How Did Roses Get Their Thorns?
A study in Science reveals that rose prickles evolved from the LOG gene, serving as defense and aiding in climbing. Genetic modifications could enhance cultivation by removing prickles from wild plants.
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A recent study published in Science has revealed that the prickles found on roses and other plants evolved due to a single gene known as LOG. These prickles serve primarily as a defense mechanism against herbivores, but they also have other functions, such as aiding in climbing or seed attachment to animals. The research highlights that prickles have independently evolved in various plant species over the past 400 million years, demonstrating a phenomenon known as convergence. By crossing domesticated eggplants with their prickly wild relatives, researchers identified that the presence of a specific LOG gene variant was linked to the development of prickles. This gene is crucial for plant growth, but mutations in it can lead to the absence of prickles without affecting the plant's overall health. The findings suggest that similar genetic mechanisms may be responsible for prickles in other plant species as well. The potential applications of this research include the ability to genetically modify wild plants to make them more suitable for cultivation by removing their prickles, as demonstrated with a prickly wild Australian plant. This study underscores the idea that evolutionary innovation can often involve repurposing existing genetic material rather than creating entirely new mechanisms.
- Prickles on roses evolved from a single gene called LOG.
- Prickles serve as a defense against herbivores and have other functions.
- The study shows that prickles have evolved independently in various plant species.
- Genetic modifications could make wild plants easier to cultivate by removing prickles.
- Evolutionary innovation may involve reusing existing genes rather than developing new ones.
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