| Abstract Detail
The Evolution of Pollen Performance Swanson , Robert John [1]. What's in the toolbox? The quantitative genetics and cell physiology of pollen competition in Arabidopsis. The pollen dusted across flower stigmas is often a mixture, whose proportions do not often match proportions within progeny. In other words, some pollen has greater mating success—a phenomenon called nonrandom mating. Despite theoretical and experimental attention over the last 100 years, there is still much we do not understand about the physiology and genetics of this widespread phenomenon. We are utilizing genetic tools, such as recombinant inbred lines and whole genome association mapping, and visualization tools, such as cyto-genetic markers, to study the genetics and physiology of nonrandom mating in Arabidopsis thaliana. We have developed a high throughput system to investigate nonrandom mating in Arabidopsis. Using this tool, we have demonstrated that Arabidopsis accessions from geographically distinct regions mate nonrandomly. Moreover, we have demonstrated that nonrandom mating in Arabidopsis is not influenced by genetic similarity between pollen donors and the maternal plant, and that Arabidopsis does not experience the early acting inbreeding depression that influences nonrandom mating outcomes in outcrossing plants. This offers us the opportunity to explore the natural variation in differential reproduction that develops and persists unrelated to inbreeding depression. We have used quantitative trait locus mapping and whole-genome association mapping to construct genetic maps of loci responsible for nonrandom mating. By controlling both pollen donor and maternal plant identities, we have been able to map both male and female quantitative trait loci that control nonrandom mating outcomes. Finally, we have developed a microscopy assay that allows us to distinguish and quantify pollen growth rates and behaviors of different populations of pollen during mixed pollinations.
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1 - Valparaiso University, Biology, Neils Science Center 304, Valparaiso, IN, 46383, USA
Keywords:
Pollen competition
Nonrandom mating
Arabidopsis thaliana
sexual systems.
Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY03
Location: Snake/Boise Centre
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2014
Time: 2:30 PM
Number: SY03003
Abstract ID:98
Candidate for Awards:None |
