Structural and numerical chromosomal polymorphism in natural populations ofAlopecurus (Poaceae)

Considerable structural and numerical chromosomal variation has been found in natural populations ofAlopecurus. Interchange heterozygotes, identified by multivalent formation during meiosis, have been recovered in four out of six species studied and are reported for the first time in the diploidsA. bulbosus, andA. myosuroides, and the tetraploidA. pratensis. B chromosomes have been found in two species,A. pratensis andA. myosuroides and also in inter-specific hybrids betweenA. pratensis andA. arundinaceus. The characteristics, distribution and meiotic behaviour of both interchange heterozygotes and B chromosomes are described.     

Synchronized maturation and breeding in natural populations ofXiphophorus variatus (Poeciliidae)

Synopsis Reproductive events tend to be synchronized in natural populations ofXiphophorus variatus. Males physically resembling one another tend to mature at the same rate and time. This coordinate development has also been seen in the laboratory. We hypothesize that juveniles resembling each other experience fewer aggressive responses from males than do juveniles without look-alikes, because of habituation of aggression. This would decrease social inhibition and permit their synchronous development.Females have an ovarian cycle. In the laboratory, crowding stress causes a suspension of breeding while a return to uncrowded conditions permits its resumption. Females released simultaneously from crowding tend to be synchronized in subsequent broods, although the synchrony deteriorates with time. Synchronizing events are shown to occur in natural populations.The consequences of reproductive synchrony in males and females are briefly discussed.     

Genetic diversity and phenotypic variation in marginal populations of the locally endangered speciesHordeum secalinum (Poaceae)

Electrophoresis was used to compare variation in hordein polypeptide patterns and isozymes in five marginal populations ofHordeum secalinum (four Swedish and one Danish population) and four populations along the Atlantic coast from Denmark to Spain. Hordein patterns were uniform within and among Swedish and Danish populations whereas the materials from France and Spain were divergent. The banding patterns for nine isozymes (AAT, IDH, MDH, PGD, GPI, ME, ACP, EST, and PRX) agreed with those reported for otherHordeum species. All putative loci were monomorphic with the exception of PRX, which showed three different phenotypes. The five marginal populations varied in seed set and cultivated plants differed in phenological traits.Dedicated to emer. Univ.-Prof. DrFriedrich Ehrendorfer on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

A phenetic analysis on the genus Lolium (Poaceae) in Iran

In this study, 68 specimens of the genus Lolium were scored for 27 characters, comprising 12 vegetative, 12 inflorescence and 3 seed characters. The aim of the study was to investigate the species relationships within the genus in Iran. The data were analysed using principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. Both analyses separated L. perenne, L. persicum, L. temulentum, L. multiflorum from each other. According to previous authors, L. rigidum and L. loliaceum show little difference from each other and are not separable to a species level. In this study these two species separated clearly from the other species, but were most closely related to L. perenne following cluster analysis and to L. multiflorum following PCA. L. persicum was found to be the most distinct species within the genus Lolium in Iran.     

Induction of cytoplasmic male-sterility into ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Summary Data are presented which indicate that a cytoplasmic/genetic type male sterility has been induced into backcross progeny derived from intergeneric hybridization between Festuca pratensis (female parent) and Lolium perenne. Large numbers of male sterile genotypes have been obtained in all the backcross generations examined. The frequency and purity of maintainer genotypes is low and requires further breeding and selection. Analysis of data suggest that at least two loci are involved in fertility restoration. Conclusions regarding the genetic model are tentative and require further analyses.     

Allozyme variation within and between populations inLolium (Poaceae)

Isozyme analysis was used to determine genetic variation within and between populations of sevenLolium species. All populations from the inbreeding species (L. temulentum, L. remotum, L. loliaceum, andL. persicum) were completely fixed for all enzymes scored. They also contained, for four of the five enzyme systems studied, exactly the same allelic variant. The three cross-breeding species showed large within-population variation and much less between-population variation. The great similarity of the allozymic variants found in all species, made the division of the genusLolium into species on basis of allozymic data difficult. It was not possible to separate the different inbreeding species from each other. Within the cross-breeding groupL. multiflorum andL. rigidum could be distinguished fromL. perenne. L. multiflorum, andL. rigidum could, with more difficulty, also be separated from each other. Allelic variation could have more relation with the provenance of the populations than with taxonomic classification.Genetic variation inLolium spp. II. For first part see Pl. Syst. Evol. 188: 87–99.     

