Suvrat Kotagal (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
Suvrat Kotagal's Master thesis was awarded with the Prize for the Best Plant Science Master Thesis, which was carried out at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in the year 2025 with the title:
Genetic basis of staminal dimorphism in Melastomataceae
In this study Kotagal identified candidate gene families, which might be the cause of staminal dimorphism in Arthrostemma ciliatum Pav. ex D.Don
The variously modified connective appendages and heteranthery (stamen dimorphism) occurring in Melastomataceae (ca. 5,800 species) has been a source of fascination among botanists for more than two centuries. Repeated evolutionary shifts in staminal traits - often associated with changes of function - have been linked to pollinator shifts and suspected of causing diversification in the family. The evolutionary lability of these staminal traits, especially connective morphology and heteranthery within several clades lead to the hypothesis that these traits might be controlled by relatively simple genetic mechanisms.
Kotagal aimed to test this hypothesis by using a comparative transcriptomics approach with Arthrostemma ciliatum Pav. ex D.Don as a model. Suitable developmental stages for transcriptomic comparisons were identified after studying the staminal development and RNA was extracted by dissecting and separating the two morphologically distinct stamen whorls. By performing differential expression analyses between the two stamen whorls at different developmental stages Kotagal identified several candidate gene families/groups, which might be involved in causing heteranthery.
Further analyses to narrow down the candidate genes involved in pedoconnective development and heteranthery are still underway. With this work we hope to gain a better understanding of the genetic basis underlying the phenomenon of heteranthery and other associated staminal traits to use as a substrate for future evolutionary studies in melastomes and other flowering plants families.
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Suvrat Kotagal conducted this work at the Systematics, Biodiversity & Evolution of plants institute in the working group of Prof. Dr. Gudrun Kadereit.
