Collaborative Research: The Evolution of Dioecy and Sexual Dimorphism in a Gynodioecious Strawberry: The Role of Phenotypic Selection and its Ecological Context

9903802种不同性别的灰树植物反复从混合性别的植物(两性植物)进化而来，这使得一些进化生物学家得出结论，这种进化转变代表着生物学中的一个中心问题。这项工作旨在通过直接调查不同生态环境下自然选择的强度，剖析不同性别的自然选择的原因，特别是两性的雄性功能选择和吸引人的花卉特征的选择。这项工作将结合利用微卫星DNA标记的亲子关系分析和基于数量遗传的理论来解决长期以来存在的关于自然选择的性别分离和性别二型性的机制的问题。这项研究将有助于我们理解环境在塑造植物生殖表型中的作用。这项研究的结果还将对旨在提高不同性别濒危植物的产量和保护生物学的农业实践具有重要影响。

9903802 AshmanPlants with separate genders have evolved repeatedly from plants with combined genders (hermaphrodites), leading some evolutionary biologists to conclude that this evolutionary transition represents a central problem in biology. This work aims to dissect the causes of natural selection for separate sexes, in particular selection on male function of hermaphrodites, and on attractive floral features, by directly investigating the strength of natural selection under contrasting ecological environments. This work will combine paternity analyses using microsatellite DNA markers with quantitative genetic-based theory to address long-standing questions regarding the mechanisms of natural selection for separation of the sexes and sexual dimorphism.This research will contribute to our understanding the role of the environment in shaping plant reproductive phenotype. The results of this research will also have important implications for agricultural practices that aim to increase yield in, and conservation biology of, endangered plants with separate genders.