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Plants
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Plant Diversification
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Plant Diversification

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 9136

Special Issue Editors

Dr. João Loureiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: flow cytometry; genome size; plant ecology and evolution; polyploidy; reproductive biology
Dr. Sílvia Castro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: evolutionary dynamics of diploid–polyploid plant groups; evolution of flowering plants; evolutionary changes in plant reproductive strategies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The origin and diversification of land plants has intrigued biologists for centuries, especially since Darwin’s concept of evolution replaced theological concepts as an explanation for the diversity of organisms. There are various possible scenarios to describe the processes that influenced land plant diversification throughout geological time. Such studies have often been accompanied with explanations for patterns in global and regional species richness. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between contemporary processes that promote species diversity and richness and historical processes where past events and conditions have played a major role.

This Special Issue on “Plant Diversification” intends to contribute with vibrant knowledge based on a set conceptual, methodological, and empirical studies focused on understanding the intricacies of natural variation patterns and the evolutionary forces that shape plant diversity. It provides a snapshot of contemporary knowledge with the goal of targeting new areas of discussion and research, contributing to advance our understanding of the past and current distribution of plants and present new insights into ecological and evolutionary processes and mechanisms that are of interest to the community of plant systematic and evolutionary ecologists.

Dr. João Loureiro
Dr. Sílvia Castro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4721 KiB  
Article
Reproductive Output and Insect Behavior in Hybrids and Apomicts from Limonium ovalifolium and L. binervosum Complexes (Plumbaginaceae) in an Open Cross-Pollination Experiment
by Sofia I. R. Conceição, Joana Fernandes, Elsa Borges da Silva and Ana D. Caperta
Plants 2021, 10(1), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010169 - 17 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3659
Abstract
Ex situ plant collections established from seeds of natural populations are key tools for understanding mating systems of intricate taxonomic complexes, as in the Limonium Mill. genus (sea lavenders, Plumbaginaceae). Plants show a polymorphic sexual system associated to flower polymorphisms such as ancillary [...] Read more.
Ex situ plant collections established from seeds of natural populations are key tools for understanding mating systems of intricate taxonomic complexes, as in the Limonium Mill. genus (sea lavenders, Plumbaginaceae). Plants show a polymorphic sexual system associated to flower polymorphisms such as ancillary pollen and stigma and/or heterostyly that prevents self and intramorph mating. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the significance of pollen-stigma dimorphisms and the role of flower visitors in the reproductive output of hybrids arising from sexual diploids of Limonium ovalifolium complex and apomicts tetraploids of L. binervosum complex in an open cross-pollination experiment. Results showed that, similarly to parental plants, hybrids present inflorescence types, self-incompatible flowers, and produced regular pollen grains with the typical exine patterns, with medium to high viability. By contrast, apomicts show floral polymorphisms, inflorescences, and pollen grains of maternal phenotype but with low stainability. Several insects’ species visited the inflorescences of parental plants and both hybrids and apomicts and some of these insects carried A and/or B pollen grains on their bodies, especially Clepsis coriacana (Rebel) and Tapinoma sp. Insects’ floral visits to hybrids and apomicts seem to be independent of pollen fertility and plants’ reproductive modes. Both hybrids and apomicts were able to produce fertile seeds, although the latter showed more seedlings with developmental anomalies than the first plants. The findings demonstrate that there is a weak reproductive barrier between the diploid species of L. ovalifolium complex as they can hybridize and produce fertile hybrids, provided there is pollen transport by pollinator insects. This study supports that apomixis is a strong reproductive barrier between both L. ovalifolium and L. binervosum complexes but did not allow us to exclude reproductive interferences of apomict pollen into sexuals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Diversification)
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Review

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13 pages, 1955 KiB  
Review
B Chromosomes in Genus Sorghum (Poaceae)
by Martina Bednářová, Miroslava Karafiátová, Eva Hřibová and Jan Bartoš
Plants 2021, 10(3), 505; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030505 - 9 Mar 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4658
Abstract
B chromosomes (Bs) are supernumerary dispensable genomic elements that have been reported in several thousand eukaryotic species. Since their discovery, Bs have been subjected to countless studies aiming at the clarification of their origin, composition, and influence on the carriers. Despite these efforts, [...] Read more.
B chromosomes (Bs) are supernumerary dispensable genomic elements that have been reported in several thousand eukaryotic species. Since their discovery, Bs have been subjected to countless studies aiming at the clarification of their origin, composition, and influence on the carriers. Despite these efforts, we still have very limited knowledge of the processes that led to the emergence of Bs, the mechanisms of their transmission, and the effects of Bs on the hosts. In the last decade, sophisticated molecular methods, including next-generation sequencing, have provided powerful tool to help answer some of these questions, but not many species have received much attention yet. In this review, we summarize the currently available information about Bs in the genus Sorghum, which has so far been on the periphery of scientific interest. We present an overview of the occurrence and characteristics of Bs in various Sorghum species, discuss the possible mechanisms involved in their maintenance and elimination, and outline hypotheses of the origin of Bs in this genus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Diversification)
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