高原鼠兔四个地理种群的遗传多样性与遗传分化

采用7 个多态微卫星DNA 标记分析了4 个高原鼠兔地理种群(海晏种群、西大滩东种群、西大滩西种群和昆仑山种群)的遗传多样性和遗传分化。采用多态信息含量(PIC)、期望杂合度(H_e )、观测杂合度(H_o)、基因流(N_m )和基因分化系数(F_st )对种群及物种的遗传多样性水平进行分析;计算各种群间的遗传距离(GD)、遗传相似度(GI)以及遗传距离与地理距离的相关系数,并进行UPGMA 聚类分析。研究结果显示,高原鼠兔的遗传多样性在小哺乳动物中处于较高水平, 其H_e 和H_o 的平均值分别为0. 5332 和0. 6003, 其F_st 为0. 0975,即有9. 75% 的变异存在于种群之间,即变异主要存在于种群内部。4 个种群间的杂合度与多态信息含量均无显著差异,说明它们的遗传多样性水平基本相当。海晏种群与其余3 个种群的遗传分化均达到了中度分化水平(F_st = 0.1043),而另3 个种群间几乎没有分化(F_st = 0. 0253)。Mantel test 结果表明地理距离与遗传距离间没有显著的相关性。     

Effects of endophytic fungi on the phenotypic plasticity of Lolium perenne (Poaceae)

The effects of high vs. low levels of endophytic fungi on the phenotypic plasticity of cloned genotypes were examined in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The objectives were to determine whether endophytic fungi influence plastic responses of host genotypes to variable soil nutrients and whether or not endophyte infection and host genotype interact to determine the extent of this plasticity. Twelve infected genotypes were cloned into ramets: half the ramets were treated with the systemic fungicide Benomyl to reduce or eliminate the endophyte, while the other half were untreated. Ramets of each genotype were subjected to high, medium, or low levels of nutrients in the greenhouse for 11 wk. Tiller number, leaf area, and leaf mass were determined after 11 and 25 wk. The fungicide significantly reduced the level of endophyte infection. Responses to nutrient conditions in relation to fungicide treatment were genotype specific: for some genotypes, high levels of endophytic fungi appeared to reduce plasticity, while for other genotypes the endophyte had no effect. The potential for microscopic symbionts to affect phenotypic plasticity in genetically variable populations has not often been recognized. However, the clandestine effects of symbionts on the plasticity of host genotypes could impact microevolutionary processes occurring within plant populations that occupy heterogeneous environments.     

Cytological affinities and interfertilities between Lolium temulentum and L. persicum (Poaceae) accessions

Interspecific crossing between L. temulentum L. and L. persicum Boiss. & Hohen. ex Boiss. was performed to clarify their interfertility based on the results of chromosome pairing, pollen fertility and seed set. Both parents were normal with a high percentage of chromosome association of ring bivalents in contrast to rod bivalents at metaphase I, pollen fertility and seed set, but F1 hybrids showed different proportions of them for each crossing combination. Chromosome affinity expressed by pairing was certainly a factor affecting the pollen fertility or seed set in F1 hybrids, but it was not the most important. The positive correlation was generally found between pollen fertility and seed set of F1 hybrids. The L. persicum accession with relatively high interfertility with L. temulentum was supposed to be derived from natural hybridization between L. temulentum and L. persicum. The degree of cytogenetic differentiation between L. temulentum and L. persicum existed because of lower chromosomal pairing, pollen fertility and seed set, but their F1 hybrids were partially fertile.     

Probing meiosis in hybrids of Lolium (Poaceae) with a discriminatory repetitive genomic sequence

A moderately repetitive genomic DNA sequence (designated pLPBB2-123) derived from Lolium perenne L. (Poaceae) is considerably more abundant in the genome of this species than in that of the closely related L. temulentum. The repetitive sequence probe is clearly able to discriminate between the genomic DNA of both species in Southern analysis, and effectively ’paints’ only the chromosome set of L. perenne in diploid and triploid hybrids with L. temulentum. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation of this sequence onto homoeologous chromosomes during meiosis I of the hybrids shows that the sequence is evenly distributed along all of the chromosomes of L. perenne and appears to have little effect on the structural integrity or recombination potential of hybrid bivalents. Discrimination between chromatin of different parental origin in hybrid bivalents shows for the first time a progressive relaxation of relational coiling of homoeologues throughout meiotic prophase. It also highlights structural irregularities that can now be unequivocally assigned to the longer chromosomes of L. temulentum. The advantages of the use of specific differentially amplified sequences instead of whole genome probes are discussed within the context of introgression breeding programmes within the Lolium/Festuca complex. Received: 14 December 1999; in revised form: 15 February 2000 / Accepted: 15 February 2000     

