Andromonoecy

Andromonoecy is a breeding system of plant species in which male and hermaphrodite flowers are on the same plant.^[1] It is a monomorphic sexual system comparable with monoecy, gynomonoecy and trimonoecy.^[2] Andromonoecy is frequent among genera with zygomorphic flowers,^[3] however it is overall rare and occurs in less than 2% of plant species. Nonetheless the breeding system has gained interest among biologists in the study of sex expression.^[4]

Etymology

The word andromonoecious is a combination of andr- (meaning male) and monoecious and was first used in 1877.^[5]

Prevalence

Andromonoecy is uncommon and has been estimated to occur in less than 2% of plant species.^[4] In angiosperms, it occurs in 1.7% of angiosperms making up around 4000 species in 33 families.^[6][7] It is common in the grass subfamily Panicoideae.^[8]

Andromonoecious species

• Cucumis melo subsp^[9]
• Cucumis melo^[9]
• Chaerophyllum bulbosum^[10]
• Erophaca baetica^[11]
• Silene tibetica^[12]

Solanum

• Solanum agnewiorum^[13]
• Solanum aureitomentosum
• Solanum campylacanthum
• Solanum carolinense^[14]
• Solanum cerasiferum^[13]
• Solanum incanum
• Solanum insanum
• Solanum lichtensteinii
• Solanum linnaeanum
• Solanum melongena
• Solanum rigidum
• Solanum umtuma
• Solanum usambarsense

Evolution

Main article: Evolution of sexual reproduction

Some authors view andromonoecy as a transitional state from hermaphroditism to monoecy.^[11] It has been suggested that andromonoecy evolved from hermaphroditism due to the loss of female structures.^[9]

Andromonoecy is also considered an evolutionary step towards dioecy.^[15] If female flowers are better at producing seeds than hermaphroditic ones, andromonoecy could evolve towards monoecy.^[16]

References

1. Allaby, Michael (2015), "andromonoecious", A Dictionary of Ecology, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780191793158.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-179315-8, retrieved 2021-07-06
2. Torices, Rubén; Méndez, Marcos; Gómez, José María (2011). "Where do monomorphic sexual systems fit in the evolution of dioecy? Insights from the largest family of angiosperms". New Phytologist. 190 (1): 234–248. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03609.x. ISSN 1469-8137. PMID 21219336.
3. Wilson, Karen L.; Morrison, David A. (2000). Monocots: Systematics and Evolution: Systematics and Evolution. Csiro Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-643-09929-6.
4. Pugnaire, Francisco; Valladares, Fernando (2007-06-20). Functional Plant Ecology. CRC Press. p. 524. ISBN 978-1-4200-0762-6.
5. "Definition of ANDROMONOECIOUS". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
6. Kouonon, L. C.; Jacquemart, A.-L.; Zoro Bi, A. I.; Bertin, P.; Baudoin, J.-P.; Dje, Y. (2009-08-11). "Reproductive biology of the andromonoecious Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis (Cucurbitaceae)". Annals of Botany. 104 (6): 1129–1139. doi:10.1093/aob/mcp196. ISSN 0305-7364. PMC 2766191. PMID 19671577.
7. Huang, Shuang-Quan (2003). "Flower dimorphism and the maintenance of andromonoecy in Sagittaria guyanensis ssp. lappula (Alismataceae)". New Phytologist. 157 (2): 357–364. doi:10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00676.x. ISSN 1469-8137. PMID 33873632.
8. Kellogg, Elizabeth A. (2015). Flowering Plants. Monocots: Poaceae. Springer. p. 93. ISBN 978-3-319-15332-2.
9. Glover, Beverley (2014). Understanding Flowers and Flowering Second Edition. Oxford University Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-19-966159-6.
10. Reuther, Kerstin; Claßen-Bockhoff, Regine (2013). "Andromonoecy and developmental plasticity in Chaerophyllum bulbosum (Apiaceae–Apioideae)". Annals of Botany. 112 (8): 1495–1503. doi:10.1093/aob/mct073. ISSN 0305-7364. PMC 3828945. PMID 23585495.
11. Casimiro-Soriguer, R.; Herrera, J.; Talavera, S. (2012). "Andromonoecy in an Old World Papilionoid legume, Erophaca baetica". Plant Biology. 15 (2): 353–359. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00648.x. ISSN 1435-8603. PMID 22823201.
12. Lüttge, Ulrich; Cánovas, Francisco M.; Matyssek, Rainer (2016). Progress in Botany 77. Springer. p. 361. ISBN 978-3-319-25688-7.
13. Chapman, Mark A. (2019-05-30). The Eggplant Genome. Springer. p. 16. ISBN 978-3-319-99208-2.
14. Fusco, Giuseppe; Minelli, Alessandro (2019). The Biology of Reproduction. Cambridge University Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-108-49985-9.
15. Muzzalupo, Innocenzo (2012). Olive Germplasm: The Olive Cultivation, Table Olive and Olive Oil Industry in Italy. BoD – Books on Demand. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-953-51-0883-2.
16. Patiny, Sébastien (2011). Evolution of Plant-Pollinator Relationships. Cambridge University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-139-50407-2.