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Related Experiment Videos

The complex causality of geographical parthenogenesis.

Elvira Hörandl1

  • 1Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria. elvira.horandl@univie.ac.at

The New Phytologist
|July 27, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Geographical parthenogenesis, where asexual plants have wider distributions, is complex. No single factor explains this phenomenon; rather, it results from a combination of specific circumstances and reproductive strategies.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Plant Sciences
  • Reproductive Biology

Background:

  • Asexual organisms, particularly plants exhibiting apomixis (asexual reproduction via seeds), often display larger and more northerly geographical distributions compared to their sexual counterparts.
  • This pattern, termed geographical parthenogenesis, has prompted extensive research into its underlying causes, with various hypotheses proposed, including polyploidy, hybrid origins, enhanced colonization abilities, and niche differentiation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically review and synthesize existing knowledge on the factors contributing to the geographical distribution patterns of apomictic plants.
  • To evaluate the independent and combined roles of proposed factors in explaining the success of asexual reproduction in plant populations.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature review and synthesis of studies investigating geographical parthenogenesis in apomictic plants.

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  • Analysis of evidence supporting or refuting various hypotheses, including polyploidy, hybridization, colonization ability, niche differentiation, and biotic interactions.

    • Main Results:

    • No single factor adequately explains the observed wide distributions of apomicts; rather, a complex interplay of elements is involved.
    • While hybridization and polyploidy can generate diversity, they do not guarantee extensive distributions.
    • Colonization abilities of apomicts are limited by clonal diversity and are surpassed by sexual species' capacity for speciation.
    • Niche differentiation, ploidy, and selfing contribute to the separation of sympatric sexual and asexual lineages.

    Conclusions:

    • The distributional success of apomictic plants is multifactorial, contingent upon specific environmental conditions and combinations of traits.
    • The rarity of apomixis establishment may contribute to the overall predominance of sexual reproduction in the plant kingdom.