Natural selection of UDP genotypes in an experimental population of Lolium perenne (Poaceae)

The mating system determines the range of genotypes on which selection will act. Ultimately, the population will contain only those genotypes that can survive in the current environment. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which selection affects genotype at four enzyme loci in Lolium perenne. Starch gel electrophoresis was used to determine genotype at the phosphoglucomutase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucose isomerase, and UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase loci. Genotypes of progeny arrays were used to infer maternal genotype in a field-grown population of plants. A mating system analysis was performed on maternal and progeny plants of the field population and also on a population of plants, from the same seed stock, grown in a greenhouse environment. Allelic frequencies differed among populations at the Udp locus. Results indicate that high mortality in the field strongly favored one allele. Assumptions of the mating system model are examined and used to interpret the observed differentiation among populations.     

Captive breeding and the genetic fitness of natural populations

Many populations of endangered species are subject to recurrent introductions of individuals from an alternative setting where selection is either relaxed or in a direction opposite to that in the natural habitat. Such population structures, which are common to captive breeding and hatchery programs, can lead to a scenario in which alleles that are deleterious (and ordinarily keptat low levels) in the wild can rise to high frequencies and, in some cases, go to fixation. We outline how these genetic responses to supplementation candevelop to a large enough extent to impose a substantial risk of extinction for natural populations on time scales of relevance to conservation biology.The genetic supplementation load can be especially severe when a captive population that is largely closed to import makes a large contribution to the breeding pool of individuals in the wild, as these conditions insure thatthe productivity of the two-population system is dominated by captive breeders. However, a substantial supplementation load can even develop when the captive breeders are always derived from the wild, and in general, a severe restriction of gene flow into the natural population is required to reduce this load to an insignificant level. Domestication selection (adaptation to the captive environment) poses a particularly serious problem because it promotes fixations of alleles that are deleterious in nature, thereby resulting in a permanent load that cannot be purged once the supplementation program is truncated. Thus, our results suggest that the apparent short-term demographic advantages of a supplementation program can be quite deceiving. Unless the selective pressures of the captive environmentare closely managed to resemble those in the wild, long-term supplementation programs are expected to result in genetic transformations that can eventually lead to natural populations that are no longer capable of sustaining themselves.     

The typification of Lolium perenne L. and Loliutn temulentum L. (Poaceae)

LOOS, B. P. & JARVIS, C. E., 1992. The typification of Lolium perenne and Lolium temulentum (Poaceae). The typification of the Linnaean species Lolium perenne and Lolium temulentum has been studied. Lolium perenne is typified by material in LINN, as proposed by Terrell, but it has been necessary to select a lectotype for L. temulentum , and material in the Burser herbarium (UPS) has been chosen for this purpose. The study shows that although Linnaeus used awns as a diagnostic character to distinguish the two species, he was aware of the intraspecific variability in this character.     

The complete chloroplast genome of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum; Poaceae) and comparison of whole plastomes from the family Poaceae

In this paper, we describe the complete chloroplast genome of Lolium arundinaceum. This sequence is the culmination of a long-term project completed by >400 undergraduates who took general genetics at Middle Tennessee State University from 2004-2007. It was undertaken in an attempt to introduce these students to an open-ended experiential/exploratory lesson to produce and analyze novel data. The data they produced should provide the necessary information for both phylogenetic comparisons and plastome engineering of tall fescue. The fescue plastome (GenBank FJ466687) is 136048 bp with a typical quadripartite structure and a gene order similar to other grasses; 56% of the plastome is coding region comprised of 75 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNAs, four rRNAs, and one hypothetical coding region (ycf). Comparisons of Poaceae plastomes reveal size differences between the PACC (subfamilies Panicoideae, Arundinoideae, Centothecoideae, and Chloridoideae) and BOP (subfamilies Bambusoideae, Oryzoideae, and Pooideae) clades. Alignment analysis suggests that several potentially conserved large deletions in previously identified intergenic length polymorphic regions are responsible for the majority of the size discrepancy. Phylogenetic analysis using whole plastome data suggests that fescue closely aligns with Lolium perenne. Some unique features as well as phylogenetic branch length calculations, however, suggest that a number of changes have occurred since these species diverged.     

