ABSTRACT
The model is a simplified representation of a biological reality that is by essence varied, which has in its way a value of generality and presents some practical advantages for experimentation. Arabidopsis thaliana brings together many biological and genetic characteristics which make this a particularly interesting model species for experimentation in plant biology. Botanically speaking, Arabidopsis thaliana is a part of the Brassicaceae family, like its close cousin’s radish, cabbage and canola. The natural limit of the plant extends from the north of Scandinavia to North Africa and the south of the Middle East, a particularly large area of distribution for the relative simplicity of this species. One advantage of the species, and probably one of the most important, concerns its facility for genetic transformation, which can be accomplished by simply putting the plant in contact with the bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
