Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preliminary results from five generations of a western redcedar (Thuja plicata) selection study with self-mating

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Tree Genetics & Genomes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A western redcedar selection study with self-mating was initiated using an accelerated breeding cycle, such that five generations were completed in 10 years. Thirty random and 30 selected lines for height, from 15 unrelated full-sib families (S0; inbreeding coefficient F = 0) were the founders for the subsequent selfed lines (S1 to S4; F = 0.5 to 0.9375, respectively). Of the original 60 lines, 50 were still in existence at the S4 generation. Random extinct lines and replacement seedlings resulted either from a lack of mature cones or filled seed, whereas selected line extinctions and replacements were mostly due to a lack of filled seed. Approximately 47% of parent-trees in the S4 generation displayed temporal separation of male and female function, as opposed to 7% in the S0. Observed response to selection in height was approximately 21% after four generations. There were no significant reductions in seed weight or vigor across generations, and these traits were not correlated with selection height. Results are discussed in relation to the general influences of inbreeding and random genetic drift on response to the selection and incorporation of selfing into tree-breeding strategies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barker JE, Libby J (1974) The use of selfing in selection of forest trees. J Genet 61:152–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrett SCH (2003) Mating strategies in flowering plants: the outcrossing-selfing paradigm and beyond. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 358(1434):991–1004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett SCH, Charlesworth D (1991) Effects of a change in the level of inbreeding on the genetic load. Nature 352:522–524

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bertin RI (1993) Incidence of monoecy and dichogamy in relation to self-fertilization in angiosperms. Am J Bot 80:557–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnet-Masimbmert TA, Zaerr JB (1987) The role of plant growth regulators in promotion of flowering. Plant Growth Regul 6(1–2):13–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdon RD, Namkoong G (1983) Multiple populations and sublines. Silvae Genet 32:221–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr DE, Dudash MR (1997) The effects of five generations of enforced selfing on potential male and female function in Mimulus guttatus. Evolution 51:1797–1807

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charlesworth D, Charlesworth B (1987) Inbreeding depression and its evolutionary consequences. Ann Rev Ecolog Syst 18:237–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cherry ML (1995) Genetic variation in western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn) seedlings. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

  • Comai L, Henikoff S (2006) TILLING: practical single-nucleotide mutation discovery. Plant J 45(4):684–694

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dudash MR, Carr DE, Fenster CB (1997) Five generations of enforced selfing and outcrossing in Mimulus guttatus: inbreeding depression at the population and family level. Evolution 51:54–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durel CE, Bertin P, Kremer A (1996) Relationship between inbreeding depression and inbreeding coefficient in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). Theor Appl Genet 92:347–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards JW, Lamkey KR (2002) Quantitative genetics of inbreeding in a synthetic maize population. Crop Sci 42:1094–1104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Kassaby YA (1999) Phenotypic plasticity in western redcedar. For Genet 6(4):235–240

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Kassaby YA, Russell J, Ritland K (1994) Mixed mating in an experimental population of western red cedar, Thuja plicata. J Heredity 85:227–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Falconer DS, MacKay TFC (1996) Introduction to quantitative genetics, 4th ed. Longman, Harlow, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu YB (1999) Patterns of the purging of deleterious genes with synergistic interactions in different breeding schemes. Theor Appl Genet 98:337–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu YB, Namkoong G, Carlson JE (1998) Comparison of breeding strategies for purging inbreeding depression via simulation. Conserv Biol 12:856–864

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin AR, Cotterill PP (1988) Genetic variation in growth of outcrossed, selfed and open-pollinated progenies of Eucalyptus regnans and some implications for breeding strategy. Silvae Genet 37:124–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackett WP (1985) Juvenility, maturation, and rejuvenation in woody plants. Hortic Rev 7:109–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Hallauer RA, Miranda JB (1988) Quantitative genetics in breeding. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardner CM, Potts BM (1994) Inbreeding depression and changes in variation after selfing in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus. Silvae Genet 44:46–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedrick PW (1994) Purging inbreeding depression and the probability of extinction: full-sib mating. Heredity 73:363–372

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill WG, Caballero A (1992) Artificial selection experiments. Ann Rev Ecolog Syst 23:287–310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Husband BC, Schemske DW (1996) Evolution of the magnitude and timing of inbreeding depression in plants. Evolution 50:54–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kristensen TN, Sorensen AC, Sorensen D, Pedersen KS, Sorensen JG, Loeschcke V (2005) A test of quantitative genetic theory using Drosophila—effects of inbreeding and rate of inbreeding on heritabilities and variance components. J Evol Biol 18:763–770

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lande R, Schemske DW (1985) The evolution of self fertilization and inbreeding depression in plants. I. Genetic models. Evolution 39:24–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindgren D (1975) Use of selfed material in forest tree improvement. Royal College of Forestry, Stockholm, Research Notes 15

  • Lynch M, Walsh B (1998) Genetics and analysis of quantitative traits. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay IJ, Gibson JP (1993) The effect of gametic-phase disequilibrium on the prediction of response to recurrent selection in plants. Theor Appl Genet 87:152–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCallum CM, Comai L, Greene EA, Henikoff S (2000) Targeted screening for induced mutations. Nat Biotechnol 18:455–457

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKeand SE, Bridgwater FE (1998) A strategy for the third breeding cycle of loblolly pine in the Southeastern US. Silvae Genet 47:223–234

