Multiple Geographical Origins of Environmental Sex Determination enhanced the diversification of Darwin's Favourite Orchids.

ABSTRACT: Environmental sex determination (ESD) - a change in sexual function during an individual life span driven by environmental cues - is an exceedingly rare sexual system among angiosperms. Because ESD can directly affect reproduction success, it could influence diversification rate as compared with lineages that have alternative reproductive systems. Here we test this hypothesis using a solid phylogenetic framework of Neotropical Catasetinae, the angiosperm lineage richest in taxa with ESD. We assess whether gains of ESD are associated with higher diversification rates compared to lineages with alternative systems while considering additional traits known to positively affect diversification rates in orchids. We found that ESD has evolved asynchronously three times during the last ~5 Myr. Lin

SUBMITTER: Perez-Escobar OA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5635016 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature