Relationship between empty seed and genetic factors in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Wang, K.S.

doi:10.14214/sf.481

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Seed mass was also significantly correlated with the mean germination rate per population in B. pendula in northern Sweden (Holm 1994). A low seed weight may result from the lack of an ovule because birches produce fruits even in the absence of pollination (Atkinson 1992), and in many angiosperm species, empty seeds can also be an effect of self-incompatibility or inbreeding (Wang 2003). Birches are generally recognized as self-incompatible plants (Atkinson 1992) because self-fertilization tests conducted with 31 trees belonging to nine species produced a relatively high proportion of viable seeds only in B. papyrifera and B. alleghaniensis (Clausen 1966).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual reproduction efficiency and genetic diversity of endangered Betula humilis Schrk. populations from edge and sub-central parts of its range

et al. 2016

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Outcrossed mating systems play a very important role in the persistence of endangered, selfincompatible plants such as shrub birch, Betula humilis Schrk. The goal of this study was to estimate, for the first time, the effectiveness of sexual reproduction in threatened edge and sub-central populations of shrub birch. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method revealed that all of the individuals at each locality had different genotypes. The matrix incompatibility count (MIC) suggested that the effectiveness of recombination was similar among all the populations of shrub birch under study. However, taking into account the greater germination ability of seeds in subcentral populations, we conclude that sexual reproduction in those populations can be more efficient. The germination capacity of seeds depends on their mass, which was significantly lower in dry or more shaded sites compared to wet or more exposed sites. Nonsignificant results of multiple regression models suggest that chemical parameters of the habitat (pH, EC, NH 4 + , PO 4 3− ) had no influence on the reproductive output of B. humilis. The discrepancy between the still quite substantial genetic diversity and the poor sexual reproduction in shrub birch populations can be explained by the production of a few phosphorus-rich seeds, insufficient time for a decrease in genetic variation in the disappearing part of the range or hybridization with close congeners.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual reproduction efficiency and genetic diversity of endangered Betula humilis Schrk. populations from edge and sub-central parts of its range

et al. 2016

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“…Small population size and severe isolation of the population may increase pollen shortage through the associated scarcity of potential pollen parents and pollen immigration from outside populations. Wang (2003) found that the proportion of empty seeds was significantly negatively correlated with outcrossing rates in F. sylvatica, and pollen limitation generally increases selfing rates of plant species (Larson and Barrett 2000). Thus, pollen limitation-selfing interactions may also partially explain the high proportion of empty seeds.…”

Section: Current Patterns Of Pollen Dispersal and Mating In The Gofukmentioning

confidence: 91%

Pollen dispersal patterns and population persistence in a small isolated population of Fagus crenata

Inanaga

Koyama

Ida

et al. 2016

Tree Genetics & Genomes

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The potential of long-distance pollen dispersal and the effects of small population size and population isolation on persistence of Fagus crenata populations were investigated in a small, severely isolated population (the Gofuku-ji population) and two other populations located within 7 km of this population (including 87 adult trees in total). Parentage analysis using 13 microsatellite loci showed that 94 of 100 seedlings derived from seeds collected from the Gofuku-ji population had parent pairs within this population, six had one parent within the population, and four of the six seedlings had alleles that were not detected in any of the three populations, indicating that some pollen is dispersed over distances exceeding 7 km. The estimated expected heterozygosity and effective population size were lower in the Gofuku-ji population than in previously examined large continuous populations. Therefore, levels of genetic diversity within the population may have been reduced by strong genetic drift and limitations of pollen-and seed-mediated gene flow associated with the small size and severe isolation. The contemporary mating pattern estimated at the seedling stage was biased toward outbreeding, which may be explained by possible processes: the level of inbreeding in the adult trees is increased; then, inbreeding frequently occurs but is rarely successful, while outbreeding successfully produces offspring. Additionally, high levels of significant linkage disequilibrium and higher numbers of alleles than expected under mutation-drift equilibrium from analyses of the populations' evolutionary history suggest that the Gofuku-ji population may have experienced admixture before its severe isolation. Therefore, the persistence of the Gofuku-ji population is being adversely affected by the decrease in population size and severe isolation. Further studies of gene flow via pollen in other populations with various degrees of isolation could enhance our understanding of the effects of population isolation and long-distance pollen dispersal in F. crenata and similar species.

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“…Estimates of the inbreeding depression using the regression of fitness by selfing rate were mainly used for early life stages and particularly for seed production in forest trees (Burczyk et al 1991;Kormutak and Lindgren 1996;Wang 2003;Restoux 2009) but it could be applied to all estimates of fitness or all organisms with a mixed mating system such as herbaceous plants (Culley et al 1999;Weller et al 2005). The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that can reduce the detection power of inbreeding depression.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of individual genetic load: consequences for the detection of inbreeding depression

Restoux¹,

Longchamp²,

Fady³

et al. 2012

Genetica

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Inbreeding depression is a key factor affecting the persistence of natural populations, particularly when they are fragmented. In species with mixed mating systems, inbreeding depression can be estimated at the population level by regressing the average progeny fitness by the selfing rate of their mothers. We applied this method using simulated populations to investigate how population genetic parameters can affect the detection power of inbreeding depression. We simulated individual selfing rates and genetic loads from which we computed fitness values. The regression method yielded high statistical power, inbreeding depression being detected as significant (5 % level) in 92 % of the simulations. High individual variation in selfing rate and high mean genetic load led to better detection of inbreeding depression while high among-individual variation in genetic load made it more difficult to detect inbreeding depression. For a constant sampling effort, increasing the number of progenies while decreasing the number of individuals per progeny enhanced the detection power of inbreeding depression. We discuss the implication of among-mother variability of genetic load and selfing rate on inbreeding depression studies.

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Relationship between empty seed and genetic factors in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Cited by 13 publications

References 30 publications

Sexual reproduction efficiency and genetic diversity of endangered Betula humilis Schrk. populations from edge and sub-central parts of its range

Sexual reproduction efficiency and genetic diversity of endangered Betula humilis Schrk. populations from edge and sub-central parts of its range

Pollen dispersal patterns and population persistence in a small isolated population of Fagus crenata

Variability of individual genetic load: consequences for the detection of inbreeding depression

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