Abstract

Host Prof. Beverley Glover

Abstract Shrouded by showy petals and stamens, carpels are a complex structure and a puzzle for evolutionary biologists. The mystery of how carpels evolved is two-fold: what was the ancestor of the carpel? and what developmental processes were modified in that ancestor to enable the evolutionary transition to the closed carpel? To answer this question, our team is testing the longstanding theory that carpels originated from a leaf-like organ. We’re studying whether the mechanisms that pattern the vegetative meristem and control leaf morphogenesis are conserved in the floral meristem and how they may operate in the carpel to produce its closed structure. I’ll present different sides to our approach which involves comparing carpel and leaf development, across flowering plants to test hypotheses on how carpels originated and diversified.

Biography I am a developmental and evolutionary biologist, fundamentally interested in understanding how changes in developmental processes shape plant diversity and how these changes have contributed to the success of flowering plant lineages. Since 2021 I lead a research group at the University of Bristol where we’re interested in understanding the origin and diversification of the carpel. Before that I studied the development of petals, leaves, ovules and carnivorous plant traps.

Please note the seminars are for University Of Cambridge members ONLY .