Conservation and innovation in flowering plant morphologies

Each academic workshop will be preceded by a public lecture from one of the four biological experts speaking on the theme of the workshop from the vantage point of their own research program. This will be held on the campus of the University of Minnesota, co-sponsored with the College of Biological Sciences. The intended audience is the general scientific community at the University of Minnesota and the invited biological expert will spend time interacting with faculty, post-docs, and graduate students interested in the relevant domain of biological phenomena: development, evolutionary novelty, and evolvability.

photo of Vivian Irish

Conservation and innovation in flowering plant morphologies

 

Vivian Irish, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University

In 1859, Darwin famously wrote “It is generally acknowledged that all organic beings have been formed on two great laws—Unity of Type, and Conditions of Existence.” In this, he emphasized the similarities in body plans that reflect common descent, while at the same time, pointing out that new morphologies could evolve as an adaptation to particular environmental conditions. Flower structure reflects both this unity of type and diversity of form. We will discuss some of the recent progress in characterizing the molecular mechanisms that maintain a consistent floral architecture, as well as those that contribute to the astonishing diversity of flowering plant morphologies.

lecture video

Tuesday, April 19th, 2016