不同食料对亚洲玉米螟种群增长的影响

研究表明,食料对亚洲玉米螟的发育、存活、繁殖和种群增长的影响显著。取食玉米雌穗的幼虫发育快、历期短,取食棉花茎秆的幼虫发育慢、历期长。无论是2代还是3代,均表现为食玉米雌穗的幼虫滞育率高．食棉铃和棉茎的滞育率低。饲以玉米雌穗的种群世代存活率最高,棉铃次之,棉茎最低;以玉米雌穗、棉铃与棉茎为食料的种群趋势指数依次为42．28、25．77和0．64。影响第三代玉米螟种群增长的主要虫期是第二代5龄幼虫的滞育或营养不良。     

利用RAPD标记鉴定甜菜无融合生殖的同一性

目的：对具有无融合生殖特性的带有白花甜菜染色体的栽培甜菜单体附加系M14三代材料进行同一性鉴定。方法：通过RAPD随机扩增技术对M14三代材料的基因组DNA的扩增多态性进行分析。结果表明,M141998年、1999年、2000年三代材料的RAPD位点高度一致,遗传相似度S＝1,遗传距离D＝0,从而表明M14三代个体完全一样。结论：初步确定M14材料无融合生殖基因在其后代中是稳定传递的。     

刺五加开花后雌蕊的发育状态与受精作用

刺五加Eleutherococcus senticosus(Rupr． et Maxim．)Maxim．植株在开花后雌配子体的发育状态与 一般植物不同在于:雌配子体在开花当天均末成熟,在开花后经4-5天才发育成熟。开花第6天,雌株 和两性株的成熟胚囊百分率各为82．25％和67．25％,其余为未育、败育、退化或未成熟胚囊,未观察到 已受精的胚囊;而此时,雄株的雌配子体退化、花朵全部脱落。伴随着胚囊的分化,刺五加雌株和两性株 的花柱逐渐延长,蜜腺渐趋成熟。开花后4～6天,乳突细胞发育,柱头开始外翻;此后,蜜腺分泌花蜜, 柱头进入可授期。开花第7天,胚囊开始受精。开花后9～10天,雌株已受精的胚囊占胚囊总数的40～ 65％,两性株已受精的胚囊占胚囊总数的25～41％。刺五加花粉萌发至雌雄性核融合的间隔期约为2 ～3天。刺五加的双受精过程与一般被子植物基本相同。其受精作用属于有丝分裂前配子融合类型。 此外,还观察了成熟胚囊退化的类型,观察到多余花粉管进入胚囊以及两个精子与卵受精、两个精子与次生核融合的图象。     

高静水压诱导水稻变异的初步研究

以高静水压处理水稻粤香占、粤丰占、998、999和毕粳38种子后的当代群体(M1),以及从中筛选到的突变株粤变长、巨无霸、粤丰压变1号-5号、毕籼为材料,研究了静水高压对水稻生长发育及其农艺性状的影响,结果发现：(1)与对照相比,粤香占和998处理当代群体的株高和有效穗数明显增加,但株叶形态没有明显变化;粤丰占、999和毕粳38的处理群体没有明显变化;(2)粤变长和巨无霸从第二代(M2)到第四代(M4)性状稳定,未发现明显分离,但在株高、有效穗数、穗粒数、粒长和千粒重等方面,与对照相比明显不同;(3)在M,代,粤丰压变1号一5号中除粤丰压变2号外的株高都发生了分离,而且粤丰压变4号分离出了大粒型和长芒型的植株;(4)毕籼从Mz代到lVt,代,性状稳定,但其株高、穗长、粒长和穗粒数均比对照显著增加,结实率和千粒重则明显降低;(5)经静水高压处理后的粤丰占种子发芽试验中,出现了双苗和3苗现象。这些结果表明静水高压能够影响水稻的生长发育,并能诱导水稻产生变异。     

玉米雌穗离体培养诱导孤雌生殖结实

离体条件下,用１６种不同的玉米材料未授粉的雌穗进行整个直插或切段直插培养。培养在２８℃培养箱和室内散射光下,其培养基为：ＭＳ＋０．１ｍｇ／Ｌ２,４－Ｄ＋２ｍｇ／ＬＮＡＡ＋２ｍｇ／ＬＫＴ＋５００ｍｇ／ＬＬＨ＋４％蔗糖＋０．６％琼脂（ＰＨ５．８）和ＭＳ＋０．０５ｍｇ／Ｌ２,４－Ｄ＋２ｍｇ／ＬＮＡＡ＋２ｍｇ／ＬＫＴ＋４％蔗糖＋０．６％琼脂（ＰＨ５．８）。从未授粉的雌穗（成熟胚囊期）获得结实。这些种子萌发     

