Female meiosis is fundamentally asymmetric, creating an arena for genetic elements to compete for inclusion in the egg to maximize their transmission. Centromeres, as mediators of chromosomal segregation, are prime candidates to evolve via ‘female meiotic drive’. According to the centromere-drive model, the asymmetry of female meiosis ignites a coevolutionary arms race between selfish centromeres and kinetochore proteins, the by-product of which is accelerated sequence divergence. Here, I describe and compare plant models that have been instrumental in uncovering the mechanistic basis of female meiotic drive (maize) and the dynamics of active selfish centromeres in nature (monkeyflowers). Then, I speculate on the mechanistic basis of drive in monkeyflowers, discuss how centromere strength influences chromosomal segregation in plants, and describe new insights into the evolution of plant centromeres.

雌性减数分裂从根本上来说是不对称的，这为遗传元素竞争进入卵子以最大化其传播创造了一个舞台。着丝粒作为染色体分离的介质，是通过“雌性减数分裂驱动”进化的主要候选者。根据着丝粒驱动模型，雌性减数分裂的不对称性引发了自私的着丝粒和动粒蛋白之间的共同进化军备竞赛，其副产品是加速序列分歧。在这里，我描述和比较了植物模型，这些模型有助于揭示雌性减数分裂驱动（玉米）的机制基础和自然界中活跃的自私着丝粒（猴花）的动态。然后，我推测猴花驱动的机制基础，讨论着丝粒强度如何影响植物中的染色体分离，并描述对植物着丝粒进化的新见解。