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Ancient polymorphism reveals unidirectional breeding system shifts.

Boris Igic1, Lynn Bohs, Joshua R Kohn

  • 1Section of Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA. bigic@ucsd.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|January 24, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Evolutionary loss of complex traits, like self-incompatibility in Solanaceae plants, is irreversible, challenging Dollo's law. This study uses genetic markers to confirm irreversible evolution in flowering plants.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Molecular genetics
  • Plant reproductive biology

Background:

  • Dollo's law posits that complex characters, once lost, cannot be regained through evolution.
  • Testing hypotheses of irreversible evolution is challenging due to frequent character transitions and lack of fossil data.
  • Breeding system transitions, particularly from outcrossing to self-fertilization, are common in flowering plants and impact genetic variation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis of irreversible evolution of the outcrossing mechanism in the Solanaceae family.
  • To investigate the utility of molecular genetic properties in reconstructing evolutionary history.
  • To address limitations in current phylogenetic methods for inferring ancestral states.

Main Methods:

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  • Utilized unique molecular genetic properties, specifically deep persistent polymorphisms, of the outcrossing locus.
  • Analyzed the distribution of character states within extant taxa of the Solanaceae family.
  • Employed a statistical framework to assess the irreversibility of character transitions.

    • Main Results:

    • Demonstrated that the loss of the outcrossing locus is irreversible in the Solanaceae.
    • Provided evidence that molecular genetic markers can reveal evolutionary irreversibility.
    • Highlighted potential inadequacies of phylogenetic reconstruction methods relying solely on extant taxa and phylogeny.

    Conclusions:

    • The loss of the outcrossing mechanism in Solanaceae is irreversible, supporting Dollo's law.
    • Molecular genetic data offers a powerful tool for inferring evolutionary history and testing hypotheses of irreversibility.
    • Phylogenetic reconstruction methods may require refinement to accurately account for character evolution, especially in the absence of fossil evidence.