title: Marchantia polymorpha: Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Morphology of a Model System.
abstract: One of the classical research plants in plant biology, Marchantia polymorpha, is drawing attention as a new model system. Its ease of genetic transformation and a genome sequencing project have attracted attention to the species. Here I present a thorough assessment of the taxonomic status, anatomy and developmental morphology of each organ and tissue of the gametophyte and sporophyte on the basis of a thorough review of the literature and my own observations. Marchantia polymorpha has been a subject of intensive study for nearly 200 years, and the information summarized here offers an invaluable resource for future studies on this model plant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshim, 739-8526 Japan mshima@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimamura
mesh_terms: D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D005306:Fertilization; D047008:Marchantia / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny; D013170:Spores / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Air pore; Apical cell; Fertilization; Gemma; Liverwort; Marchantia polymorpha