Extreme environments select for reproductive assurance: evidence from evening primroses (Oenothera)

Competing evolutionary forces shape plant breeding systems (e.g. inbreeding depression, reproductive assurance). Which of these forces prevails in a given population or species is predicted to depend upon such factors as life history, ecological conditions, and geographical context. Here, we examine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2011-07, Vol.191 (2), p.555-563
Main Authors: Evans, Margaret E. K., Hearn, David J., Theiss, Kathryn E., Cranston, Karen, Holsinger, Kent E., Donoghue, Michael J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Biological - genetics
Adaptation, Biological - physiology
Baker’s law
Bayes Theorem
Biodiversity
Biological Evolution
Breeding
Climate
Climate change
Deserts
Ecological genetics
Ecosystem
Evolution
Geography
Inbreeding
life history
Oenothera
Oenothera biennis - genetics
Oenothera biennis - physiology
Perennials
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
plant breeding system
Plants
Reproduction - genetics
reproductive assurance
self‐compatibility
Taxa
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Summary:Competing evolutionary forces shape plant breeding systems (e.g. inbreeding depression, reproductive assurance). Which of these forces prevails in a given population or species is predicted to depend upon such factors as life history, ecological conditions, and geographical context. Here, we examined two such predictions: that self-compatibility should be associated with the annual life history or extreme climatic conditions. We analyzed data from a clade of plants remarkable for variation in breeding system, life history and climatic conditions (Oenothera, sections Anogra and Kleinia, Onagraceae). We used a phylogenetic comparative approach and Bayesian or hybrid Bayesian tests to account for phylogenetic uncertainty. Geographic information system (GIS)-based climate data and ecological niche modeling allowed us to quantify climatic conditions. Breeding system and reproductive life span are not correlated in Anogra and Kleinia. Instead, self-compatibility is associated with the extremes of temperature in the coldest part of the year and precipitation in the driest part of the year. In the 60 yr since this pattern was anticipated, this is the first demonstration of a relationship between the evolution of self-compatibility and climatic extremes. We discuss possible explanations for this pattern and possible implications with respect to anthropogenic climate change.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03697.x