The mystery of roses with thorns dates back 400 million years

Thorns in roses originated at least 400 million years ago.

The defense mechanism of sharp thorns not only appears in roses but also in other flowers, such as butterfly pea, or some plants such as tomatoes, eggplants, rice, and barley, CNN reported on August 2.

But how did these plants, many of which evolved differently over millions of years, come to share the trait of having thorns?

An international team of researchers found the answer lies in their DNA, stemming from an ancient family of genes responsible for all the thorn variation in plants, according to a report published in the journal Science .

Evolution of thorns

Spines have been around for at least 400 million years, when ferns and their relatives first developed some of their spines. Since then, the trait has emerged and then disappeared over various stages of evolution, according to co-author Zachary Lippman, a plant biologist and professor of genetics at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, New York.

One of the most diverse plant genera, scientifically known as Solanum and including plants such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants, first developed thorns about 6 million years ago.

Utah State University (USA) has recorded that this genus has more than 1,000 species worldwide , with about 400 species having thorns.

Spines evolved in plants as a defense mechanism against herbivores, and may aid growth, compete with other plants, and serve to retain water.

The team of experts discovered an ancient family of genes called Lonely Guy (LOG) that plays a role in maintaining the thorn trait in plants and allowing thorns to appear or disappear in specific species over millions of years.

The new discovery not only allows scientists to create thornless strains, but also provides new information about the evolutionary history of an extremely diverse genus of plants on earth.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-an-hoa-hong-co-gai-bat-nguon-tu-400-trieu-nam-truoc-185240802092407051.htm