Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuai Yuan, Gui Zeng, Kai Zhang, Mingsong Wu, Dianxiang Zhang, Lawrence D. Harder, Spencer C. H. Barrett
Summary: The reproductive systems of flowering plants are flexible and can change in response to various factors. This study focuses on Primula oreodoxa, a self-compatible insect-pollinated herb, and explores the changes in mating patterns as the reproductive system transitions. The results show that populations at different elevations have different mating patterns, suggesting the importance of mating in driving evolutionary divergence.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Anita Cisternas-Fuentes, Tania Jogesh, Geoffrey T. Broadhead, Robert A. Raguso, Krissa A. Skogen, Jeremie B. Fant
Summary: Plants have evolved diverse breeding systems to favor outcrossing, but changes in environmental conditions can lead to the loss of self-incompatibility and a shift towards self-fertilization. This study found that Oenothera primiveris experienced a transition in its breeding system and floral traits, from a self-incompatible population with large flowers to self-compatible populations with smaller flowers. This shift led to increased inbreeding and population differentiation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Samira Shojaiefar, Mohammad R. Sabzalian, Aghafakhr Mirlohi, Arina Tajdivand
Summary: Fennel is a medicinal crop that depends on insect pollination, particularly bees, for optimal fruit and oil yield. Self-pollination led to significantly lower fruit yield compared to bee pollination in field evaluations, mainly due to a decrease in effective umbels per plant. Inbreeding depression may limit the possibility of utilizing self-pollination for developing stable and high-yield fennel varieties.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Austin M. M. Lynn, Lauren L. L. Sullivan, Candace Galen
Summary: The mentor effect, where compatible heterospecific pollen transfer induces self-pollen germination in self-incompatible plants, has been found to be rare in natural populations of Taraxacum ceratophorum due to the prevalence of inbreeding depression, outcrossing, and ovule usurpation by heterospecific pollen.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gita Mirniyam, Mehdi Rahimmalek, Ahmad Arzani, Parisa Yavari, Mohammad R. Sabzalian, Mohammad Hossein Ehtemam, Antoni Szumny
Summary: In this study, 28 populations of ajowan were evaluated for agro-morphological traits and essential oil yield. The results showed that low and moderate salt stress can improve the phytochemicals of ajowan seeds, which are useful for pharmaceutical and food applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Katherine E. Wenzell, Krissa A. Skogen, Jeremie B. Fant
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between floral trait evolution and pollinators, which is crucial for the diversification of flowering plants. The study finds that there is geographic variation in both floral traits and pollinator interactions, indicating that differences in pollinators may drive floral divergence.
Article
Forestry
Jing Xu, Ulrik Brauner Nielsen, Fikret Isik, Martin Jensen, Ole Kim Hansen
Summary: Genetic analysis of susceptibility to Neonectria neomacrospora and Christmas tree traits in Nordmann fir showed pronounced additive genetic variation and high narrow-sense heritability. Recurrent selection for multiple traits can improve Christmas tree quality.
ANNALS OF FOREST SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Kuangyi Xu
Summary: Flower longevity plays a significant role in the evolution of the three modes of self-fertilization (prior, competing, and delayed selfing). The invasion of prior selfing can lead to shorter flower longevity and outcompete other modes of self-fertilization. Generally, the evolution of selfing tends to decrease flower longevity, with asymmetric effects of pollen deposition and removal on flower longevity.
Article
Ecology
Stefano Benvenuti, Marco Mazzoncini
Summary: This study verified the level of inbreeding depression in sixteen rare wildflower species in the absence of pollinators. Despite varying by species, inbreeding depression was consistent in perennial species. Self-pollination had weak and inconsistent effects on other biological parameters across different wildflower species.
ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carly J. Prior, Jeremiah W. Busch
Summary: The study found that selfing rates varied less for woody species compared to herbaceous species, likely due to the lower average selfing rate of woody species. Relationships between selfing and peripherality or abundance significantly varied among species in their direction and magnitude. However, there was no general pattern of increased selfing towards range edges.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Marc T. J. Johnson, Ryan M. Godfrey
Summary: Occasional sex in primarily asexual species can have important evolutionary consequences. Many plant species in the genus Oenothera have a genetic system called permanent translocation heterozygosity (PTH), which renders them functionally asexual when self-fertilizing. However, outcrossing in these species can create new genotypes. The study found that O. biennis typically exhibits a functionally asexual genetic system, but rare outcrossing events can generate novel genotypes that may have important evolutionary consequences.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Troy A. Baird, Joshua R. York
Summary: Territorial males have more mating benefits, siring more offspring with multiple females, and are more successful in simple habitats. Aggressive behavior is not related to male fitness, and the activities of territory owners are shaped by sexual selection to enhance mating opportunities.
Article
Plant Sciences
Arantza Rodriguez-Vieyra, Guillermo Castillo, Ulises Rosas, Margarita Collazo-Ortega
Summary: Inbreeding negatively affects seed germination of riverweed, with variations depending on the location. These findings are important for the design of effective in situ conservation strategies of Podostemaceae.
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephen J. Trueman, Wiebke Kamper, Joel Nichols, Steven M. Ogbourne, David Hawkes, Trent Peters, Shahla Hosseini Bai, Helen M. Wallace
Summary: This study demonstrates for the first time the existence of pollen limitation in mass-flowering trees. Improved pollination can increase soybean yield and have an impact on fruit quality.
Article
Plant Sciences
Adriano Valentin-Silva, Marco Antonio Batalha, Elza Guimaraes
Summary: For Piper spp., pollinators do not seem to be driving floral diversification, with abiotic factors possibly playing a role instead. Self-pollination is common in the genus, and the flexibility of mating systems appears to be important for maintaining floral phenotypic variation.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)