Abstract Detail

Pollination Biology

Stone, Heather [1], TRIPP, ERIN A [2], Dexter, Kyle [3].

Comparative Study of Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms in Ruellia (Acanthaceae).

Reproductive isolation (RI) is a key step during the formation of new species. While there exists ample literature on the topic in plant biology, relatively little of it has explored the full spectrum of isolating mechanisms in taxa that span a range of divergence levels. Yet, it is commonly appreciated that RI generally involves not one but several isolating barriers. In the present study, we document pre-zygotic and post-zygotic barriers to reproduction in 17 species of Ruellia that encompass the bulk of phylogenetic diversity within the genus and also span extensive geographic and morphological variation. To date, we have conducted over 1,100 artificial pollinations (interspecific and intraspecific) to (1) understand the relative importance of different isolating barriers and (2) test the hypothesis that crossability decreases with increasing phylogenetic divergence. Results indicate that the relative importance of a given barrier depends upon the specific cross as well as the direction of the cross. Preliminary incorporation of phylogenetic data suggests a relatively poor fit of our data to the hypothesis of decreasing crossability with increasing divergence. We are in the process of incorporating all species into the phylogeny, conducting additional statistical analyses, and growing up F₁ hybrids to continue to document downstream post-zygotic barriers. Come hear about cool research that seeks to better understand processes that underlie plant speciation!

1 - University of Colorado Boulder, Ecology and Evoutionary Biology, C105 Ramaley Hall, Campus box 334, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
2 - University Of Colorado Boulder, C105, Ramaley Hall, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
3 - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, N/A, EH3 5LR, USA

Keywords:
reproductive isolation
cross pollination
Speciation
Phylogenetic classification.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Eyrie/Boise Centre
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2014
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PPL005
Abstract ID:726
Candidate for Awards:None