Modularity and intra-floral integration in metameric organisms: plants are more than the sum of their parts

Diggle, Pamela K.

doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0253

Cited by 57 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Pollinator-mediated selection has been proposed to be a major factor in the evolution of floral modularity (Gómez et al 2006;Ordano et al 2008;Diggle 2014). Because C. argentina is self-incompatible, the female reproductive success measures used in this work may be dependent on pollinator activity.…”

Section: Patterns Of Phenotypic Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, traits involved in pollen deposition and removal are expected to be integrated into a module due to the selective pressures exerted by pollinators (Fenster et al 2004;Specht and Bartlett 2009;Rosas-Guerrero et al 2010;Diggle 2014;Gómez et al 2014). Combinations of functionally coordinated traits are recognized as being a functional module when they exhibit high correlations among themselves and are independent or quasi-independent from other modules (Berg 1960;Cheverud 1982;Wagner 1996;Herrera et al 2002;Murren et al 2002;Pigliucci 2003;Pigliucci and Preston 2004;Klingenberg 2008;Conner et al 2014;Diggle 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

2015

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Flowers may be interpreted as complex combinations of organs functionally coordinated to attract pollinators and to mechanically interact with the pollinator's body, particularly when flower mechanisms are actively handled by pollinators. Thus, a functional modularity of traits in keel flowers (Fabaceae) was expected because of a compartmentalization between attraction and mechanical functions. To test this hypothesis, we used Collaea argentina, a Fabaceae that exhibits typical keel flowers. The force needed to open keels, the keel displacement angle and floral morphometric traits in 100 plants from a natural population were measured to detect floral characters correlated with the biomechanical variables. Furthermore, we examined the relationships among this functional module, biomechanical variables and female reproductive success to explore whether these traits are the targets of pollinator-mediated phenotypic selection, and used path analysis to examine the causal relationship among these variables. A functional module formed by two morphometric traits of the petals directly involved in the floral mechanism (keel and wings) was found, but no flag trait was involved in this module. Even though the functional module had a positive effect on force and there were significant relationships between the displacement angle and fruit set, no significant effect of force on female reproductive success was detected. These results question whether selection currently plays a role favouring the integration of this module, but this may be consistent with a past stabilizing selection on the force needed to open the keel.

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Section: Patterns Of Phenotypic Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

2015

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“…; Torices et al. ; Diggle ). Importantly, this combination of characters enables division of labor among flowers, including pollinator attraction (bisexual and sterile flowers: Morales et al.…”

Section: Possible Consequences Of the Inclusion Of Multiple Flower Tymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the extent that the gynoecium and androecium develop independently (see Diggle et al. ), internal gradients of signaling molecules can create systematic variation in floral gender among bisexual flowers within inflorescences (Diggle ). In the extreme, such within‐individual variation can generate mixtures within inflorescences of qualitatively different flower types, including bisexual flowers and those that lack a functional gynoecium or androecium or both (Diggle et al.…”

Section: Possible Consequences Of the Inclusion Of Multiple Flower Tymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mating consequences of contrasting hermaphroditic plant sexual systems

2018

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For hermaphroditic angiosperms with multiple flowers, the sex roles can be exclusively combined in bisexual flowers (monocliny), strictly separated among different flowers (monoecy), or arrayed in mixtures of bisexual flowers with female flowers (gynomonoecy) or male flowers (andromonoecy). The hypothesized benefits favoring the evolution of these contrasting hermaphroditic sexual systems are typically examined individually, usually by assessing success through only one sex role. We tested predictions of most hypotheses experimentally with an andromonoecious species, Anticlea occidentalis (Melanthiaceae), based on the performance of intact plants (andromonoecy) and those with emasculated bisexual flowers (functionally monoecious) or emasculated male flowers (functionally monoclinous with sterile peripheral flowers). Andromonoecy in this species enables efficient, size-dependent resource allocation, emphasizing female function in large plants. Emasculation revealed that anthers in male flowers promote female mating quality (outcrossing rate and mate diversity), whereas anthers in bisexual flowers promote male mating quantity (pollen dispersal distance and probability of any siring success). Thus, different hermaphroditic sexual systems likely evolve to capitalize on suites of benefits, rather than just one, and provide compromises between quantitative and qualitative reproductive components. These compromises apparently maximize an individual's combined genetic contributions through female and male functions, rather than separate contributions through each sex role.

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“…Typical organisms with this architecture are vascular plants with multiple repeated organs symmetric to each other [1, 2]. Such symmetric morphological units have joint developmental origins at the molecular level and they can be viewed as repetitions of the same motif.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetry and integration of cellular morphology in Micrasterias compereana

Neustupa

2017

BMC Evol Biol

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BackgroundUnicellular green algae of the genus Micrasterias (Desmidiales) have complex cells with multiple lobes and indentations, and therefore, they are considered model organisms for research on plant cell morphogenesis and variation. Micrasterias cells have a typical biradial symmetric arrangement and multiple terminal lobules. They are composed of two semicells that can be further differentiated into three structural components: the polar lobe and two lateral lobes. Experimental studies suggested that these cellular parts have specific evolutionary patterns and develop independently. In this study, different geometric morphometric methods were used to address whether the semicells of Micrasterias compereana are truly not integrated with regard to the covariation of their shape data. In addition, morphological integration within the semicells was studied to ascertain whether individual lobes constitute distinct units that may be considered as separate modules. In parallel, I sought to determine whether the main components of morphological asymmetry could highlight underlying cytomorphogenetic processes that could indicate preferred directions of variation, canalizing evolutionary changes in cellular morphology.ResultsDifferentiation between opposite semicells constituted the most prominent subset of cellular asymmetry. The second important asymmetric pattern, recovered by the Procrustes ANOVA models, described differentiation between the adjacent lobules within the quadrants. Other asymmetric components proved to be relatively unimportant. Opposite semicells were shown to be completely independent of each other on the basis of the partial least squares analysis analyses. In addition, polar lobes were weakly integrated with adjacent lateral lobes. Conversely, higher covariance levels between the two lateral lobes of the same semicell indicated mutual interconnection and significant integration between these parts.Conclusions Micrasterias cells are composed of several successively disintegrated parts. These integration patterns concurred with presumed scenarios of morphological evolution within the lineage. In addition, asymmetric differentiation in the shape of the lobules involves two major patterns: asymmetry across the isthmus axis and among the adjacent lobules. Notably, asymmetry among the adjacent lobules may be related to evolutionary differentiation among species, but it may also point out developmental instability related to environmental factors.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0855-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Modularity and intra-floral integration in metameric organisms: plants are more than the sum of their parts

Cited by 57 publications

References 83 publications

Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

Mating consequences of contrasting hermaphroditic plant sexual systems

Asymmetry and integration of cellular morphology in Micrasterias compereana

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