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Course, academic year 2025/2026   
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Plant breeding systems - MB120P144
Title: Plant breeding systems
Czech title: Rozmnožovací systémy u rostlin
Guaranteed by: Department of Botany (31-120)
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Actual: from 2024
Semester: summer
E-Credits: 3
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:2/2, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: unlimited
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Note: enabled for web enrollment
priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
Guarantor: doc. Mgr. Patrik Mráz, Ph.D.
Mgr. Jindřich Chrtek, CSc.
Teacher(s): Mgr. Jindřich Chrtek, CSc.
doc. Mgr. Patrik Mráz, Ph.D.
Class: Digestoř pro karyologii/palynologii s odtahem
Annotation -
Students will learn about variation in breeding systems in vascular plants, methodological approaches for studying
such variation and its evolutionary and ecological consequences. Each lecture will include an introduction to a
specific topic following by student's presentation of selected scientific paper – a case study.


Last update: Mráz Patrik, doc. Mgr., Ph.D. (23.02.2022)
Literature -

A.J. Richards: Plant Breding Systems. - Garland Science, 1997.

D. Charlesworth: Evolution of plant breeding systems. - Current Biology 16, 2006.

Last update: Neustupa Jiří, prof. RNDr., Ph.D. (21.05.2018)
Syllabus -

1. Introduction - angiosperm plants and their sexual and asexual reproduction
2. Sexual plant reproduction: allogamy versus autogamy, distribution of these features among angiosperm lineages
3. Gene flow witihn and across populations
4. Flowers - structure and function, variation and evolution of flower types in relation to reproduction systems
5. Flowering - spatial and temporal dynamics, phenology
6. Pollination - diversity of pollinating systems, different types of pollinators
7. Pollination at the level of plant communities
8. Pollination trends in bioms - variation at the global level in relation to ecological factors
9. Apomixis - frequently occuring asexual reproduction in angiosperm plants
10. Vegetative reproduction in angiosperm plants
11. Synthesis

The course is taught with the support of the project reg. number CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/16_015/0002362
Last update: Rubešová Jana, RNDr., Ph.D. (14.09.2019)
Learning outcomes -

The student knows and defines:

  • the scope, history, and conceptual framework of plant breeding systems

  • relationships between breeding systems, population biology, and genetics

  • major modes of plant reproduction (sexual, apomictic, vegetative)

  • principles of autogamy and allogamy, including their evolutionary consequences

  • mechanisms and consequences of gene flow in plant populations

  • floral structure and function, including androecium, gynoecium, pollen, stigma, nectar, and fertilization processes

  • types and mechanisms of self-incompatibility systems

  • main modes of pollination and major groups of pollinators

  • principles of pollination syndromes and pollination networks

  • breeding systems across major biomes

  • principles, types, and evolutionary implications of apomixis

  • types of vegetative reproduction and their ecological significance

The student understands and explains:

  • how breeding systems influence genetic diversity, population structure, and fitness

  • evolutionary advantages and disadvantages of autogamy, allogamy, and unisexuality

  • causes and consequences of inbreeding and outbreeding depression

  • links between floral traits and pollinator behavior, efficiency, and foraging strategies

  • the role of gene flow in shaping population differentiation and local adaptation

  • ecological and evolutionary drivers of floral phenology and flowering strategies

  • functional relationships between stigma type, pollen type, and incompatibility systems

  • the evolutionary significance of apomixis and residual sexuality

  • trade-offs between sexual and vegetative reproduction

The student is able to:

  • use appropriate terminology related to plant breeding systems

  • interpret empirical data on gene flow, pollen limitation, and mating patterns

  • analyse relationships between breeding systems and ecological context

  • evaluate floral traits in relation to pollination mode and pollinator assemblages

  • compare breeding systems across populations, species, and environmental gradients

  • integrate knowledge of genetics, ecology, and evolution in explaining reproductive strategies

  • apply theoretical concepts to real-world examples and case studies

The student critically evaluates and synthesizes:

  • ecological versus evolutionary explanations of breeding system diversity

  • the relative importance of pollen limitation versus resource limitation

  • assumptions and limitations of methods used to estimate gene flow

  • specialization versus generalization in pollination systems

  • the evolutionary role of apomixis as a “dead end” or adaptive strategy

  • interactions between pollination, seed dispersal, and community structure

  • how environmental gradients influence breeding system variation within and among species

The student is able to synthesize multiple perspectives (population genetics, ecology, evolution) when interpreting plant reproductive strategies.

Last update: Mráz Patrik, doc. Mgr., Ph.D. (18.12.2025)
 
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