Relationship between interspecific pollen transfer and pistil length in sympatric congeners,Clerodendrum trichotomum and C. izuinsulare

Interspecific pollen transfer (IPT) often leads to reproductive interference. Although character displacement of reproductive traits in plants is often considered a consequence of reproductive interference, few studies have tested whether intraspecific variation in floral morphology changes the intensity of reproductive interference among pollinator-sharing plants. We investigated whether intraspecific variation in pistil length changes the proportion of IPT (interspecific pollen transfer) in sympatric populations of Clerodendrum trichotomum and C. izuinsulare on the two islands. On Toshima Island, C. izuinsulare flowers with shorter pistils were significantly less likely to receive C. trichotomum pollen, and there was a slight tendency for longer pistiles of C. trichotomum flowers to receive less C. izuinsulare pollen, suggesting that IPT has caused character displacement in pistil length in these congeneric plants. In contrast, we did not detect any relationship between pistil length and the proportion of IPT for the two species on Niijima Island. The discrepancy between the islands may reflect differences in pollinator assemblages.     

Low levels of realized seed and pollen gene flow and strong spatial genetic structure in a small,isolated and fragmented population of the tropical tree Copaifera langsdorffii Desf

Over the past century, the Brazilian Atlantic forest has been reduced to small, isolated fragments of forest. Reproductive isolation theories predict a loss of genetic diversity and increases in inbreeding and spatial genetic structure (SGS) in such populations. We analysed eight microsatellite loci to investigate the pollen and seed dispersal patterns, genetic diversity, inbreeding and SGS of the tropical tree Copaifera langsdorffii in a small (4.8 ha), isolated population. All 112 adult trees and 128 seedlings found in the stand were sampled, mapped and genotyped. Seedlings had significantly lower levels of genetic diversity (A=16.5±0.45, mean±95% s.e.; H_e=0.838±0.006) than did adult trees (A=23.2±0.81; H_e=0.893±0.030). Parentage analysis did not indicate any seed immigration (m_seeds=0) and the pollen immigration rate was very low (m_pollen=0.047). The average distance of realized pollen dispersal within the stand was 94 m, with 81% of the pollen travelling <150 m. A significant negative correlation was found between the frequency and distance of pollen dispersal (r=−0.79, P<0.01), indicating that short-distance pollinations were more frequent. A significant SGS for both adults (∼50 m) and seedlings (∼20 m) was also found, indicating that most of the seeds were dispersed over short distances. The results suggested that the spatial isolation of populations by habitat fragmentation can restrict seed and pollen gene flow, increase SGS and affect the genetic diversity of future generations.     

5个菊花品种自交结实特性及减数分裂行为与花粉育性研究

对rm1-1、rm1-3、02-42-6、rm1-4和rm48-2等5个菊花品种3年自交结实率及花粉母细胞的减数分裂行为和花粉活力进行了研究.结果显示:(1)rm1-1、rm1-3和02-42-6属自交结实品种,结实性主要来源筒状小花;rm1-4和rm48-2为自交不结实品种.(2)在减数分裂过程中,rm1-1、rm1-3和02-42-6中期Ⅰ每个花粉母细胞(PMC)平均染色体配对构型分别为0.93Ⅰ+23.64Ⅱ+0.85Ⅲ+0.64Ⅳ、0.92Ⅰ+ 24.40Ⅱ+ 0.78Ⅲ+0.51Ⅳ和0.45Ⅰ+ 25.04Ⅱ+0.36Ⅲ+0.55Ⅳ;rm1-4和rm48-2每个PMC平均染色体配对构型分别为0.53Ⅰ+25.25Ⅱ+0.84Ⅲ+0.16Ⅳ和1.39Ⅰ+24.87Ⅱ+0.42Ⅲ+0.40Ⅳ;后期和末期5个品种花粉母细胞均出现不同频率的染色体桥、落后染色体、微核等异常现象,但大部分花粉母细胞均能正常发育.(3)5个品种花粉萌发率为8.1%～28.9%,其中rm1-1最低,rm1-4最高.结果表明,减数分裂过程和花粉育性与自交结实率没有必然关系.     

野菊与菊花杂交中花粉活力和柱头可授性及胚胎发育研究

应用石蜡制片、活体压片、光学显微镜及扫描电子显微镜观察等方法,研究了四倍体河南云台山野菊(Dendranthema indicum)与栽培菊花'钟山金山'(D.grandiflorum 'Zhongshanjinshan')种间杂交中父本花粉活力、花粉在柱头萌发、花粉管生长及胚胎发育情况等.结果发现,父本云台山野菊的花粉活力在授粉时为12%左右.人工授粉后的不同时间,在柱头上都观察到正常萌发的花粉粒,且花粉管都能进入柱头,其中,在授粉后0.5 h时,平均每柱头有5.9粒花粉萌发;12 h时,为59.9粒;而24和48 h时,则分别降为47.1和35.7粒.此外,在授粉后8、10、12和15 d时,分别在49.1%、40.8%、39.7%和38.5%子房内观察到正常发育的胚胎,最终杂交结实率为44.8%,而母本自然开放结实率为52.3%.研究表明,授粉前其多数母本雌蕊发育良好、授粉后多数花粉能在柱头正常萌发和花粉管正常生长,在受精后大部分胚胎发育正常是野菊与栽培菊种间杂交较高结实率的重要保证,而授粉前父本较低的花粉活力对杂交结实率影响不大.     

