What Is a Model Organism?

Over the last century, research on a small number of organisms has played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of numerous biological processes. This is because many aspects of biology are similar in most or all organisms, but it is frequently much easier to study a particular aspect in one organism than in others. These much-studied organisms are commonly referred to as model organisms, because each has one or more characteristics that make it suitable for laboratory study. The most popular model organisms have strong advantages for experimental research, such as rapid development with short life cycles, small adult size, ready availability, and tractability, and become even more useful when many other scientists work on them. A large amount of information can then be derived from these organisms, providing valuable data for the analysis of normal human development; gene regulation, genetic diseases, and evolutionary processes.

Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant that belongs to the Brassica family, which includes species such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and radish. Because Arabidopsis has a small genome relative to other plants and is easily grown under laboratory conditions, it has become the organism of choice for basic studies of the molecular genetics of flowering plants. Scientists expect that systematic studies of Arabidopsis will offer important advantages for basic research in genetics and molecular biology and will illuminate numerous features of plant biology, including those of significant value to agriculture, energy, environment, and human health.