Genetics, Evolution, and Adaptive Significance of the Selfing Syndrome in the GenusCapsella
Open Access
- 1 September 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Plant Cell
- Vol. 23 (9), 3156-3171
- https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.111.088237
Abstract
The change from outbreeding to selfing is one of the most frequent evolutionary transitions in flowering plants. It is often accompanied by characteristic morphological and functional changes to the flowers (the selfing syndrome), including reduced flower size and opening. Little is known about the developmental and genetic basis of the selfing syndrome, as well as its adaptive significance. Here, we address these issues using the two closely related species Capsella grandiflora (the ancestral outbreeder) and red shepherd’s purse (Capsella rubella, the derived selfer). In C. rubella, petal size has been decreased by shortening the period of proliferative growth. Using interspecific recombinant inbred lines, we show that differences in petal size and flower opening between the two species each have a complex genetic basis involving allelic differences at multiple loci. An intraspecific cross within C. rubella suggests that flower size and opening have been decreased in the C. rubella lineage before its extensive geographical spread. Lastly, by generating plants that likely resemble the earliest ancestors of the C. rubella lineage, we provide evidence that evolution of the selfing syndrome was at least partly driven by selection for efficient self-pollination. Thus, our studies pave the way for a molecular dissection of selfing-syndrome evolution.Keywords
This publication has 49 references indexed in Scilit:
- The selfing syndrome: a model for studying the genetic and evolutionary basis of morphological adaptation in plantsAnnals of Botany, 2011
- Understanding plant reproductive diversityPhilosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2010
- Recent speciation ofCapsella rubellafromCapsella grandiflora, associated with loss of self-incompatibility and an extreme bottleneckProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009
- Recent speciation associated with the evolution of selfing inCapsellaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009
- Changes in Regulation of a Transcription Factor Lead to Autogamy in Cultivated TomatoesScience, 2007
- R/qtlDesign: inbred line cross experimental designMammalian Genome, 2007
- BIGPETALp, a bHLH transcription factor is involved in the control of Arabidopsis petal sizeThe EMBO Journal, 2006
- Self- and Cross-Fertilization in Plants. II. The Selection of Self- FertilizationInternational Journal of Plant Sciences, 1992
- Self-Compatibility and Establishment After 'Long-Distance' DispersalEvolution, 1955
- THE ESTIMATION OF MAP DISTANCES FROM RECOMBINATION VALUESAnnals of Eugenics, 1943