Abstract：
BACKGROUND: The evolutionary success of flowering plants is associated with the vast diversity of their reproductive structures. Despite recent progress in understanding angiosperm-wide trends of floral structure and evolution, a synthetic view of the diversity in seed form and function across angiosperms is lacking.
METHODS: Here we present a roadmap to synthesise the diversity of seed forms in extant angiosperms, relying on the morphospace concept, i.e. a mathematical representation which relates multiple traits and describes the realised morphologies. We provide recommendations on how to broaden the range of measurable traits beyond mass, by using key morphological traits representative of the embryo, endosperm, and seed coat but also fruit attributes (e.g., dehiscence, fleshiness). These key traits were used to construct and analyse a morphospace to detect evolutionary trends and gain insight into how morphological traits relate to seed functions. Finally, we outline challenges and future research directions, combining the morphospace with macroevolutionary comparative methods to underline the drivers that gave rise to the diversity of observed seed forms.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that this multidimensional approach has the potential, although still untapped, to improve our understanding of covariation among reproductive traits, and further elucidate angiosperm reproductive biology as a whole.
METHODS: Here we present a roadmap to synthesise the diversity of seed forms in extant angiosperms, relying on the morphospace concept, i.e. a mathematical representation which relates multiple traits and describes the realised morphologies. We provide recommendations on how to broaden the range of measurable traits beyond mass, by using key morphological traits representative of the embryo, endosperm, and seed coat but also fruit attributes (e.g., dehiscence, fleshiness). These key traits were used to construct and analyse a morphospace to detect evolutionary trends and gain insight into how morphological traits relate to seed functions. Finally, we outline challenges and future research directions, combining the morphospace with macroevolutionary comparative methods to underline the drivers that gave rise to the diversity of observed seed forms.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that this multidimensional approach has the potential, although still untapped, to improve our understanding of covariation among reproductive traits, and further elucidate angiosperm reproductive biology as a whole.
摘要：
背景：开花植物的进化成功与其繁殖结构的巨大多样性有关。尽管最近在了解花结构和进化的被子植物全趋势方面取得了进展，缺乏关于被子植物种子形式和功能多样性的综合观点。
方法：在这里，我们提出了一个路线图，以综合现有被子植物中种子形式的多样性，依靠形态空间的概念，即涉及多个性状并描述实现形态的数学表示。我们就如何扩大质量以外的可测量特征的范围提供建议，通过使用代表胚胎的关键形态特征，胚乳,和种皮，还有水果属性(例如，开裂，肉质）。这些关键性状用于构建和分析形态空间，以检测进化趋势并深入了解形态性状与种子功能的关系。最后,我们概述了挑战和未来的研究方向，将形态空间与宏观进化比较方法相结合，以强调引起观察到的种子形式多样性的驱动因素。
结论：我们得出结论，这种多维方法具有潜力，虽然仍未开发，为了提高我们对生殖特征之间共变的理解，并从整体上进一步阐明被子植物的生殖生物学。
方法：在这里，我们提出了一个路线图，以综合现有被子植物中种子形式的多样性，依靠形态空间的概念，即涉及多个性状并描述实现形态的数学表示。我们就如何扩大质量以外的可测量特征的范围提供建议，通过使用代表胚胎的关键形态特征，胚乳,和种皮，还有水果属性(例如，开裂，肉质）。这些关键性状用于构建和分析形态空间，以检测进化趋势并深入了解形态性状与种子功能的关系。最后,我们概述了挑战和未来的研究方向，将形态空间与宏观进化比较方法相结合，以强调引起观察到的种子形式多样性的驱动因素。
结论：我们得出结论，这种多维方法具有潜力，虽然仍未开发，为了提高我们对生殖特征之间共变的理解，并从整体上进一步阐明被子植物的生殖生物学。
