition of Lycopodicaulis in Asia during the Early Cretaceous indicates the presence of crown Lycopodiaceae at this time, and striking similarities of stem anatomy with extant species provide a framework for the understanding of the interaction of branching and vascular anatomy in crown-group lycopsids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiany Herrera
- Earth Sciences, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Weston L Testo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 405 30, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Box 461, Gothenburg, 405 30, Sweden
| | - Ashley R Field
- Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Science, Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, Brisbane, Qld, 4870, Australia
- Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, 4878, Australia
| | | | | | - Peter R Crane
- Yale School of Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Upperville, VA, 20184, USA
| | - Gongle Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
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Gonçalves B. Case not closed: the mystery of the origin of the carpel. EvoDevo 2021; 12:14. [PMID: 34911578 PMCID: PMC8672599 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-021-00184-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The carpel is a fascinating structure that plays a critical role in flowering plant reproduction and contributed greatly to the evolutionary success and diversification of flowering plants. The remarkable feature of the carpel is that it is a closed structure that envelopes the ovules and after fertilization develops into the fruit which protects, helps disperse, and supports seed development into a new plant. Nearly all plant-based foods are either derived from a flowering plant or are a direct product of the carpel. Given its importance it's no surprise that plant and evolutionary biologists have been trying to explain the origin of the carpel for a long time. Before carpel evolution seeds were produced on open leaf-like structures that are exposed to the environment. When the carpel evolved in the stem lineage of flowering plants, seeds became protected within its closed structure. The evolutionary transition from that open precursor to the closed carpel remains one of the greatest mysteries of plant evolution. In recent years, we have begun to complete a picture of what the first carpels might have looked like. On the other hand, there are still many gaps in our understanding of what the precursor of the carpel looked like and what changes to its developmental mechanisms allowed for this evolutionary transition. This review aims to present an overview of existing theories of carpel evolution with a particular emphasis on those that account for the structures that preceded the carpel and/or present testable developmental hypotheses. In the second part insights from the development and evolution of diverse plant organs are gathered to build a developmental hypothesis for the evolutionary transition from a hypothesized laminar open structure to the closed structure of the carpel.
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Li Y, Du W, Chen Y, Wang S, Wang XF. Serial Section-Based Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Anaxagorea (Annonaceae) Carpel Vasculature and Implications for the Morphological Relationship between the Carpel and the Ovule. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10102221. [PMID: 34686030 PMCID: PMC8540277 DOI: 10.3390/plants10102221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating the origin of flowers has been a challenge in botany for a long time. One of the central questions surrounding the origin of flowers is how to interpret the carpel, especially the relationship between the phyllome part (carpel wall) and the ovule. Recently, consensus favors the carpel originating from the fusion of an ovule-bearing part and the phyllome part that subtends it. Considering the carpel is a complex organ, the accurate presentation of the anatomical structure of the carpel is necessary for resolving this question. Anaxagorea is the most basal genus in a primitive angiosperm family, Annonaceae. The conspicuous stipe at the base of each carpel makes it an ideal material for exploring the histological relationships among the receptacle, the carpel, and the ovule. In the present study, floral organogenesis and vasculature were delineated in Anaxagorea luzonensis and Anaxagorea javanica, and a three-dimensional model of the carpel vasculature was reconstructed based on serial sections. The results show that in Anaxagorea, the vasculature in the carpel branches in the form of shoots. The radiosymmetrical vasculature pattern is repeatedly presented in the receptacle, the carpel, and the funiculus of the ovule. This provides anatomical evidence of the composite origin of the carpel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Li
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.L.); (W.D.)
| | - Wei Du
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.L.); (W.D.)
| | - Ye Chen
- Department of Environmental Art Design, Tianjin Arts and Crafts Vocational College, Tianjin 300250, China;
| | - Shuai Wang
- College of Life Sciences and Environment, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421001, China;
| | - Xiao-Fan Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.L.); (W.D.)
- Correspondence:
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