Format: ORAL

Scott A. Hodges1

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, USA

The origin of nectar spurs is associated with the adaptive radiation of the columbine genus, Aquilegia. Dissecting the genetic and developmental mechanisms of nectar spur development specifically and petal morphology generally is thus important for our understanding of the origin of novel traits. Recently, a key gene in Aquilegia spur development, POPOVICH, was identified using hybridization between a natural spurless species, A. ecalcarata, and a spurred relative exemplifying the utility of natural variants. I will outline our ongoing efforts to identify additional potential genes for spur and petal development using natural variation in the closest relatives of Aquilegia, Semiaquilegia and Urophysa. There have been recent discoveries of rare species of Semiaquilegia with novel petal shapes and we have been able to produce intergeneric hybrids between some of these species and Aquilegia, which offers a new research avenue. Urophysa consists of two species, U. rockii, which produces small petals with very short spurs and U. henryi, which in one accession produces small flat petals and in another produces small cupped-shaped petals but no spurs. Thus QTL analysis from hybrids among these species will also likely aid in finding candidate genes involved in petal shape. Finally, we are developing genomic assemblies of both Semiaquilegia and Urophysa to facilitate the identification of genomic features unique to Aquilegia and thus potentially being involved its adaptive radiation.