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell LM, Viard F, Russell J, Ritland K (2001) The mating system in natural populations of western redcedar (Thuja plicata). Can J Bot 79:753–756

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orr-Ewing AL (1965) Inbreeding and single crossing in Douglas-fir. For Sci 11:279–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Orr-Ewing AL (1976) Inbreeding Douglas-fir to the S3 generation. Silvae Genet 25(5/6):179

    Google Scholar 

  • Owens JN, Colangeli AM, Morris SJ (1990) The effect of self-, cross-, and no pollination on ovule, embryo, seed, and cone development in western red cedar (Thuja plicata). Can J For Res 20:66–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pharis RP (1974) Precocious flowering in conifers: the role of plant hormones. In: Ledig FT (ed) Toward the future forest: applying physiology and genetics to the domestication of trees. Yale Univesity School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Bulletin No. 85, pp 51–80 (Invited paper)

  • Pharis RP (1976) Manipulation of flowering in conifers through the use of plant hormones. In: Miksche JP (ed) Modern methods in forest genetics. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Pharis RP, Morf W (1968) Physiology of gibberellin-induced flowering in conifers. In: Wightman EF (ed) Biochemistry and physiology of plant growth substances. Runge, Ottawa, ON, pp 1341–1356

    Google Scholar 

  • Pharis RP, Morf W, Owens JN (1969) Development of the gibberellin induced ovulate strobilus of western redcedar: quantitative requirement for long day→short day→long day. Can J Bot 47:415–420

    Google Scholar 

  • Pharis RP, Ruddat MDE, Glenn JL, Morf W (1970) A quantitative requirement for long day induction of staminate strobili by gibberellin in conifer Cupressus arizonica. Can J Bot 48(3):653–658

    Google Scholar 

  • Pharis RP, King RW (1985) Gibberellins and reproductive development in seed plants. Annu Rev Plant Physiol 36:517–568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ritland K (1996) Inferring the genetic basis of inbreeding depression in plants. Genome 39:1–8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ritland K, Brown P, Wigmore B, Russell J (2004) Controlling selfing rates in seed orchard populations of western redcedar. In: Forest Genetic Council of BC Tree Improvement Program Project Report 2003/2004

  • Routley MB, Bertin RI, Husband BC (2004) Correlated evolution of dichogamy and self-incompatibility: a phylogenetic perspective. Int J Plant Sci 165(6):983–993

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph TD (1981) Four-year height growth variation among and within S0, S1, XS1, S1 open-pollinated and S2 inbred jack pine families. Can J For Res 11:654–661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell JH (2006) Western redcedar breeding program. Operational Tree improvement Program Annual Report, B.C. Ministry of Forests, Victoria, BC

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell JH (2007) Deployment of deer resistant western redcedar seedlots. Proceedings of Forest Nursery Association of B.C. and Western Forestry Conservation and Nursery Association (in press)

  • Russell JH, Burdon R, Yanchuk AD (2003) Inbreeding depression and variance structures for height and adaptation in self- and outcross Thuja plicata families in varying environments. For Genet 10(3):171–184

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute Inc (1999) SAS/STAT Software: Version 8. SAS Institute, Cary, NC

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw DV (1997) Trait mean depression for second-generation inbred strawberry populations with and without parental selection. Theor Appl Genet 95:261–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sniezko RA, Zobel BJ (1988) Seedling height and diameter variation of various degrees of inbred and outcross progenies of loblolly pine. Silvae Genet 37:50–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen FC, Miles RS (1982) Inbreeding depression in height, height growth and survival of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and noble fir to 10 years of age. For Sci 28:283–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Souza CL, Geraldi IO, Vencovsky R (2000) Response to selection under small effective population size. Genet Mol Biol 23(4):841–846

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang TL, Hagqvist R, Tigerstedt PMA (1996) Growth performance of hybrid families by crossing selfed lines of Betula pendula Roth. Theor Appl Genet 92:471–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang T, Hagqvist R, Tigerstedt PMA (1999) Inbreeding depression in three generations of selfed families of silver birch (Betula pendula). Can J For Res 29:662–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang T, Russell JH (2006) Evaluation of selfing effects on western redcedar growth in operational plantations using tree and stand simulator (TASS). For Sci 52(3):281–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams CG, Savolainen O (1996) Inbreeding depression in conifers: Implications for breeding strategy. For Sci 42(1):102–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Woods JH, Heaman JC (1989) Effect of different inbreeding levels on filled seed production in Douglas-fir. Can J For Res 19(1):54–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright S (1977) Evolution and the genetics of populations. III. Experimental results and evolutionary deductions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu HX, Owen JV, Abarquez A, Matheson AC (2004) Inbreeding in Pinus radiata—V. The effects of inbreeding on fecundity. Silvae Genet 53(2):80–87

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Lands, Cowichan Lake Research Station, P.O. Box 335, Mesachie Lake, BC, Canada, V0R 2N0

    J. H. Russell & D. C. Ferguson

Authors
  1. J. H. Russell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. C. Ferguson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. H. Russell.

Additional information

Communicated by O. Savolainen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Russell, J.H., Ferguson, D.C. Preliminary results from five generations of a western redcedar (Thuja plicata) selection study with self-mating. Tree Genetics & Genomes 4, 509–518 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-007-0127-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-007-0127-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation