Correlated genetic effects on reproduction define a domestication syndrome in a forest tree

Evolutionary Applications

Luis Santos-del-Blanco²  Ricardo Alía²  Santiago C. González-Martínez²  Luis Sampedro¹  Francisco Lario³ 

[1] Misión Biológica de Galicia - CSIC, Salcedo, Spain;Department of Forest Ecology and Genetics, INIA-CIFOR, Madrid, Spain;Vivero de Maceda, Dirección Técnica, TRAGSA, Maceda, Ourense, Spain

关键词: adaptation;    artificial selection;    domestication syndrome;    fitness traits;    genetic change;   

DOI  :  10.1111/eva.12252

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Compared to natural selection, domestication implies a dramatic change in traits linked to fitness. A number of traits conferring fitness in the wild might be detrimental under domestication, and domesticated species typically differ from their ancestors in a set of traits known as the domestication syndrome. Specifically, trade-offs between growth and reproduction are well established across the tree of life. According to allocation theory, selection for growth rate is expected to indirectly alter life-history reproductive traits, diverting resources from reproduction to growth. Here we tested this hypothesis by examining the genetic change and correlated responses of reproductive traits as a result of selection for timber yield in the tree Pinus pinaster. Phenotypic selection was carried out in a natural population, and progenies from selected trees were compared with those of control trees in a common garden experiment. According to expectations, we detected a genetic change in important life-history traits due to selection. Specifically, threshold sizes for reproduction were much higher and reproductive investment relative to size significantly lower in the selected progenies just after a single artificial selection event. Our study helps to define the domestication syndrome in exploited forest trees and shows that changes affecting developmental pathways are relevant in domestication processes of long-lived plants.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 The Authors. Evolutionary Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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