Evolution of the grass leaf by primordium extension and petiole-lamina remodeling

Abstract

Shared systems in leaf development The long, narrow leaves of grasses look rather different from the often shorter, flatter leaves of eudicot plants. Richardson et al . combined developmental genetics and computational modeling to reveal that these two types of leaves, which are widely separated by evolution, have more in common than expected. Expression of similar patterning genes in the primordial zone is confined to a wedge for the eudicot leaf but expanded to concentric domains in the grass leaf, driving development of the cylindrical, encircling sheath characteristic of grass leaves. Addition or removal of gene expression in a marginal zone contributes to the development of the broader leaf characteristic of eudicots. Thus, grass and eudicot leaves are diversified elaborations of shared toolkits. —PJH