A flat petal as ancestral state for Ranunculaceae

Autor(en)
Pauline Delpeuch, Florian Jabbour, Catherine Damerval, Jürg Schönenberger, Susanne Pamperl, Maxime Rome, Sophie Nadot
Abstrakt

Ranunculaceae comprise ca. 2,500 species (ca. 55 genera) that display a broad range of floral diversity, particularly at the level of the perianth. Petals, when present, are often referred to as “elaborate” because they have a complex morphology. In addition, the petals usually produce and store nectar, which gives them a crucial functional role in the interaction with pollinators. Its morphological diversity and species richness make this family a particularly suitable model group for studying the evolution of complex morphologies. Our aims are (1) to reconstruct the ancestral form of the petal and evolutionary stages at the scale of Ranunculaceae, (2) to test the hypothesis that there are morphogenetic regions on the petal that are common to all species and that interspecific morphological diversity may be due to differences in the relative proportions of these regions during development. We scored and analyzed traits (descriptors) that characterize in detail the complexity of mature petal morphology in 32 genera. Furthermore, we described petal development using high resolution X-Ray computed tomography (HRX-CT) in six species with contrasting petal forms (Ficaria verna, Helleborus orientalis, Staphisagria picta, Aconitum napellus, Nigella damascena, Aquilegia vulgaris). Ancestral state reconstruction was performed using a robust and dated phylogeny of the family, allowing us to produce new hypotheses for petal evolution in Ranunculaceae. Our results suggest a flat ancestral petal with a short claw for the entire family and for the ancestors of all tribes except Adonideae. The elaborate petals that are present in different lineages have evolved independently, and similar morphologies are the result of convergent evolution.

Organisation(en)
Department für Botanik und Biodiversitätsforschung
Externe Organisation(en)
Université Paris-Saclay, Museum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Université Grenoble-Alpes
Journal
Frontiers in Plant Science
Band
13
ISSN
1664-462X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.961906
Publikationsdatum
09-2022
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
106008 Botanik, 106012 Evolutionsforschung, 106042 Systematische Botanik
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Plant Science
Link zum Portal
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/a-flat-petal-as-ancestral-state-for-ranunculaceae(898fd035-c247-4d8f-9c19-91af8a8d922f).html