Reply to Uma Shaanker: Pollen aggregations, genomic conflict, and single paternity in multiseeded fruits
This response examines the relationship between pollen aggregations, genomic conflict, and single paternity in multiseeded fruits. Drawing on a meta analysis of available data, the authors explain that pollen clustering can increase the likelihood of single paternity across diverse plant families, while acknowledging taxonomic patterns identified by critics.
Subject Tags
- Biodiversity
Introduction
We followed the PRISMA protocol—the accepted approach for meta-analyses—searching Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and other databases using standardized terms. Uma Shaanker (1) highlights the overrepresentation of taxonomic groups with pollen aggregations in our sample. First, we did not select species a priori but conducted meta-analyses of all available data. Second, we consider all species with sires ≤1.50 as single paternity. These 33 species belong to 12 of the 20 families (more than 50%), spanning major clades. Third, pollen aggregations in our database occur not only in the four groups Uma Shaanker (1) mentions but also in Annonaceae, Clusiaceae, Ericaceae, Meliaceae, Onagraceae, and Rubiaceae (2). Fourth, our literature survey reveals pollen aggregations in every family we sampled. Finally, the clumping Uma Shaanker (1) describes in Euphorbiaceae occurs across all animal-pollinated angiosperms (3) and in nearly every species in our analyzed families. Pollen aggregations, including polyads and clumped pollen, may be the primary drivers of single sires (4), but as our data show, they increase the likelihood of single paternity without ensuring it. We agree, however, that we could have pointed out that the Orchidaceae and mimosoid legumes dominate the group with single sires.
Citation
Bawa, K. S., & Shivaprakash, K. N. (2026). Reply to Uma Shaanker: Pollen aggregations, genomic conflict, and single paternity in multiseeded fruits. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123(25), e2609757123.
TNC Authors
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K. Nagaraju Shivaprakash
The Nature Conservancy