Pyrrolizidine alkaloid variation in shoots and roots of segregating hybrids between Jacobaea vulgaris and Jacobaea aquatica

Abstract

Summary• Hybridization can lead to novel qualitative or quantitative variation of secondary metabolite (SM) expression that can have ecological and evolutionary consequences.• We measured pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) expression in the shoots and roots of a family including one Jacobaea vulgaris genotype and one Jacobaea aquatica genotype (parental genotypes), two F 1 hybrid genotypes, and 102 F 2 hybrid genotypes using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS ⁄ MS).• We detected 37 PAs in the roots and shoots of J. vulgaris, J. aquatica and the hybrids. PA concentrations and compositions differed between genotypes, and between roots and shoots. Three otosenine-like PAs that only occurred in the shoots of parental genotypes were present in the roots of F 2 hybrids; PA compositions were sometimes novel in F 2 hybrids compared with parental genotypes, and in some cases transgressive PA expression occurred. We also found that PAs from within structural groups covaried both in the roots and in the shoots, and that PA expression was correlated between shoots and roots.• Considerable and novel variation present among F 2 hybrids indicates that hybridization has a potential role in the evolution of PA diversity in the genus Jacobaea, and this hybrid system is useful for studying the genetic control of PA expression.

Diversity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in native and invasive Senecio pterophorus (Asteraceae): Implications for toxicity

“…Both systems were operated in positive electrospray mode. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids were obtained from commercial sources (Phytolab, Vestenbergsgreuth, Germany; Phytoplan, Heidelberg, Germany), were isolated from plant material (PRISNA, Leiden, the Netherlands) or were synthesized in house as described before (Cheng et al, 2011b).…”

Variation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Senecio vulgaris plants from native and invasive ranges

“…Hence, we paid attentions to the 14 PAs identified. All PAs identified in this study were senecionine -type PA and seneciphylline -type PA, which belong to senecionine -like PA (Cheng et al 2011a) (Table 2, Figure S2). The present frequency of each individual PA in each range or population was calculated as follows: (total samples from each range or population that the individual PA was identified) / (total samples studied in each range or population)  100 (%).…”

“…An aliquot of the filtered solution (25 μl) was diluted with water (975 μl) and 5 μl was injected in the Liquid chromatography -tanderm mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system. All these steps were the same as described by Cheng et al (2011) (Cheng et al, 2011a). …”

“…All 14 PAs identified were grouped into two subgroups (senecionine -type PA and seneciphylline -type PA), which belong to senecionine -like PA (Cheng et al 2011a). All of them are both tertiary amines PAs and N -oxides PAs.…”

Busy Bees: Variation in Insect Flower-Visiting Rates across Multiple Plant Species

“…Our plants were a mixture of self-compatible ones (bramble and marjoram [36][37][38]), self-incompatible ones [39], or a mixture of both/unknown [37,40]. Additionally, during our study sometimes the insects visited multiple flowers on the same plants (e.g., California lilac), and sometimes the insects visited multiple, neighboring plants (ragwort, bramble, and marjoram).…”