Spontaneous polyploids in marginal populations of Alopecurus bulbosus Gouan (Poaceae)

Natural populations of A bulbosus from three sites in southern England have been investigated and two were found to contain triploid and tetraploid plants in addition to normal diploids. Meiosis in the triploids was characterized by a high frequency of trivalent formation but, in the tetraploids, multivalents were formed at low frequencies and bivalents were the most common configurations. It is suggested that these are true autopolyploids that have probably arisen through somatic doubling since tetraploid cell lines were found in some anther loculi. The meiotic behaviour of the tetraploid plants is explained on the basis of bivalent-promoting mechanisms being present in the diploid progenitors.     

花楸树天然群体的遗传多样性研究

花楸树(Sorbus pohuashanensis)是我国北方一种观赏兼经济用途的树种。本研究采用水平淀粉凝胶同工酶电泳技术, 对采自山东、山西、河北、辽宁4个省的8个花楸树天然群体的种子样本进行了分析, 旨在了解花楸树天然群体的遗传多样性和遗传结构, 为该树种的保护与利用提供科学依据。4个酶系统10个位点的检测结果表明, 花楸树群体水平上的遗传多样性较高, 每位点平均等位基因数(N_a)为2.2000, 多态位点百分率(P)为100%, 期望杂合度(H_e)为0.4240。花楸树8个群体间的有效等位基因数(N_e)、H_e和Shannon信息指数差异较小,3个指标从高到低依次为: 河北驼梁山＞河北雾灵山＞山西庞泉沟＞河北白石山＞山东崂山＞河北塞罕坝＞山东泰山＞辽宁老秃顶子。群体间遗传分化系数(F_st)为0.0758, 群体间总的基因流较高(N_m = 3.0472), 群体间遗传一致度较高(I为0.8585– 0.9872), 表明群体间遗传分化程度小。在单个群体中, 通过χ2检验, 花楸树群体有73.62%的位点组合显著偏离Hardy-Weinberg平衡(P＜0.05), 总群体水平近交系数(F_it)和单个群体水平近交系数(F_is)分别为–0.3105和–0.4180, 表明无论在总体水平还是群体内个体间, 花楸树群体表现为杂合体过量的现象。UPGMA聚类结果显示, 8个群体的遗传距离与地理距离相关性不显著。     

Genetic diversity in natural populations of Piper cernuum

Piper cernuum is a native plant of the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest. This work studies the distribution of allozyme diversity in P. cernuum natural populations in order to establish a strategy for sustainable management and conservation. Leaf samples were collected in two Brazilian states. High divergences among populations (F(SR) = 0.380) and low divergences among regions (F(RT) = -0.069) and among gaps of the same population (F(GT) = 0.062) were found. No association between the geographical variation and the genetic distance was detected. An excess of heterozygotes was detected in the populations (F(IS) = -0.170), suggesting selection in favor of heterozygotes. The results, and the fact that the species depends on constant gap formation for maintenance of its dynamism, suggest that the founder effect is largely responsible for the structuring of populations. For sustainable management, the maintenance of plants/reproductive branches in the gaps is of major importance. The genotypes produced in these gaps are responsible for the establishment of new gaps and are the foundation for new populations, maintaining the dynamics of allele movement.     

Meiotic behavior in nonaploid accessions of Brachiaria humidicola (Poaceae) and implications for breeding

Brachiaria humidicola is a grass adapted to seasonally swampy grasslands in Africa; two cultivars, 'common' and Llanero, are widely used in Brazilian pastures. New cultivars are in great demand in order to diversify current production systems to achieve improved quality and yield. Cytological analyses of 55 accessions of this species available from the Embrapa Beef Cattle germplasm collection revealed that 27 are apomictic and have 2n = 54 chromosomes. Chromosome pairing as bi- to nonavalent associations at diakinesis indicated a basic chromosome number in this species of x = 6, as found in other closely related Brachiaria species. Thus, these 27 accessions are nonaploid (2n = 9x = 54). Abnormalities were found in the meiosis of these accessions, at variable frequencies. The most common abnormalities were those related to irregular chromosome segregation, which led to unbalanced gamete formation; but chromosome stickiness, cell fusion, and absence of cytokinesis were also recorded. Although some accessions have a low frequency of meiotic abnormalities, ensuring potentially good pollen viability, these cannot be used in hybridization due to a lack of sexual accessions with the same ploidy level.