Inbreeding Depression and the Evolution of Dioecy in Higher Plants

University Of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Abstract

9981803 Schultz This project is a theoretical study of the role of inbreeding depression in the evolution of gender in higher plants, and has two major goals: (1) the development of a general, empirically testable theory of inbreeding depression in plant populations, and (2) the application of this theory to the problem of the role of inbreeding in the evolutionary pathway from hermaphroditism to separate sexes. Methods used include numerical combinatorial analysis, parallel programming, and stochastic individual-based modeling. These investigations will illuminate our understanding of genetic mechanisms involved in four major areas of active research in evolutionary mechanisms in higher plants: evolution of separate sexes from hermaphroditism, evolution of inbreeding depression in mixed-mating species, evolutionary genetics and viability of small populations, and evolution of the outcrossing rate generally. The results are also pertinent to the theory and methods of purging genetic load from agricultural species through controlled breeding, the production of genetically viable male-sterile lines, and the genetic management of endangered plant populations.