Dissertation Research: Evolution of Inbreeding in Tomato: A Development and Genetic Study

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Lord 9801157 The change from cross- to self-pollination is a common trend in flowering plant evolution and domestication. A common syndrome of characters is associated with this change, including specific changes in flower form. Relatively little is known about the developmental and genetic basis of these changes in flower form. The proposed study will examine the developmental basis for differences in mature flowers, in closely related lines of wild tomatoes. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping will then be used to estimate the minimal number of loci responsible for the morphological changes, and to find their general location within the genome. This study will be significant in several respects. It will utilize relatively new molecular and statistical techniques to address the long-standing question of quantitative trait evolution, using both developmental and genetic approaches. It will examine what is considered to be the single most common trend in the evolution of angiosperm reproduction: the shift from outcrossing to inbreeding. It will utilize a subject plant, tomato, which is economically important, and which is becoming a major focus of both pure and applied research. It will also advance our knowledge of the genetic control of flower form and development.