Evolutionary processes from the perspective of flowering time diversity

Abstract

Summary Although it is well appreciated that genetic studies of flowering time regulation have led to fundamental advances in the fields of molecular and developmental biology, the ways in which genetic studies of flowering time diversity have enriched the field of evolutionary biology have received less attention despite often being equally profound. Because flowering time is a complex, environmentally responsive trait that has critical impacts on plant fitness, crop yield, and reproductive isolation, research into the genetic architecture and molecular basis of its evolution continues to yield novel insights into our understanding of domestication, adaptation, and speciation. For instance, recent studies of flowering time variation have reconstructed how, when, and where polygenic evolution of phenotypic plasticity proceeded from standing variation and de novo mutations; shown how antagonistic pleiotropy and temporally varying selection maintain polymorphisms in natural populations; and provided important case studies of how assortative mating can evolve and facilitate speciation with gene flow. In addition, functional studies have built detailed regulatory networks for this trait in diverse taxa, leading to new knowledge about how and why developmental pathways are rewired and elaborated through evolutionary time.

Quantitative trait locus mapping reveals an independent genetic basis for joint divergence in leaf function, life-history, and floral traits between scarlet monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis) populations

“…In flowering plants, shifts in life history are often associated with shifts in reproductive traits, as the evolution of annuality in ephemeral habitats can precipitate (or at least be correlated with) selection on traits associated with successful pollination (e.g., phenology and mating system) (reviewed in Barrett et al, 1996;Gaudinier and Blackman, 2020). Paralleling latitudinal clines in previous studies of M. cardinalis (Muir and Angert, 2017), our southern WFM accession flowers slightly later than the Sierran CE10 line.…”

Global patterns of population genetic differentiation in seed plants

“…Given that most plants time their flowering to seasons (Crimmins, Crimmins, & Bertelsen, 2011;Gaudinier & Blackman, 2019) decreasing population differentiation. This is the aforementioned "asynchrony of seasons hypothesis" (Martin et al, 2009), and our analyses support the prediction of higher population differentiation in the tropics.…”

HD-ZIP I Transcription Factor (PtHB13) Negatively Regulates Citrus Flowering through Binding to FLOWERING LOCUS C Promoter

“…Floral induction and flowering are among the most crucial events in the plant life cycle because they must occur at in an appropriate time to ensure seed survival and subsequent germination [1,2]. It has been well known that several factors affect floral induction and flowering of plants, including autonomous and environmental factors [2]. So far, five flowering pathways (photoperiod, gibberellin, vernalization, age, and endogenous) have been identified in model plants [3,4].…”