Increasing the variability of Lycopersicon peruvianum Mill. by protoplast fusion with Petunia hybrida L.

Somatic hybridization of Lycopersicon peruvianum and Petunia hybrida was carried out to transfer cytoplasmic male sterility from Petunia to Lycopersicon. Cytological, morphological and biochemical analyses were performed to characterize the regenerated plants. Two regenerated plants, R₃ and R₆, were male sterile. R₃ possessed chromosomes morphologically similar to those of both parental types. Leaf morphologies of these two plants and a third plant, R₇, were intermediate between the two parents. The stability of RUBPCase was verified during parental plant development and after in vitro culture. Plant R₇ presented a new form of the large subunit of RUBPCase.     

宁夏枸杞的大、小孢子发生和雌、雄配子体发育

在幼小花药横切面上,每个角隅处可见一层拱形孢原细胞,其经过平周分裂形成初生造孢细胞、次生造孢细胞,发育为小孢子母细胞。减数分裂过程中胞质分裂为同时型。四分体为四面体型。成熟花粉粒含二细胞,具三孔沟型萌发孔。花药绒毡层由二部分组成:药壁区的绒毡层由初生壁细胞所产生,药隔区的由药隔细胞直接转化成,为双重起源,呈二型性,属分泌型。雌蕊由二个心皮构成二室子房,中轴胎座。倒生胚珠具单珠被、薄珠心,珠被绒毡层。胚囊发育为蓼型。在胚囊细胞分化后,组成胚囊的四种细胞继续发育,表现出各自的形态学变化。     

Reproductive strategies of the orang-utan: New data and a reconsideration of existing sociosexual models

Recent field data indicate that MacKinnon’s model of the orang-utan’s sexual and agonistic activity needs to be revised. In this model, male reproductive activity is concentrated in an extended phase of subadulthood and in early adulthood. According to this model, the role of older adult males is primarily that of range guardian, and in that role they would ensure that the offspring they had generated earlier would have safe access to food resources. This study presents cases suggesting that subadult males, even though sexually active, may have low reproductive success. In previous studies adult males were shown to display less sexual initiative than subadult males. In this study an adult male was at times involved infrequent mating activity in response to proceptive activity of females in the course of consortship. This adult male proved to be a successful breeder, thus refuting the hypothesis of adult male sterility. The female is most likely to conceive through cooperative mating in lengthy consortships with the dominant resident adult male. We hypothesize that the extended subadult phase represents a submissive strategy, allowing subadult males to remain in the home range of adult males but with minimal reproductive success.     

Territoriality and fighting in a colonial thrips, Hoplothrips pedicularius, and sexual dimorphism in Thysanoptera

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Hoplothrips pedicularius (Haliday) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), a tubuliferan thrips in which males possess greatly enlarged forelegs, lives in colonies on Stereum fungus.
• 2 Females oviposit onto communal egg masses, and males fight by grasping and stabbing with their forelegs in territorial defence of oviposition areas. Prolonged escalated fights occur between males who are of similar size.
• 3 Larger males usually win fights and become dominant at the oviposition area. Dominant males secure 80% of matings, and mate most frequently during oviposition periods, with an ovipositing female.
• 4 Smaller, subordinate males avoid fights and attempt to 'sneak’copulations. However, they occasionally challenge the dominant male. Challenges tend to follow copulations by the subordinate male and occur more frequently between males who are of similar size.
• 5 Subordinate males who eventually leave the oviposition area are larger than those who remain, have frequently challenged the dominant male, and have more frequently been stabbed.
• 6 Sexual dimorphism in thrips is associated with gregariousness, claustral habitats, female-biased sex ratios, and male winglessness. In thrips genera in which males exhibit foreleg armature, males are larger relative to females. The ecological circumstances promoting sexual dimorphism and male fighting in spatially-structured populations are discussed.

