The Importance of Model Species in Plant Biology: From Arabidopsis Thaliana to Beyond

Arabidopsis thaliana has been served as a model species in plant biology for over half a century. Since its earliest adoption in 1980s and the landmark sequencing of its whole genome, Arabidopsis has greatly accelerated plant research across multiple domains of plant science. With the help of Arabidopsis, plant scientists have been able to study different aspects of land plants, including evolution, epigenetic and plant physiology. These studies also provided insights into working on other plants, especially crops. Flowering time, stress response and growth regulation have been studies on Arabidopsis, often in conjunction with other experiment methods such as CRISPR/Cas9 and floral dip. Its role in advancing research into other species and applications in agriculture indicates an irreplaceable contribution to the whole biology field. However, the evolutionary divergence and physiological differences from many crops suggest limitations of this organism. This paper reviews the history and development of Arabidopsis as a model organism, as well as the limitations and future implications of model species in plant biology, emphasizing the need for broader representation of plant diversity in research to address global challenges such as climate change, agricultural development, and future plant biology direction.