New Arabidopsis advanced intercross recombinant inbred lines reveal female control of nonrandom mating.

Female control of nonrandom mating has never been genetically established, despite being linked to inbreeding depression and sexual selection. In order to map the loci that control female-mediated nonrandom mating, we constructed a new advanced intercross recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) accessions Vancouver (Van-0) and Columbia (Col-0) and mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for nonrandom mating and seed yield traits. We genotyped a population of 490 RILs.

Genetics of local adaptation in the laboratory: flowering time quantitative trait loci under geographic and seasonal conditions in Arabidopsis.

Flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana is controlled by a large number of genes and various environmental factors, such as light and temperature. The objective of this study was to identify flowering time quantitative trait loci (QTL) under growth conditions simulating seasonal conditions from native geographic locations. Our growth chambers were set to simulate the spring conditions in Spain and Sweden, with appropriate changes in light color, intensity and day length, as well as temperature and relative humidity.

Arabidopsis hapless mutations define essential gametophytic functions.

In flowering plants, the egg develops within a haploid embryo sac (female gametophyte) that is encased within the pistil. The haploid pollen grain (male gametophyte) extends a pollen tube that carries two sperm cells within its cytoplasm to the embryo sac. This feat requires rapid, precisely guided, and highly polarized growth through, between, and on the surface of the cells of the stigma, style, and ovary.