Sex in plants can be befuddling. Most species are hermaphrodites, expressing both male and female gametes in one individual. But some, including shrub willow Salix purpurea, employ the evolutionary strategy we are far more familiar with: differentiating into male and female sexes. For the first time, the sex chromosomes of shrub willow have been sequenced with sufficient resolution to analyze their structure. Scientists found both a gene likely important for sex determination and a shared genetic architecture with Y chromosomes in mammals: a structure that helps correct deleterious mutations.
Click here for original story, The surprising structure of a shrub willow sex chromosome
Source: Phys.org