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Floral-Dip Transformation of Flax Linum usitatissimum to Generate Transgenic Progenies with a High Transformation Rate

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Style polymorphism in Linum (Linaceae): a case of Mediterranean parallel evolution?

J Ruiz-Martín¹, R Santos-Gally¹, M Escudero¹

¹Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.

Plant Biology (Stuttgart, Germany)

|November 23, 2017

Summary

Evolution of heterostyly (a floral polymorphism) in the plant genus Linum is complex. While approach herkogamy appears ancestral in some groups, ecological factors likely drive its multiple origins and losses.

Keywords:

Cape Floristic Region divergence time heterostyly life history phylogeny pollination polyploidy

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Plant Sciences
Genetics

Background:

Heterostyly, a floral polymorphism affecting pollination and reproduction, is frequently observed in the plant genus Linum (Linaceae).
Linum provides a valuable model system for studying the evolutionary pathways and transitional stages leading to heterostyly.

Purpose of the Study:

To reconstruct the phylogeny of Linum using extensive genetic data.
To trace the evolutionary history of style polymorphism within the genus.
To investigate the association of heterostyly with pollination, breeding systems, and polyploidy.

Main Methods:

Phylogenetic analysis using extensive sampling of plastid and nuclear DNA sequences.
Ancestral character state reconstruction to infer the ancestral condition of style polymorphism.
Revision of existing data on pollination, breeding systems, and polyploidy.

Main Results:

The phylogeny supported the paraphyly of Linum and non-monophyly of its taxonomic sections.
Heterostyly is prevalent in Linum, particularly in the Mediterranean Basin and South Africa.
Approach herkogamy was inferred as an ancestral state in certain clades, while polyploidy showed no significant correlation.

Conclusions:

Ecological factors, including specialized pollinators (e.g., beeflies) and mating opportunities, are key drivers of heterostyly evolution and its loss in Linum.
The study highlights the complex evolutionary history of style polymorphism in response to ecological pressures.