Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com], Heredity, 4(101), p. 351-358, 2008

DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2008.60

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Inferences on the number and frequency of S-pollen gene (SFB) specificities in the polyploid Prunus spinosa

Journal article published in 2008 by J. Vieira, R. A. M. Santos, S. M. Ferreira, C. P. Vieira ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

In flowering plants, self-incompatibility is a genetic mechanism that prevents self-fertilization. In gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI), pollen specificity is encoded by the haploid genotype of the pollen tube. In GSI, specificities are maintained by frequency-dependent selection, and for diploid species, at equilibrium, equal specificity frequencies (isoplethy) are expected. This prediction has been tested in diploid, but never in polyploid self-incompatible species. For the latter, there is no theoretical expectation regarding isoplethy. Here, we report the first empirical study on specificity frequencies in a natural population of a polyploid self-incompatible species, Prunus spinosa. A total of 32 SFB (the pollen S gene) putative specificities are observed in a large sample from a natural population. Although P. spinosa is polyploid, the number of specificities found is similar to that reported for other diploid Rosaceae species. Unequal specificity frequencies are observed.