Bloom and bust: understanding the nature and regulation of the end of flowering
Abstract
The reproduction of flowering plants is an incredibly important process, both ecologically and economically. A huge body of work has examined the mechanisms by which flowering plants correctly time their entry into the reproductive phase (the ‘floral transition’). However, the corresponding mechanisms by which plants exit the reproductive phase remain relatively neglected. In this review, we identify four developmental processes that contribute to the end-of-flowering; floral arrest, inflorescence meristem arrest, inflorescence activation and ‘vegetative transition’. We highlight that, due to the highly divergent nature of reproductive systems among flowering plants, these processes are differently important for end-of-flowering in different species. For each of these processes, we examine recent advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms that govern the process, and how these mechanisms determine the timing of end-of-flowering.