杜仲花粉壁发育的超微结构观察

利用透射电子显微镜和场发射扫描显微镜对杜仲花粉壁结构和发育进行了研究.结果显示,杜仲花粉在四分体末期形成原外壁,质膜随之出现波状样式,原基粒棒的形成在波状质膜的凹陷处积累,同时细胞中的核质类核仁向核膜外扩散,并进一步分布在质膜下;单细胞花粉早期其外壁结构(覆盖层、柱状层、基足层和外壁内层)已经分化完全,之后花粉内壁由萌发孔起始发育,然后全面增厚,至花粉成熟时萌发孔处的内壁变得很厚,并形成具有丰富径向微通道的结构,此时外壁内层崩溃解体.重点讨论了花粉外壁模式决定以及类核仁和花粉外壁形成之间的关系.     

乙烯对网纹甜瓜花器官及花粉结构和活力的影响

以网纹甜瓜‘西域1号'为材料,于幼苗三叶一心期喷施浓度为150 mg/L的乙烯利诱导主蔓形成两性花,以清水为对照,比较乙烯处理后形成的主蔓、侧蔓和对照侧蔓两性花,以及处理与对照雄花外观形态、解剖结构及花粉表面超微结构间的异同,并对其花粉活力进行了测定,以明确乙烯对甜瓜花器官形态及花粉结构和活力的影响.结果表明:乙烯诱导形成的主蔓两性花外观形态和解剖结构与对照侧蔓两性花没有差异,花粉超微结构相似,但存在部分畸形花粉,花粉活力仅为70%左右,显著低于其他花粉的活力,但其雌蕊发育正常,授粉后可正常结实.研究证实,乙烯处理对主蔓雄花及侧蔓两性花器官形态及花粉结构和活力无显著影响.     

New coupled model used inversely for reconstructing past terrestrial carbon storage from pollen data: validation of model using modern data

The knowledge of potential impacts of climate change on terrestrial vegetation is crucial to understand long-term global carbon cycle development. Discrepancy in data has long existed between past carbon storage reconstructions since the Last Glacial Maximum by way of pollen, carbon isotopes, and general circulation model (GCM) analysis. This may be due to the fact that these methods do not synthetically take into account significant differences in climate distribution between modern and past conditions, as well as the effects of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations on vegetation. In this study, a new method to estimate past biospheric carbon stocks is reported, utilizing a new integrated ecosystem model (PCM) built on a physiological process vegetation model (BIOME4) coupled with a process-based biospheric carbon model (DEMETER). The PCM was constrained to fit pollen data to obtain realistic estimates. It was estimated that the probability distribution of climatic parameters, as simulated by BIOME4 in an inverse process, was compatible with pollen data while DEMETER successfully simulated carbon storage values with corresponding outputs of BIOME4. The carbon model was validated with present-day observations of vegetation biomes and soil carbon, and the inversion scheme was tested against 1491 surface pollen spectra sample sites procured in Africa and Eurasia. Results show that this method can successfully simulate biomes and related climates at most selected pollen sites, providing a coefficient of determination ( R ) of 0.83–0.97 between the observed and reconstructed climates, while also showing a consensus with an R -value of 0.90–0.96 between the simulated biome average terrestrial carbon variables and the available observations. The results demonstrate the reliability and feasibility of the climate reconstruction method and its potential efficiency in reconstructing past terrestrial carbon storage.     

A test for Allee effects in the self‐incompatible wasp‐pollinated milkweed Gomphocarpus physocarpus

It has been suggested that plants that are good colonizers will generally have either an ability to self‐fertilize or a generalist pollination system. This prediction is based on the idea that these reproductive traits should confer resistance to Allee effects in founder populations and was tested using Gomphocarpus physocarpus (Asclepiadoideae: Apocynaceae), a species native to South Africa that is invasive in other parts of the world. We found no significant relationships between the size of G. physocarpus populations and various measures of pollination success (pollen deposition, pollen removal and pollen transfer efficiency) and fruit set. A breeding system experiment showed that plants in a South African population are genetically self‐incompatible and thus obligate outcrossers. Outcrossing is further enhanced by mechanical reconfiguration of removed pollinaria before the pollinia can be deposited. Self‐pollination is reduced when such reconfiguration exceeds the average duration of pollinator visits to a plant. Observations suggest that a wide variety of wasp species in the genera Belonogaster and Polistes (Vespidae) are the primary pollinators. We conclude that efficient pollination of plants in small founding populations, resulting from their generalist wasp‐pollination system, contributes in part to the colonizing success of G. physocarpus. The presence of similar wasps in other parts of the world has evidently facilitated the expansion of the range of this milkweed.