生物谷报道：花序是指植物开花的排列方式，自然界中大约有数千种花序类型。长期以来，科学家们以为花序的不同形式是由完全不同的机制造成的，而5月24日《科学》杂志在线发表的一篇文章指出，不同花序其实只是同一机制不同方面的影响结果。
研究人员阐述了造成花序差异的数学模型、分子遗传机制以及进化过程。论文第一作者、加拿大卡尔加里大学（UniversityofCalgary）的计算机科学家PrzemyslawPrusinkiewicz表示，“最新的研究提出了一个统一的理论，能够解释自然界中花序类型的多样性。”
不同花序类型
( 生物谷配图)
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论文的合著者、卡尔加里大学生物学家LawrenceHarder表示，他们提出的模型的一个显著特点就是能够预测植物局部的花序结构，并且使科学家们认识到一些花序类型是不可能存在的。
这一统一理论最为关键的部分在于，在Prusinkiewicz等人开发的计算机数学模型里，微小的改变就能产生不同的花序结构。此后，论文的另一位合著者、英国约翰·英纳斯中心（JohnInnesCentre）遗传学家EnricoCoen将Prusinkiewicz的模型与实际的植物基因联系了起来，最终得到了统一的理论。
新的研究结果无疑将加深科学家对自然界中植物花序机制的理解。相关论文将正式发表在6月8日的《科学》杂志上。
原始出处:
Published Online May 24, 2007
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1140429
Research Articles
Submitted on January 25, 2007
Accepted on April 30, 2007
Evolution and Development of Inflorescence Architectures
Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz 1, Yvette Erasmus 2, Brendan Lane 1, Lawrence D. Harder 3, Enrico Coen 4*
1 Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W. Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
2 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK; Present address: Institute of Molecular Plant Science, Daniel Rutherford Building, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, UK.
3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W. Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
4 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Enrico Coen , E-mail: enrico.coen@bbsrc.ac.uk
To understand the constraints on biological diversity, we analyzed how selection and development interact to control the evolution of inflorescences, the branching structures that bear flowers. We show that a single developmental model accounts for the restricted range of inflorescence types observed in nature and that this model is supported by molecular genetic studies. The model predicts associations between inflorescence architecture, climate, and life history, which we validated empirically. Paths, or evolutionary wormholes, link different architectures in a multidimensional fitness space, but the rate of evolution along these paths is constrained by genetic and environmental factors, explaining why some evolutionary transitions are rare between closely related plant taxa.
