Reproductive Performance of the Alpine Plant Species Ranunculus kuepferi in a Climatic Elevation Gradient: Apomictic Tetraploids Do Not Show a General Fitness Advantage over Sexual Diploids.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies on the mountain plant Ranunculus kuepferi concluded that apomictic self-compatible tetraploids have experienced a niche shift toward a colder climate during the Holocene, which suggests a fitness advantage over the sexual, self-sterile diploid parents under cold and stressful high-mountain conditions. However, there is still a lack of information on whether reproductive development would be advantageous for tetraploids. Here, we report on microsporogenesis, megagametogenesis, the dynamics of flower and seed development, and the consequences for reproductive success in a common garden experiment along a 1000 m climatic elevation gradient and in natural populations. Flower buds were initiated in the year preceding anthesis and passed winter in a pre-meiotic stage. Flo

SUBMITTER: Ladinig U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11433044 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature