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(American Journal of Botany. 2009;96:1262-1273.) doi: 10.3732/ajb.0800345 © 2009 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

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Multiple origins promote the ecological amplitude of allopolyploid Aegilops (Poaceae)¹

² CIBIO, University of Porto, Campus Agrario de Vairao, 4485-661 Vairao, Portugal ³ Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, C 129 Plant Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 USA ⁴ Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, California 95616 USA ⁵ Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 USA

ABSTRACT

Polyploidy has been ubiquitous in plant evolution and is thought to be an important engine of biodiversity that facilitates speciation, adaptation, and range expansion. Polyploid species can exhibit higher ecological tolerance than their progenitor species. For allotetraploid species, this higher tolerance is often attributed to the existence of heterosis resulting from entire genome duplication. However, multiple origins of allopolyploid species may further promote their ecological success by providing genetic variability in ecological traits underlying local adaptation and range expansion. Here we show in a group of allopolyploid species in the genus Aegilops that range size and abundance are correlated with the number of inferred origins. We found that allopolyploid Aegilops spp. contain multiple chloroplast haplotypes, each identical to haplotypes of the diploid progenitor species, indicating multiple origins as the major source of variation. The number of inferred origins in each allopolyploid species was correlated to the total area occupied by the allopolyploid and the tendency for the species to be common. Additionally, we found differences in ecological tolerance among independent origins in Aegilops triuncialis. These results strongly support the hypothesis that the introduction of genetic variability by multiple origins can increase the ecological amplitude and evolutionary success of allopolyploid species.

Key Words: Aegilops • allopolyploidy • ecological success • multiple origin • Poaceae • wild wheat

Received for publication 10 October 2008. Accepted for publication 17 March 2009.

FOOTNOTES

¹ This research was supported by a USDA grant to K.R. and J.M.

⁶ Author for correspondence (e-mail: meimberg{at}mail.icav.up.pt)

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