Methods of transcriptional profiling have made it possible to compare gene expression
between females and males on a genome-wide scale. Such studies have revealed that sex …

Evolutionary genomic studies find that reproductive protein genes, those directly involved in
reproductive processes, diversify more rapidly than most other gene categories. Strong …

Somatic mutations are common in plants, and they may accumulate and be passed on to
gametes. The determinants of somatic mutation accumulation include the intraorganismal …

How barriers to gene flow arise and are maintained are key questions in evolutionary
biology. Speciation research has mainly focused on barriers that occur either before mating …

The evolution of predominant self‐fertilisation frequently coincides with the evolution of a
collection of phenotypes that comprise the 'selfing syndrome', in both plants and animals …

Pollen grains undergo dramatic changes in cellular water potential as they deliver the male
germ line to female gametes, and it has been proposed that mechanosensitive ion channels …

Hybrids between flowering plant species often exhibit reduced fitness, including sterility and
inviability. Such hybrid incompatibilities create barriers to genetic exchange that can …

Key message Overview of pollen transcriptome studies. Pollen development is driven by
gene expression, and knowledge of the molecular events underlying this process has …

Males and females often have marked phenotypic differences, and the expression of these
dissimilarities invariably involves sex differences in gene expression. Sex-biased gene …

Flowering plants alternate between multicellular haploid (gametophyte) and diploid
(sporophyte) generations. Pollen actively transcribes its haploid genome, providing …