Oral Presentations: UC 326
Two tightly linked loci produce flower color polymorphisms in both the UV and visible spectra in yellow-and-white monkeyflower (Mimulus bicolor)
Presentation Type
Presentation
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Flower color is often under strong selection in plants due to its importance in attracting appropriate pollinators. The bee-pollinated annual Sierra Nevada wildflower Mimulus bicolor (yellow-and-white monkeyflower) has two color morphs in both the visible spectrum (solid yellow or yellow and white) and the ultraviolet spectrum (entirely UV absorbent or UV absorbent only on the lower half). The yellow morph is usually half UV absorbent, and the bicolored morph entirely UV absorbent. I aligned whole genome pool sequence data from more than 150 individuals of each visible morph to identify the locus responsible for the polymorphism. I collected samples from well-mixed populations in Stanislaus National Forest, California and aligned the sequence data to the genome of Mimulus cardinalis, a close relative. Using this alignment, I identified a small candidate region which appears to contain the genes for both the UV and visible patterns. The putative UV gene is a MYB transcription factor and the putative gene controlling visible patterning encodes a small RNA. The close linkage of the two genes indicates that the UV and visible color patterns are under selection as a single unit, since recombination between the two loci is rare. This suggests that tight linkage of pigment genes may play a major role in the evolution of floral patterns in Mimulus.
Category
Life Sciences
Two tightly linked loci produce flower color polymorphisms in both the UV and visible spectra in yellow-and-white monkeyflower (Mimulus bicolor)
UC 326
Flower color is often under strong selection in plants due to its importance in attracting appropriate pollinators. The bee-pollinated annual Sierra Nevada wildflower Mimulus bicolor (yellow-and-white monkeyflower) has two color morphs in both the visible spectrum (solid yellow or yellow and white) and the ultraviolet spectrum (entirely UV absorbent or UV absorbent only on the lower half). The yellow morph is usually half UV absorbent, and the bicolored morph entirely UV absorbent. I aligned whole genome pool sequence data from more than 150 individuals of each visible morph to identify the locus responsible for the polymorphism. I collected samples from well-mixed populations in Stanislaus National Forest, California and aligned the sequence data to the genome of Mimulus cardinalis, a close relative. Using this alignment, I identified a small candidate region which appears to contain the genes for both the UV and visible patterns. The putative UV gene is a MYB transcription factor and the putative gene controlling visible patterning encodes a small RNA. The close linkage of the two genes indicates that the UV and visible color patterns are under selection as a single unit, since recombination between the two loci is rare. This suggests that tight linkage of pigment genes may play a major role in the evolution of floral patterns in Mimulus.