Arabidopsis thaliana has reached maturity as a model system in plants. In this short text first, the meaning of the word model is discussed in relation to the ease with which developmental processes can be analyzed and also in relation to the influence that the model itself has on experimentation. Although the efficiency of Arabidopsis as a plant model has been demonstrated, and is beyond the scope of this discussion, the description of ecological strategies in plants indicates that Arabidopsis is an example of an r-type strategy species. Plants with the r-type strategy, and, in particular Arabidopsis, although structurally simple, may support complex regulatory processes. This could involve complex genome dynamics, in particular in response to given environmental conditions during situations such as, for example, seed germination.

4 pages, 3 tables.

Peer reviewed