title: Plant Life without Ethylene.
abstract: We propose that the ability to synthesize ethylene was selectively lost in evolution when the ancestors of fully aquatic higher plants lost their terrestrial lifestyle. We suggest that there has been negative selection on ethylene in these submerged species because it might interfere with growth in permanently deluged environments.
authors.affiliation: Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: L.A.C.J.Voesenek@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Laurentius A C J
authors.initials: LACJ
authors.lastname: Voesenek
authors.affiliation: Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pierik
authors.affiliation: Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rashmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sasidharan
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D055868:Floods; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D035962:Zosteraceae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; C036216:ethylene
keywords: ethylene; evolution; flooding; submergence