Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis

Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.

Introduction to Plant Diversity

Introduction to Plant Diversity

From Water to Land

Non-vascular Seedless Plants

Non-vascular Seedless Plants

The diverse plant life on Earth—consisting of nearly 400,000 species—can be divided into three broad categories based on biological characteristics: nonvascular, seedless vascular, and seed plants.

Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte

Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte

Seed structures are composed of a protective seed coat surrounding a plant embryo, and a food store for the developing embryo. The embryo contains the precursor tissues for leaves, stem, and roots. The endosperm and cotyledons—seed leaves—act as the food reserves for the growing embryo.

Meristems and Plant Growth

Meristems and Plant Growth

Plants grow throughout their lives; this is called indeterminate growth, and it distinguishes plants from most animals. Although certain parts of plants stop growing (e.g., leaves and flowers), others grow continuously—like roots and stems.

Seedless Vascular Plants

Seedless Vascular Plants

Seedless Vascular Plants Were the First Tall Plants on Earth

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Uncovering the multi-layer cis-regulatory landscape of rice via integrative nascent RNA analysis.

Genome biology·2025

Same author

Environment-dependent selection impacts heritable developmental stability and trait canalization in rice.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Topologically associating domains and the evolution of three-dimensional genome architecture in rice.

The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology·2025

Same author

Systems genomics of salinity stress response in rice.

eLife·2025

Same author

Ontogenetic correlates, not direct adaptation, explain the evolution of stelar morphology.

The New phytologist·2024

Same author

A stomate by any other name? The open question of hornwort gametophytic pores, their homology, and implications for the evolution of stomates.

The New phytologist·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques

Published on: April 12, 2018

The evolution of plant development.

William E Friedman¹, Richard C Moore, Michael D Purugganan

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 USA;

American Journal of Botany

|June 10, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Recent studies integrate systematics, morphology, and genetics to explore plant development evolution. This combined approach is key to understanding major plant innovations like roots, shoots, leaves, and flowers.

More Related Videos

Live Confocal Imaging of Developing Arabidopsis Flowers

Live Confocal Imaging of Developing Arabidopsis Flowers

Published on: April 1, 2017

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Published on: December 31, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques

Whole-mount Clearing and Staining of Arabidopsis Flower Organs and Siliques

Published on: April 12, 2018

Live Confocal Imaging of Developing Arabidopsis Flowers

Live Confocal Imaging of Developing Arabidopsis Flowers

Published on: April 1, 2017

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Published on: December 31, 2012

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Developmental Biology
Plant Science

Background:

The study of plant development evolution has seen renewed interest.
Research now integrates multiple disciplines for a comprehensive view.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolution of major plant developmental transitions.
To formulate testable hypotheses for morphological character evolution.

Main Methods:

Integration of phylogenetic studies.
Structural analyses of fossil and extant plant taxa.
Utilizing molecular developmental genetics and molecular evolution.

Main Results:

Enabled explicit and testable hypotheses for morphological character evolution.
Provided insights into the evolution of apical meristems, root/shoot systems, leaf diversification, and flower structure.
Discussed evolutionary innovations within phylogenetic and molecular genetic frameworks.

Conclusions:

A combination of phylogenetic and molecular genetic approaches is crucial.
This integrated strategy offers the greatest potential for understanding plant development evolution.