Molecular Mechanisms of Flowering Plant Reproduction

Angiosperms are spermatophyte plants with flowers, in which the female gametophytes, residing inside the ovules, are also enclosed in an ovary. In turn, floral presentation is often accompanied by elaborate signals and interactions to promote male gametophyte recruitment and successful fertilization. The selective advantages conferred by these floral meristem-derived structures likely have contributed to the evolutionary success of flowering plants. Angiosperm reproduction is also key for animal survival, as developing fruits and seeds are also, directly and indirectly, the basis of our diet.

In the last decades, studies on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have driven the discovery of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms and signalling pathways in plant reproductive biology. Strikingly however, floral promotion pathways, mechanisms of floral organ identity and morphogenesis, sporogenesis and gametogenesis, pollen presentation, pollination and fertilization strategies are extremely diverse across angiosperms. This Research Topic intends to highlight different aspects of flowering and flower development in the context of successful strategies for plant reproduction, both in model and non-model taxa.

Therefore, we invite original research, review, and perspective manuscript submissions on the molecular mechanisms underlying these areas:

- Stamen and carpel development
Role of hormones
Role of chromatin remodelling
Role of alternative splicing and microRNAs
Role of protein degradation

- Pollen development
Microsporogenesis
Microgametogenesis
Pollenkitt development

- Ovule development
Megasporogenesis
Megagametogenesis

- Pollen-stigma and pollen-style interactions
Self-incompatibility
Incongruity

- Pollen tube guidance
Attraction and directional growth
Signalling mechanisms (up to fertilization)

Descriptive studies will not be considered for review.