A Compendium of Plant Species Producing Pollen Tetrads

Flowering plants shed their pollen either as single grains or in groups of two or more grains. Groups of four grains are of particular interest since they are commonly derived from the same meiotic divisions. Retention of meiotically related gametes in a group enables the use of a powerful genetic tool—tetrad analysis. While tetrad analysis is a routine tool in yeast (and other fungal systems) it has historically been used less frequently in plants. Many researchers are using comparative genomic approaches that include nonmodel species to enhance their studies as the cost of DNA sequencing declines. Five hundred and eighty one plant species that produce pollen tetrads that may be useful when considering which non-model organisms to target for study are described here.