Cabomba as a model for studies of early angiosperm evolution.

Area of Science:

• * Evolutionary developmental biology
• * Plant genomics
• * Paleobotany

Background:

• * Angiosperms diversified during the Cretaceous period, becoming dominant terrestrial plants.
• * The ANA grade (Amborellales, Nymphaeales, Austrobaileyales) represents early diverging lineages of flowering plants.
• * Studying these lineages aids in reconstructing the traits of the last common angiosperm ancestor.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To evaluate the genus Cabomba (Nymphaeales) as a model organism for molecular-genetic studies.
• * To identify conserved traits relevant to the last common ancestor of extant flowering plants.
• * To facilitate research into the evolutionary origins of angiosperms.

Main Methods:

• * Review of Cabomba's suitability as a genetic model.
• * Development of laboratory cultivation methods for Cabomba to flowering.
• * Creation of a Cabomba flower expressed sequence tag database.
• * Establishment of an in situ hybridization protocol.
• * Measurement of the nuclear genome size of *C. caroliniana*.

Main Results:

• * Cabomba possesses several features making it a potentially valuable genetic model.
• * Methods for cultivation, genetic resource development, and molecular analysis in Cabomba are presented.
• * The nuclear genome size of *C. caroliniana* was measured.

Conclusions:

• * Cabomba is a promising model for investigating the molecular-developmental mechanisms of early flowering plants.
• * The presented resources and methods facilitate using Cabomba in evolutionary studies.
• * Further research with Cabomba can illuminate the origin and diversification of angiosperms.