Ecological and evolutionary implications of hybridization, polyploidy and apomixis in angiosperms

Abstract

Hybridization, polyploidy, and apomixis are related to the diversification of angiosperms, generating complex taxonomic relationships between species. Despite the differences in the frequencies of these phenomena, apomixis, the asexual seed production, tends to be frequently associated with hybridization and polyploidy. Apomixis has received more attention due to its potential to preserve desirable phenotypes in agriculture. The joint study of these three phenomena has been little explored, so the main objective of this review was to describe hybridization, polyploidy and apomixis and then analyze how they can be related. A synthesis of the main results of the studies obtained from a specialized literature search, the main patterns that address these three phenomena together, and their evolutionary and ecological consequences are presented.

Keywords

• agamospermy
• apomeiosis
• hybrids
• parthenogenesis
• polyploids