Sexual systems in gymnosperms: A review

Walas, Łukasz; Mandryk, Wojciech; Thomas, Peter A.; Tyrała-Wierucka, Żanna; Iszkuło, Grzegorz

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2018.05.009

Cited by 26 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 79 publications

(99 reference statements)

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“…Strict sexual separation (dioecy) occurs in only 9–10% of plant species (Ming et al ., 2011). Unlike angiosperms, in which only 6% of species are dioecious, 64.6% of gymnosperms are dioecious (Walas et al ., 2018), providing one of the most precious resources for the investigation of plant sex determination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The genomic architecture of the sex‐determining region and sex‐related metabolic variation in Ginkgobiloba

Liao

Gou

et al. 2020

The Plant Journal

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dioecious plants have naturally become indispensable models for investigating genetic sex determination and sexual system evolution in plants. Among the most notable representatives of dioecious plants are gymnosperms, in which 667 out of 1033 reported species have been found to belong to dioecious plants (Walas et al ., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The genomic architecture of the sex‐determining region and sex‐related metabolic variation in Ginkgobiloba

Liao

Gou

et al. 2020

The Plant Journal

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“…wind and insect pollination, are also present in some gymnosperms (e.g. Kono and Tobe 2007; Gong et al 2016; Hall and Walter 2018; Walas et al 2018). Within the Ephedra genus, only E. foeminea has been reported as insect-pollinated (Bolinder et al 2015a, b), while E. aphylla is known to have a mixed pollination system (Meeuse et al 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, ovules are located within cones which, in some cases, develop into fleshy fruitlike structures. Most gymnosperm species produce a solution on the cone that allows capture pollen from the air, and are thus wind-pollinated (Niklas 1982, 1985; Labandeira et al 2007; Nepi et al 2017; Walas et al 2018). Although most Ephedra species are wind-pollinated (Niklas and Buchmann 1987 and references therein; Pellmyr 2002; Bolinder et al 2016), some of them ( E. fragilis , E. foeminea and E. aphylla ) are also pollinated by animals (Bolinder et al 2015a, b; Celedón-Neghme et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for a double mutualistic interaction between a lizard and a Mediterranean gymnosperm,Ephedra fragilis

Fuster¹,

Traveset²

2019

AoB PLANTS

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An increasing number of double mutualisms (i.e. two interacting species benefiting each other in two different functions, e.g. pollination and seed dispersal) have been reported, mainly from island ecosystems, although we still lack much information on how effective such species are in both processes. Here, we assessed the pollination effectiveness of a double mutualism between an ancient Mediterranean gymnosperm, Ephedra fragilis, and a lizard, Podarcis lilfordi. On the one hand, we assessed the lizard contribution to different fitness measures (seed set and germination success), relative to that of insects and the wind effect; on the other, we determined the lizards’ seed removal rate (i.e. the quantity component of seed dispersal effectiveness). In both processes, we further tested for differences in their contributions among male, female and juvenile lizards. Ephedra fragilis showed to be mostly anemophilous, lizards and insects playing only a minor role on seed set. However, lizards qualitatively contributed to pollination success, as seeds coming from lizard-pollinated cones germinated at higher rates than those pollinated by wind or insects, although this was detected only for small seeds (<8 mg). The plant produced a low seed set (c. 23 %), which was compensated by a high seed germinability (c. 70 %). Adult male lizards were those most implicated in pollination, quantitatively more important than insects, and in seed dispersal. This work, thus, reports the importance of a lizard species in one of the few double mutualisms found in the World involving a gymnosperm, and it represents the first documentation of a double mutualism in the Mediterranean region. Our findings further contribute to highlight the role of both inter- and intraspecific differences in the effectiveness of mutualistic interactions.

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“…Unisexual gametophytes are widespread within the bryophyte lineages, with 68% of mosses, 57% of liverwort, and 40% of hornwort species ( Villarreal and Renner, 2013 ). Among the seed plants there is a striking discrepancy: while in gymnosperms 65% of the species are dioecious ( Walas et al, 2018 ), in angiosperms, dioecy is a comparatively uncommon phenomenon, comprising only 5–6% of all species ( Renner, 2014 ). However, even though dioecy is considered rare among flowering plants, its occurrence has been reported in several phylogenetic taxa (around 15,600 species spread over 175 families and 987 genera), suggesting that its evolution occurred independently hundreds if not thousands of times ( Westergaard, 1958 ; Renner, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Diversity and Dynamics of Sex Determination in Dioecious Plants

Montalvão¹,

Kersten²,

Fladung³

et al. 2021

Front. Plant Sci.

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The diversity of inflorescences among flowering plants is captivating. Such charm is not only due to the variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and flowers displayed, but also to the range of reproductive systems. For instance, hermaphrodites occur abundantly throughout the plant kingdom with both stamens and carpels within the same flower. Nevertheless, 10% of flowering plants have separate unisexual flowers, either in different locations of the same individual (monoecy) or on different individuals (dioecy). Despite their rarity, dioecious plants provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the mechanisms involved in sex expression and the evolution of sex-determining regions (SDRs) and sex chromosomes. The SDRs and the evolution of dioecy have been studied in many species ranging from Ginkgo to important fruit crops. Some of these studies, for example in asparagus or kiwifruit, identified two sex-determining genes within the non-recombining SDR and may thus be consistent with the classical model for the evolution of dioecy from hermaphroditism via gynodioecy, that predicts two successive mutations, the first one affecting male and the second one female function, becoming linked in a region of suppressed recombination. On the other hand, aided by genome sequencing and gene editing, single factor sex determination has emerged in other species, such as persimmon or poplar. Despite the diversity of sex-determining mechanisms, a tentative comparative analysis of the known sex-determining genes and candidates in different species suggests that similar genes and pathways may be employed repeatedly for the evolution of dioecy. The cytokinin signaling pathway appears important for sex determination in several species regardless of the underlying genetic system. Additionally, tapetum-related genes often seem to act as male-promoting factors when sex is determined via two genes. We present a unified model that synthesizes the genetic networks of sex determination in monoecious and dioecious plants and will support the generation of hypothesis regarding candidate sex determinants in future studies.

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Sexual systems in gymnosperms: A review

Cited by 26 publications

References 79 publications

The genomic architecture of the sex‐determining region and sex‐related metabolic variation in Ginkgobiloba

The genomic architecture of the sex‐determining region and sex‐related metabolic variation in Ginkgobiloba

Evidence for a double mutualistic interaction between a lizard and a Mediterranean gymnosperm,Ephedra fragilis

The Diversity and Dynamics of Sex Determination in Dioecious Plants

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