| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section / ASPT Martine, Christopher [1], Anderson, Gregory J. [1], Les, Donald H. [1], Symon, David E. [2]. The evolution and natural history of dioecy in Australian spiny Solanum (Solanaceae). Dioecy is a rare sexual condition in Solanaceae, occurring in less than 1% of the 3000-4000 species. Sixteen species in the economically important genus Solanum are known to be cryptically dioecious. Eleven of these are members of section Melongena s.l. of subgenus Leptostemonum that occur in the semi-arid zone of northern Australia. These eleven species (including two newly described) are sympatric with ten closely related species exhibiting andromonoecy, an often-proposed evolutionary intermediate between hermaphroditism and dioecy. Molecular-based phylogenetic techniques have been used to: 1) Determine systematic relationships among the species within this poorly-known Australian group; 2) Elucidate the relationships of the andromonoecious and dioecious species to test hypotheses for the evolution of dioecy; and 3) Explore the role that these unusual sexual systems have played in the evolutionary histories of these species. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA data indicate that the Australian section Melongena sensu Symon is not monophyletic and that dioecy has originated from andromonoecy at least twice independently in the group.
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1 - University of Connecticut, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 75 North Eagleville Rd. U-3043, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269-3043, USA
2 - Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, Plant Biodiversity Centre, State Herbarium, Hackney Road, Adelaide, Sout Australia, 5069, Australia
Keywords:
dioecy
andromonoecy
reproductive biology
Phylogenetics
Australia
Solanum
Solanaceae.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 48-3
Location: Salon G - Austin Grand Ballroom/Hilton
Date: Wednesday, August 17th, 2005
Time: 1:30 PM
Abstract ID:171 |
