Open AccessFamily affiliation, sex ratio and sporophyte frequency in unisexual mosses
Author(s) -
Bisang Irene,
Ehrlén Johan,
Persson Christin,
Hedenäs Lars
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/boj.12135
Subject(s) - sporophyte , biology , bryophyte , sex ratio , dioecy , moss , apomixis , gametophyte , ecology , evolution of sexual reproduction , sex allocation , botany , ploidy , pollen , genetics , demography , population , gene , offspring , pregnancy , sociology
Patterns of sex expression and sex ratios are key features of the life histories of organisms. Bryophytes are the only haploid‐dominant land plants. In contrast with seed plants, more than half of bryophyte species are dioecious, with rare sexual expression and sporophyte formation and a commonly female‐biased sex ratio. We asked whether variation in sex expression, sex ratio and sporophyte frequency in ten dioecious pleurocarpous wetland mosses of two different families was best explained by assuming that character states evolved: (1) in ancestors within the respective families or (2) at the species level as a response to recent habitat conditions. Lasso regression shrinkage identified relationships between family membership and sex ratio and sporophyte frequency, whereas environmental conditions were not correlated with any investigated reproductive trait. Sex ratio and sporophyte frequency were correlated with each other. Our results suggest that ancestry is more important than the current environment in explaining reproductive patterns at and above the species level in the studied wetland mosses, and that mechanisms controlling sex ratio and sporophyte frequency are phylogenetically conserved. Obviously, ancestry should be considered in the study of reproductive character state variation in plants. © 2013 T he L innean S ociety of L ondon, B otanical J ournal of the L innean S ociety , 2014, 174 , 163–172.