From an adaptation perspective, unoccupied patches of morphological space are inferred to
be empty because they are of low fitness and selected against. These inferences hinge on …

Trees and other woody plants are immensely ecologically important, making it essential to
understand the causes of relationships between tree structure and function. To help these …

The naturally occurring bisexual cone of gymnosperms has long been considered a
possible intermediate stage in the origin of flowers, but the mechanisms governing bisexual …

Gymnosperms diverged from their sister plant clade of flowering plants 300 Mya.
Morphological and functional divergence between the two major seed plant clades involved …

The development of reproductive structures in gymnosperms is still poorly studied because
of a lack of genomic information and useful genetic tools. The hermaphroditic reproductive …

The study of developmental genetics is providing insights into how plant morphology can
and does evolve, and into the fundamental nature of specific organs. This new …

Whole genome duplication (WGD) likely plays an important role in plant macroevolution,
and has been implicated in diversification rate shifts, structural innovations, and increased …

• Premise of the study: Triassic and Jurassic fossils record structural changes in conifer seed
cones through time, provide the earliest evidence for crown‐group conifer clades, and …

Meliaceae are a mostly pantropical family in the Sapindales, bearing flowers typically
provided with a staminal tube, formed by filaments that are fused partially or totally …

Conifers are an excellent group in which to explore how changing ecological interactions
may have influenced the allocation of reproductive tissues in seed plants over long time …