Abstract Detail

Macroevolution

Sinnott-Armstrong, Miranda [1], Middleton, Rox [2], Ogawa, Yu [3], Jacucci, Gianni [4], Moyroud, Edwige [5], Glover, Beverley [6], Rudall, Paula [7], Vignolini, Silvia [8], Donoghue, Michael [9].

Structural color, cell walls, and the evolution of Viburnum fruits.

Structural color is poorly known from plants relative to animals, and in fruits only a small handful of species have been described. Recent work on structural color in Viburnum tinus demonstrated that it produces its blue color via lipid droplets embedded in the exocarp cell wall. Here, we examine the broader evolutionary context of structural color in the fruits of Viburnum. We identify the presence or absence of lipid droplets in 30 species of Viburnum, and explore the mechanism producing structural color in newly identified species with embedded lipids. We also quantify cell wall architecture in order to describe its evolution. We identify two origins of blue fruit color in Viburnum, both of which embed significant quantities of lipid droplets in their cell walls. Viburnum tinus and its relatives all exhibit periodic layers of lipid droplets, suggesting that structural color evolved in this clade before its diversification. Viburnum dentatum also produces a blue color and has embedded lipid droplets, but they are much more disordered. Other relatives of Viburnum dentatum produce similar structures but with less dense or thick globular region. Examining species that may exhibit structural color in combination with anthocyanins and carotenoids, rather than focusing on extreme examples, may yield further insights into the ecology, evolution, and diversity of fruit color.

1 - University Of Colorado-Boulder, Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, 1900 Pleasant St. Ramaley Bldg N122, Boulder, CO, 80309, United States
2 - University of Bristol, Beacon House, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1QU, UK
3 - Universite de Grenoble, CERMAV, Grenoble, 38000, France
4 - Sorbonne Université, Ecole Normale Supérieure-Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, 75005, France
5 - University of Cambridge, Sainsbury Lab, Bateman Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 ILR, UK
6 - University Of Cambridge, Department Of Plant Sciences, Downing Street, Cambridge, CAM, CB22 7RS, United Kingdom
7 - Kew Gardens, Richmond, TW9 3AE, UK
8 - University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Rd, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 1UB, United Kingdom
9 - Yale University, Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, 21 Sachem St., New Haven, CT, 06511, United States

Keywords:
fruit color
seed dispersal
endozoochory
structural color.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: MACRO I005
Abstract ID:314
Candidate for Awards:None