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Fruit evolution in Hydrophyllaceae.

Maria-Anna Vasile¹, Federico Luebert^1,2,3, Julius Jeiter¹

¹Nees-Institut für Biodiversität der Pflanzen, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 170, Bonn, D-53115, Germany.

American Journal of Botany

|June 25, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The study reveals that many-seeded capsules are ancestral in Hydrophyllaceae, with multiple evolutionary shifts to fewer seeds and back. This contrasts with the conserved seed number in related families, suggesting fruit structure constrains evolution.

Keywords:

Phacelia Boraginales II capsular fruits dehiscent fruits internal ovary organization microCT ontogeny ovules arrangement placentation septa

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Area of Science:

Plant reproductive biology
Evolutionary botany
Angiosperm diversification

Background:

Fruit morphology is key to angiosperm diversification.
Boraginales families show diverse fruit types: Hydrophyllaceae have many-seeded capsules, while others have four-seeded indehiscent fruits.
The ancestral state of fruit dehiscence and seed number in Hydrophyllaceae remains largely unstudied.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate gynoecium and fruit development and morphology in Hydrophyllaceae.
Reconstruct the evolutionary history of seed number within Hydrophyllaceae.

Main Methods:

Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microcomputed tomography for developmental studies.
Phylogenetic analysis of Boraginales (using ndhF and ITS markers) for ancestral character state reconstruction.
Focus on Hydrophyllaceae within the broader Boraginales phylogeny.

Main Results:

Hydrophyllaceae exhibit parallel developmental pathways but diverse gynoecium structures, with ovule number influencing ovary organization.
Many-seeded capsules are confirmed as the ancestral state for Hydrophyllaceae.
At least seven evolutionary transitions from many-seeded to (one to) four-seeded fruits, and four reversals, were identified.

Conclusions:

Hydrophyllaceae show significant evolutionary lability in seed number, with multiple shifts between many-seeded and four-seeded fruits.
This contrasts with the conserved seed number in other Boraginales families.
Indehiscent fruits (schizocarps, drupes) with integrated seeds in related families may impose evolutionary constraints on seed number evolution.