Linkage and the loss of short stamens in Arabidopsis thaliana

Location

Bent Corridor, Science Center

Document Type

Poster - Open Access

Start Date

5-1-2026 12:00 PM

End Date

5-1-2026 2:00 PM

Research Program

Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; National Science Foundation (Research Experiences for Undergraduates); Doug and Maria Bayer Fund for Undergraduate Research

Abstract

How do genetic correlations between traits contribute to evolutionary processes? This study investigates the role of genetic linkage in an unexplained geographic cline of floral trait loss in Arabidopsis thaliana. A diagnostic characteristic of the Brassicaceae family is the arrangement of four long stamens and two short stamens in each flower. These short stamens are adaptive in outcrossing and have lost this function in highly selfing A. thaliana. Short stamens demonstrate incomplete loss across A. thaliana’s native range, with fewer stamens produced at lower altitudes and latitudes. We hypothesized that short stamen number is correlated with one or more traits involved in altitudinal adaptation, thus accelerating or constraining loss. We grew recombinant inbred lines from a cross between high and low altitude parents and measured a suite of phenotypic traits for each plant. We found a correlation between mean short stamen number and days to flowering, supporting a hypothesis of pleiotropy or linkage disequilibrium between the two traits. Ongoing study will seek to further explain the geographic variability in loss of this ancestral trait and explore how alternative mechanisms to direct selection shape evolution.

Keywords:

Plant evolution, Trait loss, Genetic correlation

Notes

Presenter: Natalie Dresdner

Major

Biology; Environmental Studies

Project Mentor(s)

Jeffrey K. Conner, Michigan State University
Angie Roles, Biology Department, Oberlin College

2026

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
May 1st, 12:00 PM May 1st, 2:00 PM

Linkage and the loss of short stamens in Arabidopsis thaliana

Bent Corridor, Science Center

How do genetic correlations between traits contribute to evolutionary processes? This study investigates the role of genetic linkage in an unexplained geographic cline of floral trait loss in Arabidopsis thaliana. A diagnostic characteristic of the Brassicaceae family is the arrangement of four long stamens and two short stamens in each flower. These short stamens are adaptive in outcrossing and have lost this function in highly selfing A. thaliana. Short stamens demonstrate incomplete loss across A. thaliana’s native range, with fewer stamens produced at lower altitudes and latitudes. We hypothesized that short stamen number is correlated with one or more traits involved in altitudinal adaptation, thus accelerating or constraining loss. We grew recombinant inbred lines from a cross between high and low altitude parents and measured a suite of phenotypic traits for each plant. We found a correlation between mean short stamen number and days to flowering, supporting a hypothesis of pleiotropy or linkage disequilibrium between the two traits. Ongoing study will seek to further explain the geographic variability in loss of this ancestral trait and explore how alternative mechanisms to direct selection shape evolution.