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Apomixis: Basics for Non-botanists

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Lost Sex

Abstract

The evolutionary questions studied in apomictic plants and parthenogenetic animals are often the same. This chapter gives a basic introduction to apomixis in flowering plants, in order to make the botanical apomixis literature more accessible to non-specialists. The focus is on the differences and similarities with parthenogenetic animals. The following topics are briefly discussed: 1. apomixis should not include vegetative reproduction, 2. apomixis is a modification of sexual reproduction 3. different mechanisms of apomixis, 4. the role of endosperm development 5. causes of apomixis 6. male function in apomicts 7. intra-clonal variation 8. the phylogenetic distribution of apomixis and 9. constraints in the evolution of apomixis. At the end of the chapter, suggestions for further reading are given.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Keygene N.V., Agro Business Park 90, 6708, Wageningen, PW, The Netherlands

    Peter Van Dijk

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  1. Peter Van Dijk
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Sciences, Royal Belgian Institute of, Vautierstraat 29, Bruxelles, 1000, Belgium

    Isa Schön

  2. Sciences Department of Freshwater, Royal Belgian Inst. of Natural, Vautierstraat 29, Bruxelles, 1000, Belgium

    Koen Martens

  3. Keygene N.V., Agro Business Park 90, Wageningen, 6708 PW, Netherlands

    Peter Dijk

Glossary

Adventitious embryony:

The formation of somatic next to sexual embryos.

Agamospermy:

asexual reproduction by seed

Apomixis (in plants):

asexual reproduction through seeds

Apospory:

In addition to the normal reduced megagametophyte (n), a second but unreduced (2n) megagametophyte is formed from a non-spore cell (aposporous initial).

Autogamy:

Also called selfing. The fusion of egg cells and pollen grains produced by the same individual.

Autonomous apomixis:

The evolution of autonomous endosperm development in some apomictic plants.

Diplospory:

a normal reductional meiosis is replaced by a non-reductional division. Two unreduced megaspores (2n) are produced, of which one degenerates and the other develops into an unreduced gametophyte with an unreduced egg cell.

Facultative apomixis:

the production of a mixture of different progeny types in apomictic plants which is possible because apomeiosis and parthenogenesis can be uncoupled.

Gametophytic apomixis:

can consist of diplospory and apospory and is strongly correlated with polyploidy

Nucellar embryony:
Pseudogamy, pseudogamous apomixis:

the endosperm develops only after fertilization of the central cell.

Sporophytic apomixis:

Somatic embryos are formed within the sporophytic tissue that surrounds the gametophyte. These cells do not enter a gametophytic phase but remain sporophytically and produce an embryo directly (somatic embryo).

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Van Dijk, P. (2009). Apomixis: Basics for Non-botanists. In: Schön, I., Martens, K., Dijk, P. (eds) Lost Sex. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2770-2_3

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