Natural hybridization between Senecio jacobaea and Senecio aquaticus: molecular and chemical evidence

Hybridization is known to be involved in a number of evolutionary processes, including species formation, and the generation of novel defence characteristics in plants. The genus Senecio of the Asteraceae family is highly speciose and has historically demonstrated significant levels of interspecific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular ecology 2004-08, Vol.13 (8), p.2267-2274
Main Authors: Kirk, H, Macel, M, Klinkhamer, P.G.L, Vrieling, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs)
Bayes Theorem
chemical defence
Chromatography, Gas
Cluster Analysis
Crosses, Genetic
hybridization
Hybridization, Genetic
Netherlands
Plant Extracts - metabolism
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
pyrrolizidine alkaloids
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids - metabolism
Senecio
Senecio - genetics
Senecio - metabolism
Senecio aquaticus
Senecio jacobaea
Species Specificity
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Summary:Hybridization is known to be involved in a number of evolutionary processes, including species formation, and the generation of novel defence characteristics in plants. The genus Senecio of the Asteraceae family is highly speciose and has historically demonstrated significant levels of interspecific hybridization. The evolution of novel chemical defence characteristics may have contributed to the success of Senecio hybrids. Chemical defence against pathogens and herbivores has been studied extensively in the model species Senecio jacobaea, which is thought to hybridize in nature with Senecio aquaticus. Here, we use amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) composition to confirm that natural hybridization occurs between S. jacobaea and the closely related species S. aquaticus. AFLPs are also used to estimate the ancestry of hybrids. We also demonstrate that even highly back‐crossed hybrids can possess a unique mixture of defence chemicals specific to each of the parental species. This hybrid system may therefore prove to be useful in further studies of the role of hybridization in the evolution of plant defence and resistance.
ISSN:0962-1083
1365-294X
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02235.x