DSSS - One size fits all? Understanding the development and evolution of petal patterns using Hibiscus as a model system

Plants can control cell behaviour with exquisite spatiotemporal resolution to produce a diversity of shapes and forms. The colourful patterns on the petals of flowering plants perfectly illustrate their engineering skills. These patterns are multifunctional: they play key roles in plant-insects communication but also help flowers deal with environmental stresses such as UV radiation and water loss. Petal patterns are often highly elaborated and combine differences in pigmentation, cell shape and texture to generate neighbouring tissues with distinct appearances. However, the mechanisms used to program cell behaviour in a coordinated fashion across the epidermis of a developing petal are not well understood. I will present some results our group obtained while investigating pattern formation and evolution using a small species of Hibiscus and its close relatives as a model system. Our results help us understand how plants can set-up boundaries within the petal epidermis and how evolution tinkers with these processes to generate the diversity of patterns observed in nature.