Selfing of a single monoecious Populus tremula tree produces viable males, females and “supermales”

Here, we review the literature on sexual lability in dioecious angiosperm species with well-studied sex chromosomes. We distinguish three types of departures from strict dioecy, concerning either a minority of flowers in some individuals (leakiness) or the entire individual, which can constantly be bisexual or change sex. We found that for only four of the 22 species studied, reports of lability are lacking. The occurrence of lability is only weakly related to sex chromosome characteristics (number of sex-linked genes, age of the non-recombining region). These results contradict the naive idea that lability is an indication of the absence or the recent evolution of sex chromosomes, and thereby contribute to a growing consensus that sex chromosomes do not necessarily fix sex determination once and for all. We discuss some implications of these findings for the evolution of sex chromosomes, and suggest that more species with well-characterized lability should be studied with genomic data and tools. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Sex determination and sex chromosome evolution in land plants’.

show abstract

Impact of biased sex ratio on the genetic diversity, structure, and differentiation ofPopulus nigra(European black poplar)

Çiftçi

Yelmen

Değirmenci

et al. 2020

Botany

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effective population size is a crucial concept of conservation biology. It is reduced by biased sex ratio, consequently causing loss of genetic variation. To evaluate genetic diversity related to gender and investigate possible effects of biased sex ratio, we analyzed available microsatellite DNA marker of 120 Populus nigra samples originated from five geographical regions in Turkey. Using 12 microsatellite markers, we detected 60 clones of the same genotype, out of 120 trees. The clone genotype was observed both in males and females, which might suggest the occurrence of deviation from dioecism. Three genetic clusters were detected, two of which possibly corresponding to commercially available trees. Overall allelic richness was found to be similar for both genders whereas heterozygosity was slightly higher in males. Additionally, a simulation software prototype was developed to see the effects of sex ratio on diversity and allele frequency trends in future generations given the available molecular data. Results showed that if biased sex ratio persists, allele loss and fixation might occur in a higher rate, causing loss of variation.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Selfing of a single monoecious Populus tremula tree produces viable males, females and “supermales”

Cited by 3 publications

References 49 publications

Long-term study of a subdioecious Populus ×canescens family reveals sex lability of females and reproduction behaviour of cosexual plants

Long-term study of a subdioecious Populus ×canescens family reveals sex lability of females and reproduction behaviour of cosexual plants

Labile sex expression in angiosperm species with sex chromosomes

Impact of biased sex ratio on the genetic diversity, structure, and differentiation ofPopulus nigra(European black poplar)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About