Abstract Detail

Seed-free Plants at the Genomic Scale

Marchant, Blaine [1], Barbazuk, William B. [2], Kirst, Matias [3], Sessa, Emily Butler [4], Soltis, Pamela  S. [5], Soltis, Douglas E [6].

Gene evolution and specificity underlying the alternation of independent generations in Ceratopteris richardii.

The alternation of generations between a haploid gametophyte and diploid sporophyte is a key tenet of understanding plant biology. Although all plants have these two life stages, the dominance and interdependence of the gametophyte and sporophyte vary widely among major lineages of plants. All seed plants have highly reduced and dependent gametophytes – in some cases the latter consists of a mere three cells (angiosperm microgametophytes). In constrast, in non-vascular land plants (i.e., mosses, hornworts, liverworts) the sporophyte is dependent upon the dominant multicellular gametophyte. Between these two extremes are the ferns (Monilophyta) and lycophytes (Lycophyta), separate clades of vascular non-seed plants. These two groups are unique in that most species have completely independent sporophytes and independent gametophytes. To understand patterns of gene evolution underlying the transition from gametophyte dominance to sporophyte dominance in land plant evolution, we performed comparative analyses on transcriptomes from both the gametophytic and sporophytic life stages of Ceratopteris richardii, a homosporous fern. Our results demonstrate the gene specificity and gene family evolution that accompanies two completely independent life stages.

1 - U Florida, Biology, USA
2 - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
3 - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
4 - University of Florida, Biology, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
5 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, PO BOX 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA, 352/273-1964
6 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA

Keywords:
alternation of generations
gene evolution
life cycles
Transcriptomics.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C4, Seed Free Plants at the Genomic Scale
Location: Chatham Ballroom - C/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
Time: 4:45 PM
Number: C4014
Abstract ID:618
Candidate for Awards:None