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Functional dioecy in Morinda parvifolia (Rubiaceae), a species with stigma-height dimorphism

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Abstract

The evolution of dioecy from heterostyly has been well documented, but detailed studies on this transitional process are rare. Here we report the occurrence of cryptic dioecy in a perennial liana species with stigma-height dimorphism, Morinda parvifolia Bartl. ex DC. (Rubiaceae). Floral morphology, ancillary characters and cross compatibility of long-styled (L-morph) and short-styled (S-morph) were examined. L-morph and S-morph display obvious pistil dimorphisms, with the stigma of S-morph lacking papillae cells. Both floral morphs show similar pollen morphology, although pollen viability is higher in S-morph than in L-morph. S-morph flowers produce viable pollen grains but much reduced stigma and set no fruits, functioning as males; L-morphs, although with viable pollen grains and receptive stigmas, exhibit strong self- and intramorph incompatibility, with self- and intramorph pollen tubes arrested in the stigma lobes and the upper part of style, respectively, resulting in L-morphs functioning only as females. The species thus has physiological androdioecy but functional dioecy. This might be the first case showing the possibility that androdioecy could be a mid-stage in the pathway of dioecy evolving from stigma-height dimorphism.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Fundation of China (grant nos. 31170184, 31070161 and 31000109) and by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-Z-6-6 and KZCX2-YW-414).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Yan Liu, Zhonglai Luo, Xiaoqin Wu, Xiufeng Bai & Dianxiang Zhang

  2. Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yan Liu & Xiufeng Bai

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  1. Yan Liu
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  2. Zhonglai Luo
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Liu, Y., Luo, Z., Wu, X. et al. Functional dioecy in Morinda parvifolia (Rubiaceae), a species with stigma-height dimorphism. Plant Syst Evol 298, 775–785 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-011-0588-y

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