Morphometric delimitation of Gnetum species in Africa

Biye, Elvire Hortense; Cron, G.V.; Balkwill, K.

doi:10.1007/s00606-016-1317-3

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Each female/male strobilus comprises multiple whorls of involucral collars (Figure 1B).The involucral collar in a female strobilus has multiple FRUs in a whorl, while in the male strobilus, a single whorl of SRUs was subtended by several whorls of microsporangiophores [8,46,48,49,50,51,52]. The bisexual structure in Gnetum facilitates crossing between the different individuals via insect pollination: The wind-pollinated African species, in contrast, lack such a structure [51,53,54]. The SRUs of Asian arborescent species are exposed and funnel-shaped, whereas those of Asian lianoid species are hidden within an involucres and are obliquely, and/or narrowly ovoid [19,47].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollination Drop Proteome and Reproductive Organ Transcriptome Comparison in Gnetum Reveals Entomophilous Adaptation

Hou

Saunders

Deng³

et al. 2019

Genes

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Gnetum possesses morphologically bisexual but functionally unisexual reproductive structures that exude sugary pollination drops to attract insects. Previous studies have revealed that the arborescent species (G. gnemon L.) and the lianoid species (G. luofuense C.Y.Cheng) possess different pollination syndromes. This study compared the proteome in the pollination drops of these two species using label-free quantitative techniques. The transcriptomes of fertile reproductive units (FRUs) and sterile reproductive units (SRUs) for each species were furthermore compared using Illumina Hiseq sequencing, and integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analyses were subsequently performed. Our results show that the differentially expressed proteins between FRUs and SRUs were involved in carbohydrate metabolism, the biosynthesis of amino acids and ovule defense. In addition, the differentially expressed genes between the FRUs and SRUs (e.g., MADS-box genes) were engaged in reproductive development and the formation of pollination drops. The integrated protein-transcript analyses revealed that FRUs and their exudates were relatively conservative while the SRUs and their exudates were more diverse, probably functioning as pollinator attractants. The evolution of reproductive organs appears to be synchronized with changes in the pollination drop proteome of Gnetum, suggesting that insect-pollinated adaptations are not restricted to angiosperms but also occur in gymnosperms.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollination Drop Proteome and Reproductive Organ Transcriptome Comparison in Gnetum Reveals Entomophilous Adaptation

Hou

Saunders

Deng³

et al. 2019

Genes

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“…Morphological observation of male strobili has been conducted among different lineages of Gnetum e.g. African species 8 , 9 , Asian arboresent species 3 , 5 , and Asian lianoid species 10 – 12 . These results provide important diagnostic characters to further delimit species among different lineages of this genus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing the developmental dynamics in male strobilus transcriptome of Gnetum luofuense using nanopore sequencing technology

Hou

Tian²,

Wang

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Gnetum is a pantropical distributed gymnosperm genus. As being dioecious, Gnetum species apply female and male strobili to attract and provide nutrition to insect pollinators. Due to its unique gross morphology, a Gnetum male strobilus receives much attention in previous taxonomic and evolutionary studies. However, underlying molecular mechanisms that control male strobilus development and pollination adaptation have not been well studied. In the present study, nine full-length transcriptomes were sequenced from three developmental stages of the G. luofuense male strobili using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. In addition, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and RT-qPCR analysis were performed. Our results show that a total of 3138 transcription factors and 466 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified, and differentially expressed lncRNAs and TFs reveal a dynamic pattern during the male strobilus development. Our results show that MADS-box and Aux/IAA TFs were differentially expressed at the three developmental stages, suggesting their important roles in the regulation of male strobilus development of G. luofuense. Results of WGCNA analysis and annotation of differentially expressed transcripts corroborate that the male strobilus development of G. luofuense is closely linked to plant hormone changes, photosynthesis, pollination drop secretion and reproductive organ defense. Our results provide a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive organ evolution and pollination biology in Gnetum.

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“…Such tools refine and summarize phenotypic discontinuities where they may exist among closely related taxa. Furthermore, such approaches allow for greater efficiency in recognizing diagnostic characters key to subspecific classification (Pinheiro & Barros 2007;Boratynski et al 2013;Biye et al 2016;Fernández et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative morphometrics suggest that the widespread Neotropical Humiria balsamifera (Aubl.) St. Hil. is a species complex

et al. 2021

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Humiria balsamifera is an infraspecific complex of high phenotypic variation and widely distributed in northern South America. Leaf traits are traditionally considered the most relevant taxonomic characters for varietal level delimitation in the group. However, substantial phenotypic overlap among vegetative characters complicates taxonomic diagnoses in this complex. The objective of this study was to quantify and analyze phenotypic variation among individuals of the complex at a continental scale using uni-and multivariable analyses to assess whether morphometric analyses detect discontinuities. Secondarily, these quantitative data were used to test whether phenotypic similarity was related to geographic distance. Twenty-five quantitative and 27 qualitative character traits did not overtly reveal a topology corresponding to traditional varietal classification, nor to geographic structure. However, petiole length alone revealed a definitive separation of H. balsamifera var. guianensis (together with another recognized species Humiria wurdackii, and variety H. balsamifera var. laurina) from the rest of the taxa. Our results highlight substantial morphological overlap among vegetative and reproductive characters including those used in identification keys, and no morphological discontinuities suitable for clearly separating taxa within the complex were encountered demonstrating a future need to integrate multiple sources of information, including molecular data, to resolve this complex.

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Morphometric delimitation of Gnetum species in Africa

Cited by 9 publications

References 22 publications

Pollination Drop Proteome and Reproductive Organ Transcriptome Comparison in Gnetum Reveals Entomophilous Adaptation

Pollination Drop Proteome and Reproductive Organ Transcriptome Comparison in Gnetum Reveals Entomophilous Adaptation

Revealing the developmental dynamics in male strobilus transcriptome of Gnetum luofuense using nanopore sequencing technology

Quantitative morphometrics suggest that the widespread Neotropical Humiria balsamifera (Aubl.) St. Hil. is a species complex

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