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Artificial selection for flower size in Brassica rapa reveals moderate heritability and many correlated traits
1Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States.
Abstract:
With the ultimate goal of better understanding the impact of flower size on pollinator attraction, mating patterns, and plant fitness, four generations of artificial selection were performed on flower diameter in Brassica rapa . Selection produced a 90% difference in mean flower size between lines, expanded trait range by 6%, and revealed moderate heritability ( h ² = 0.25). It also resulted in correlated responses in flowering time, floral morphology, seed set, and biomass. These divergent lines offer a valuable experimental resource for testing hypotheses about pollinator-mediated selection, ecological trade-offs, and trait integration in plants.
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