Abstract
Flowering plants can reproduce sexually (outcrossing and/or selfing) and/or asexually. Sexual reproduction implies the successful completion of meiosis and double fertilization for the formation of both the embryo and the endosperm. In contrast, gametophytic apomixis is an asexual mode of reproduction through seeds, that in-volves parthenogenetic embryo development from a cytologically unreduced egg cell (2n). Apospory is the process by which unreduced gametophytes are formed after a series of mitotic divisions of somatic cells (2n) in the ovary. This occurs independently from the sexual meiotic process; and therefore, both sexual and apomic-tic pathways may coexist simultaneously. Apospory is inherited in bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) as a single dominant Mendelian factor with distorted segregation (Martinez et al. 2001), and its degree of expression was reported to vary throughout the flowering season in P. cromyorrhizon, a close relative of bahiagrass (Quarin1986). Bahiagrass is a perennial warm-season grass widely used for forage and utility turf in the south-eastern US due to its persistence in sandy, infertile soils. Diploid races reproduce sexually and are highly self-incompatible (Acuna et al. 2007), while polyploids are classified as pseudogamous apomicts (pollination is required) (Quarin 1999). Sexual tetraploid genotypes have been experimentally created (Quesen-berry and Smith 2003; Quesenberry et al. 2010) and suc-cessfully used in crosses (Acuna et al. 2009). Cyto-embryological analysis has been used to determine the mode of reproduction in bahiagrass (Martinez et al. 2001; Acuna et al. 2007). At anthesis, sexual plants pro-duce spikelets having only a single Polygonum type
Highlights
Flowering plants can reproduce sexually and/or asexually
Sexual reproduction implies the successful completion of meiosis and double fertilization for the formation of both the embryo and the endosperm
Apospory is inherited in bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flüggé) as a single dominant Mendelian factor with distorted segregation (Martínez et al 2001), and its degree of expression was reported to vary throughout the flowering season in P. cromyorrhizon, a close relative of bahiagrass (Quarin1986)
Summary
Flowering plants can reproduce sexually (outcrossing and/or selfing) and/or asexually. Gametophytic apomixis is an asexual mode of reproduction through seeds, that involves parthenogenetic embryo development from a cytologically unreduced egg cell (2n). Apospory is the process by which unreduced gametophytes are formed after a series of mitotic divisions of somatic cells (2n) in the ovary. This occurs independently from the sexual meiotic process; and both sexual and apomictic pathways may coexist simultaneously. Diploid races reproduce sexually and are highly self-incompatible (Acuña et al 2007), while polyploids are classified as pseudogamous apomicts (pollination is required) (Quarin 1999). Sexual plants produce spikelets having only a single Polygonum type
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