Nature of meiosis in plants

In flowering plants, pollen mother cells undergo meiotic cell division to sexually reproduce male gametes with a halved number of chromosome sets that is crucial for the stability of genome ploidy over generations. Irregular male meiosis may lead to unbalanced chromosome segregation with associated aneuploid progenies and impaired plant fertility, or cause meiotic restitution and production of unreduced gametes that potentially contribute to whole genome polyploidization. We have a special interest in studying genetic mechanisms controlling meiosis and recombination in model plants Arabidopsis thaliana and its relative Capsella.