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A Drosophila Model to Study Wound-induced Polyploidization
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Climatic differentiation in polyploid apomictic Ranunculus auricomus complex in Europe
Juraj Paule1,2, Franz G Dunkel3, Marco Schmidt4,5
1Department of Botany and Molecular Evolution, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. juraj.paule@senckenberg.de.
BMC Ecology
|May 23, 2018
Summary
Polyploidy and apomixis influence plant distribution. In the Ranunculus auricomus complex, polyploids occupy cooler, drier habitats, enabling broader distribution via uniparental reproduction.
Area of Science:
- Plant evolutionary biology
- Ecology
- Biogeography
Background:
- Polyploidy and apomixis significantly impact plant species' geographical distributions, leading to range shifts and expansions.
- The Ranunculus auricomus complex serves as a model system to investigate the roles of these phenomena in plant distribution and climatic adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess how polyploidy and apomixis determine the past and present distribution and climatic preferences within the Ranunculus auricomus complex.
- To investigate ecological differentiation between diploid and polyploid cytotypes.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of climatic variables and distribution modeling.
- Utilized 191 novel ploidy estimations and 561 literature data points.
- Assessed differences in relative genome size at the diploid level.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in relative genome size were observed between diploid "auricomus" and "cassubicus" groups.
- New diploid occurrences were identified in Slovenia and Hungary.
- Polyploids were found to inhabit slightly drier and colder environments compared to diploids.
Conclusions:
- Polyploid establishment in cooler, drier habitats may be facilitated by changes in reproductive mode and competition with diploid ancestors.
- Uniparental reproduction in polyploid apomicts likely contributes to their broader distribution through faster colonization.
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