Research Study Sheds New Light on the Origin of Flowers

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside are members of an international team the Amborella Genome Sequencing Project that has sequenced the genome of the Amborella plant.

This newly sequenced genome addresses Darwins abominable mystery the question of why flowers suddenly proliferated on Earth millions of years ago. The genome sequence sheds new light on a major event in the history of life on Earth: the origin of flowering plants.

The researcher team says it has conclusive evidence that the ancestor of all flowering plants, including Amborella, evolved following a genome doubling event that occurred about 200 million years ago. Some duplicated genes were lost over time but others took on new functions, including contributions to the development of floral organs.

Study results appear in the 20 December 2013 issue of the journal Science.

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Research Study Sheds New Light on the Origin of Flowers