A Similar Genetic Architecture Underlies the Convergent Evolution of the Selfing Syndrome in <i>Capsella</i>
Natalia Wozniak, Christian Kappel, Cindy Marona, Lothar Altschmied, Barbara Neuffer, Adrien Sicard
Abstract
emerged independently but evolved almost identical flower characters. Not only is the evolutionary outcome identical but the same developmental strategies underlie the convergent reduction of flower size. This has been associated with convergent evolution of gene expression changes. The transcriptomic changes common to both selfing lineages are enriched in genes with low network connectivity and with organ-specific expression patterns. Comparative genetic mapping also suggests that, at least in the case of petal size evolution, these similarities have a similar genetic basis. Based on these results, we hypothesize that the limited availability of low-pleiotropy paths predetermines closely related species to similar evolutionary outcomes.