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

Pollination and Flower Structure

Pollination and Flower Structure

Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.

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.

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.

Light Acquisition

Light Acquisition

In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.

The Angiosperm Life Cycle

The Angiosperm Life Cycle

Plants have a life cycle split between two multicellular stages: a haploid stage—with cells containing one set of chromosomes—and a diploid stage—with cells containing two sets of chromosomes. The haploid stage is the gamete-producing gametophyte, and the diploid stage is the spore-producing sporophyte.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Alanine Aminotransferase Elevation at Diagnosis of Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes: Prevalence, Predictors, and One-Year Outcomes.

Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism·2026

Same author

A Plateful of Advice: How to Address Picky Eating in Primary Care.

Pediatric annals·2025

Same author

History and Dynamics of an Extensive Plant Hybrid Zone on the Great Plains of North America.

Molecular ecology·2025

Same author

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in an Urban Paediatric Cohort With High Socioeconomic Deprivation.

Pediatric obesity·2025

Same author

Chromosome-scale reference genome of <i>Pectocarya recurvata</i>, the species with the smallest reported genome size in Boraginaceae.

Applications in plant sciences·2025

Same author

Establishment patterns of saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) at the microsite scale help explain saguaro regeneration and distributions in heterogenous, regional habitats.

American journal of botany·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 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

EVOLUTION OF INFLORESCENCE DESIGN: THEORY AND DATA.

Mark Fishbein¹, D Lawrence Venable¹

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|June 1, 2017

Summary

Sexual selection in plants favors intermediate inflorescence size for male function, balancing male and female reproductive success. This challenges previous hypotheses on plant reproductive strategies.

Keywords:

Asclepias tuberosa ESS model inflorescence design inflorescence size milkweed pollen transfer sexual selection size-number trade-offs

More Related Videos

Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM Protocols for Problematic Plant, Oomycete, and Fungal Samples

Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM Protocols for Problematic Plant, Oomycete, and Fungal Samples

Published on: February 3, 2017

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Published on: April 12, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 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

Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM Protocols for Problematic Plant, Oomycete, and Fungal Samples

Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM Protocols for Problematic Plant, Oomycete, and Fungal Samples

Published on: February 3, 2017

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Colletotrichum fioriniae Development in Water and Chloroform-based Blueberry and Cranberry Floral Extracts

Published on: April 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Plant Reproductive Ecology
Sexual Selection

Background:

Low fruit set in flowering plants is often attributed to sexual selection on inflorescence size, primarily through male reproductive success.
The
male function
hypothesis has faced recent criticism, prompting re-evaluation of inflorescence evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To distinguish between selection on total flower number and inflorescence unit size.
To develop an evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) model for inflorescence design considering both male and female reproductive success.
To empirically test the model's predictions using field manipulations in milkweed.

Main Methods:

Developed an ESS model to predict optimal inflorescence unit size based on balancing male and female fitness.
Conducted a field experiment manipulating umbel size and number in *Asclepias tuberosa*.
Assessed pollinator visitation rates and reproductive success (fruit set) in relation to umbel size.

Main Results:

Male fitness peaked at intermediate umbel sizes, while female fitness was highest at smaller sizes or constant.
Pollinator visitation rates correlated with male function, and pollinator pool composition influenced year-to-year variation in male reproductive success.
Empirical data integrated into the model predicted ESS umbel sizes consistent with natural populations.

Conclusions:

Selection balances male and female reproductive success in determining optimal inflorescence unit size.
The study provides a nuanced understanding of sexual selection in plants, moving beyond the simple "male function" hypothesis.
Findings support the ESS model and explain observed inflorescence sizes in *Asclepias tuberosa*.