Heterosis in crosses between remnant populations of the rare prairie forb Silene regia: Implications for restoration genetics
- 1Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, and the Center for Plant Biology Purdue University West Lafayette 47907 IN USA
- 2Present address: Department of Biology Miami University Oxford 45056 OH USA
- 3NICHES Land Trust Lafayette 47905 IN USA
Abstract
Premise: Calls to adopt seed‐sourcing strategies in biological restoration that preserve local adaptation while maximizing genetic variation (e.g., regional admixture provenancing) are increasingly common. Heterosis, the increased fitness of progeny from crosses between populations relative to progeny from crosses within populations, could provide an added benefit under such strategies.
Methods: We quantified heterosis in crosses between three small remnant populations of the rare prairie forb Silene regia. We measured early fitness components (seed number per fruit, germination, and juvenile survival) in a greenhouse. Adult fitness components (survival and reproduction) were quantified over two flowering seasons in two different environments: in a field experiment simulating the initial stages of a restoration and in a greenhouse. Our approach is unique in estimating heterosis in an environment most relevant to the early stages of a restoration, and in comparing heterosis in the field and controlled conditions.
Results: The consequences of between‐population crosses for cumulative fitness in the field were strongly positive in two of the populations (281% and 50% heterosis) and nearly neutral in a third. Heterosis was generally stronger when measured in the field, and stage‐specific patterns of heterosis varied among populations.
Conclusions: Regional admixture provenancing in restorations should be beneficial for this species. We advocate for more research on heterosis in rare species, particularly for restorations. We also provide a cautionary note on how to calculate and report results for heterosis studies.
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BibTeX
@article{turner2026heterosis,
title = {{Heterosis in crosses between remnant populations of the rare prairie forb Silene regia: Implications for restoration genetics}},
author = {Isabelle A. Turner and Juan Diego Rojas‐Gutierrez and Bob Easter and Christopher G. Oakley},
journal = {American Journal of Botany},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ajb2.70278},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70278},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Heterosis in crosses between remnant populations of the rare prairie forb Silene regia: Implications for restoration genetics
AU - Isabelle A. Turner
AU - Juan Diego Rojas‐Gutierrez
AU - Bob Easter
AU - Christopher G. Oakley
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - American Journal of Botany
DO - 10.1002/ajb2.70278
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70278
AB - Premise: Calls to adopt seed‐sourcing strategies in biological restoration that preserve local adaptation while maximizing genetic variation (e.g., regional admixture provenancing) are increasingly common. Heterosis, the increased fitness of progeny from crosses between populations relative to progeny from crosses within populations, could provide an added benefit under such strategies. Methods: We quantified heterosis in crosses between three small remnant populations of the rare prairie forb Silene regia. We measured early fitness components (seed number per fruit, germination, and juvenile survival) in a greenhouse. Adult fitness components (survival and reproduction) were quantified over two flowering seasons in two different environments: in a field experiment simulating the initial stages of a restoration and in a greenhouse. Our approach is unique in estimating heterosis in an environment most relevant to the early stages of a restoration, and in comparing heterosis in the field and controlled conditions. Results: The consequences of between‐population crosses for cumulative fitness in the field were strongly positive in two of the populations (281% and 50% heterosis) and nearly neutral in a third. Heterosis was generally stronger when measured in the field, and stage‐specific patterns of heterosis varied among populations. Conclusions: Regional admixture provenancing in restorations should be beneficial for this species. We advocate for more research on heterosis in rare species, particularly for restorations. We also provide a cautionary note on how to calculate and report results for heterosis studies.
SN - 0002-9122
SN - 1537-2197
ER -