9726225 Soltis GYNOECIAL DIVERSIFICATION IN SAXIFRAGALES: CLARIFYING THE EVOLUTION OF EPIGYNY A key manner in which the architecture of flowers varies is by shifting the position at which the ovary is inserted relative to the perianth and stamens. A superior ovary is inserted above the perianth and stamens, and an inferior ovary is inserted such that the perianth and stamens are positioned along its length. Inferior ovaries vary depending upon the point at which the perianth and stamens are inserted along the ovary. Ovary insertion is highly labile in the Saxifragales, a monophyletic order of flowering plants. In the Saxifragales, these variations in ovary insertion impact pollinator interactions with flowers; hence, they are significant in reproductive ecology and the origin of species. Species of Saxifragales display a range of ovary insertions, ranging from superior ovaries through various forms of inferior ovaries. Traditional dogma indicates that ovary evolution proceeds from superior to inferior, but our preliminary data show that this is not possible among Saxifragales. Indeed our preliminary data show that some Saxifragales reported to have superior ovaries actually have a developmental ground plan associated with inferior ovaries. We describe these as superior mimics and our research aims to show how developmental patterns have evolved to create not only these superior mimics, but also a diverse array of ovary insertions among Saxifragales. We are particularly interested in how shifts in proportioned growth between different regions of flowers are a factor in creating an array of ovary insertions. To understand how developmental patterns evolve to create these architectural variations, we will map developmental information on phylogenetic reconstructions based on DNA sequences.
