Plant evolution articles from across Nature Portfolio

BZR/BES transcription factors are widely recognized as mediators of brassinosteroid (BR)-responsive gene expression in seed plants, but details of how they act in species that lack BR perception are unclear. A study now uncovers an ancient mission of a BZR/BES transcription factor in sexual organ development in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.

A chromosome-level genome assembly for the amphibious plant Rorippa aquatica uncovers its tetraploid origin and an involvement of ethylene in heterophylly upon submergence.

Through genetic and molecular analyses of interspecific stigma–pollen interactions, the authors show that Brassicaceae plants use an integrated pollen discrimination system and a shared pollen rejection pathway to reject conspecific self-pollen and heterospecific pollen. This establishes a mechanistic link between self-incompatibility and speciation in this clade.

Grasses share a whole-genome duplication called rho, but the adaptive implications are unclear. Here, the authors conduct phylogenomic and phylotranscriptomic analyses of 363 grasses, identifying additional whole-genome duplications and finding that duplicates are implicated in environmental adaptations or morphogenesis.

BZR/BES transcription factors are widely recognized as mediators of brassinosteroid (BR)-responsive gene expression in seed plants, but details of how they act in species that lack BR perception are unclear. A study now uncovers an ancient mission of a BZR/BES transcription factor in sexual organ development in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.

The Lycopodium alkaloids represent a valuable source of neuroactive compounds. The biosynthesis of these specialized metabolites is now shown to involve three α-carbonic anhydrase-like enzymes that are responsible for constructing the key carbon–carbon bonds within their distinctive polycyclic alkaloid structures.

Genomic polyploidy is prevalent in the plant kingdom, giving rise to dominant and recessive subgenomes. We show that the recessive subgenomes of the pitcher plant Nepenthes gracilis had a crucial role in the acquisition of novel genes with species-specific function such as dioecy and carnivory.