     

Modification of the zona-free hamster ova bioassay of boar sperm fertility and correlation with in vivo fertility

These studies were designed to evaluate the ability of the zona-free hamster ova bioassay to detect differences in fertility of boar sperm. In the first study, sperm from two previously infertile boars were compared to sperm from seven previously fertile boars. The percentage of zona-free hamster ova penetrated by sperm from the previously infertile boars was significantly lower than the percentage of ova penetrated by sperm from previously fertile boars (18% of ova penetrated vs. 83%, P < .001). In the 14 ejaculates from the previously infertile boars that had ejaculate motilities of 50% or greater, the percentage of zona-free hamster ova penetrated continued to be lower than in ejaculates from the fertile boars. One of the two previously infertile boars consistently had a normal semen analysis. The only two observed manifestations of his reduced fertility were his zero conception rate and the limited ability of his sperm to penetrate zona-free hamster ova. In the second study, females were inseminated with equal numbers of sperm from two previously fertile males and the paternity of offspring determined at birth. The experiment was replicated with four combinations of six boars. A high correlation was observed between the percentage of offspring sired and the ability to penetrate zona-free hamster ova (R = .89). Neither morphology nor the ability of the sperm to undergo an acrosome reaction during in vitro incubation was correlated with fertility in the competitive mating situation. These results suggest the zona-free hamster ova bioassay can improve the in vitro fertility assessment of fresh boar semen.     

水稻、小麦、油菜和烟草细胞质雄性不育系统中组分Ⅰ蛋白的比较分析

组分Ⅰ蛋白(RuBP羧化酶/加氧酶)的生物合成系由叶绿体基因和细胞核基因共同控制,所以,被作为研究细胞质遗传的标记。本实验用免疫化学和氨基酸成分分析等方法,对水稻(珍汕97)、小麦(繁7)、油菜(湘矮早)和烟草(G28)的细胞质雄性不育系及其保持系的组分Ⅰ蛋白作了比较,同时对不同作物的组分Ⅰ蛋白也作了免疫鉴定。结果表明,细胞质雄性不育系及其保持系的组分Ⅰ蛋白差异不大,但是,四种不同作物的组分Ⅰ蛋白之间有明显差异。     

小伞山羊草(Aegilops umbellata)恢复基因向小麦的转移

鉴定了小伞山羊草(Ae.umbellulata)6条染色体的中国春添加系对T型细胞质雄性不育系育性的影响,发现UAD能较好地恢复T型不育系的育性,表明染色体A上携带有育性恢复基因。添加染色体A在提莫菲维细胞质背景中通过雄配子的传递率为15.6%。同时进一步证明中国春不含有恢复基因。 在体细胞染色体数为42的331个不育系与UAD的杂种衍生后代中选到18个可育株,并对部分植株进行了细胞学鉴定。其中040-5、061-1和061-4与中国春的杂种F_1的育性分离和染色体配对情况表明它们是含有来自小伞山羊草染色体A上的恢复基因的杂合易位系。     

Why do males of the dance flyEmpis borealis refuse to mate? The importance of female age and size

Empis borealisfemales form swarms, and males carrying a nuptial gift come to swarms to mate. Males either mated with one of the females (accepted swarms) or left swarms without mating (refused swarms). Males mated with the younger (low wing-wear) and relatively larger females in accepted swarms. They seemed to be able to judge the relative size of the females but to ignore their absolute size. Visiting males stayed shorter in accepted swarms as female size variation increased. This probably reflects their greater ease in choosing a mate among females of relatively different sizes. Females in accepted swarms tended to be larger and to have less worn wings than females in rejected swarms.     

Ultrastructure of Phasmid Development in Meloidodera floridensis and M. charis (Heteroderinae)

Phylogenetic characters for Heteroderinae Luc. et al., 1988 are evaluated in Meloidodera which is believed to have primarily ancestral characters. Phasmid ultrastructure is observed in second-stage juveniles (J2), third-stage juvenile males, fourth-stage juvenile males, and fifth-stage males of Meloidodera floridensis and M. charis. Phasmid secretion occurs inside the egg before the J1-J2 molt. Before J2 hatch, concentric lamellar membranes occur within the sheath and socket cells. Some membranes become lamellae of the sheath cell plasma membrane; others become multilamellar bodies. During early molting, plasma membrane lamellae disappear and a distal dendrite segment appears in a rudimentary canal. After the molt, the distal dendrite is not present within the canal. The phylogenetic utility of phasmid features is discussed. In both species the ampulla shape and size between molts are stable features in juveniles and males. The posthatch J2 sheath cell receptor cavity may vary in a species specific manner, but comparative morphology requires precise timing after hatch.