Hybridization and introgression are prevalent in Southern European Erysimum (Brassicaceae) species
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Osuna Mascaró, Carolina; Rubio de Casas, Rafael Francisco; Gómez, José María; Perfectti Álvarez, FranciscoEditorial
Oxford University Press
Materia
Hybridization Introgression Polyploidy Allopolyploidy Glacial refugium Brassicaceae Erysimum spp.
Date
2021-11-05Referencia bibliográfica
Published version: Carolina Osuna-Mascaró... [et al.]. Hybridization and introgression are prevalent in Southern European Erysimum (Brassicaceae) species, Annals of Botany, 2022;, mcac048, [https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcac048]
Sponsorship
FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento A-RNM505-UGR18 P18-FR-3641; Spanish Government CGL201679950-R CGL2017-86626-C2-2-P; European Commission; Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness BES-2014-069022Abstract
Background and Aims: Hybridization is a common and important force in plant evolution. One of its
outcomes is introgression - the transfer of small genomic regions from one taxon to another by
hybridization and repeated backcrossing. This process is believed to be common in glacial refugia,
where range expansions and contractions can lead to cycles of sympatry and isolation, creating
conditions for extensive hybridization and introgression. Polyploidization is another genome-wide
process with a major influence on plant evolution. Both hybridization and polyploidization can have
complex effects on plant evolution. However, these effects are often difficult to understand in recently
evolved species complexes.
Methods: We combined flow cytometry, transcriptomic and genomic analyses, and pollen-tube growth
assays to investigate the consequences of polyploidization, hybridization, and introgression on the
recent evolution of several Erysimum (Brassicaceae) species from the South of the Iberian Peninsula, a
well-known glacial refugium. This species complex differentiated in the last 2Myr, and its evolution
has been hypothesized to be determined mainly by polyploidization, interspecific hybridization, and
introgression.
Key Results: Our results support a scenario of widespread hybridization involving both extant and
“ghost” taxa. Several taxa studied here, most notably those with purple corollas, are polyploids, likely
of allopolyploid origin. Moreover, hybridization in this group might be an ongoing phenomenon, as
prezygotic barriers appeared weak in many cases.
Conclusions: The evolution of Erysimum spp. has been determined by hybridization to a large extent.
The adaptive value of such genomic exchanges remains unclear, but our results indicate the importance
of hybridization for plant diversification across evolutionary scales.