A carnivorous plant genetic map: pitcher/insect-capture QTL on a genetic linkage map ofSarracenia

Abstract

The study of carnivorous plants can afford insight into their unique evolutionary adaptations and their interactions with prokaryotic and eukaryotic species. ForSarracenia(pitcher plants), we identified 64 quantitative trait loci (QTL) for insect-capture traits of the pitchers, providing the genetic basis for differences between the pitfall and lobster-trap strategies of insect capture. The linkage map developed here is based upon the F2 of a cross betweenSarracenia roseaandSarracenia psittacina; we mapped 437 single nucleotide polymorphism and simple sequence repeat markers. We measured pitcher traits which differ betweenS. roseaandS. psittacina, mapping 64 QTL for 17 pitcher traits; there are hot-spot locations where multiple QTL map near each other. There are epistatic interactions in many cases where there are multiple loci for a trait. The QTL map uncovered the genetic basis for the differences between pitfall- and lobster-traps, and the changes that occurred during the divergence of these species. The longevity and clonability ofSarraceniaplants make the F2 mapping population a resource for mapping more traits and for phenotype-to-genotype studies.