Look closely and you might find that even leaves on the same plant may not be similar. My research explores the events leading to two possible leaf shapes in the model plant system, Arabidopsis.
Early leaves have smooth leaf margins while later leaves have jagged edges or serrations.
In addition, since plants are related evolutionarily, often a gene found in one plant has a corresponding gene in another plant. These evolutionarily related genes with similar sequences in different plant systems are termed orthologs. Maize leaves have a morphology distinct from that of Arabidopsis leaves indicating that leaf developement differs between these two systems. Ry Meeks-Wagner taught my core laboratory class and he impressed me as someone I would enjoy working for. So I approached him about space in his lab and here I am.