玉米自交系×大刍草远缘杂交后代性状变异研究初探

采用人工剥苞多次授粉方法,将近缘一年生二倍体类玉米（大刍草）与普通玉米自交系杂交,对F1、F2以及回交后代B1的抽雄期、吐丝期、散粉期、株高、穗位高、分蘖进行调查研究,分析远缘杂交后代农艺性孳的遗传变化。结果表明,远缘杂交后代株高、穗化高分离变异较大,而抽雄期、吐丝期、散粉期分离变异较小,不同世代植株分蘖变化较大,F1代有57．5％植株、F2代有23％植株、BC1F1代有0．8％植株有分蘖;雌穗光周期敏感性大于雄穗。     

玉米胚珠离体受精成功

从未授粉的玉米植株的雌穗上,切除子房上部的三分之一,获得裸露的胚珠。在切口处授以经过消毒的玉米花粉,获得了14粒由胚珠发育的幼嫩种子。在授粉后20—22天幼嫩种子的胚已经成熟,并在果穗块上萌发和生长,现已获得两个植株。其中一株植株上有明显的父本标记的紫色素性状及类似父本的旗叶。根尖细胞染色体2n=20,F_2代有分离,因此证明是胚珠离体受精而来的杂种植株。另一株植株形态、色素、旗叶均与母本相似,染色体2n=20,生长健壮,雄穗很早抽出,但在抽雄后49天才长出弱小的雌穗,未获得种子。     

华北平原罗布麻种群生殖分株数量特征及变化规律

通过大样本取样调查,研究了华北平原罗布麻种群生殖分株的数量特征和生殖分配规律．结果表明,在籽粒完熟期,罗布麻种群单个生殖分株重为10．38±7．78g,蒴果生物量和蒴果数分别为1．57±1．59g和7．60±6．56个;种子生物量和种子数分别为0．34±0．33g和582．3±558．7个;生殖分配Ⅰ和生殖分配Ⅱ分别为12．98±7．94和2．75±1．69％．蒴果和种子形成分别需要分株积累1．42和1．77g以上的生物量．蒴果生物量、葫果数、种子生物量、种子数分别与分株总生物量呈极显著的（P〈0．01）线性正相关关系;蒴果数、种子数与茎叶生物量分配呈极显著的（P〈0．01）线性负相关关系;生殖分配Ⅰ、生殖分配Ⅱ和叶生物量分配呈极显著的（P〈0．01）线性负相关关系．单葫果的重量、种子重、种子数、种子毛重、胎座重分别和葫果的长度呈极显著（P〈0．01）的幂函数正相关关系．罗布麻种群生殖分株同时具有同速和异速2种不同增减过程的表型可塑性调节．     

小麦花粉管通道及子房注射法转化Anti-TrxS基因

为了获得抗穗发芽转基因小麦材料,以13个小麦品种(品系)为受体材料,用花粉管通道及子房注射法进行了硫氧还蛋白反义基因(Anti-TrxS)的遗传转化。花粉管通道法共转化小花2036朵,收获T0代种子1616粒,结实率为79．4％,将T0代种子大田点播,获T1代苗1424株,出苗率为88．1％。对T1代株系叶片基因组DNA进行PCR检测,31个株系中有16个株系呈阳性反应。子房注射法共转化小花1206朵,收获种子89粒,结实率为7．4％,T1代共出苗41株,出苗率为46．1％,对郑新991T1代株系进行PCR检测,电泳结果呈阳性反应。     

葎草雌雄植株开花物候和花器官对干旱的响应差异

摘要：以蓓草（Humulusscandens）为实验材料,在控制土壤水分的条件下探究干旱对雌雄异株植物开花物候和花器官形态的影响,结果表明：干旱胁迫将导致蓰草雌雄种群花期提前．花期持续时间延长,雌花将比雄花提早开放;干旱胁迫下雄花的花序轴长、花序轴直径和花药粒径长均分别显著减小24．81％。29．07％和5．14％（P〈0．001,P=0．003,P=0．024）,花粉活力和花粉含量显著下降：干旱胁迫导致雌花的花序轴长、柱头长度和花序的平均花数量显著增大9．78％,70．62％和57．04％（P=0．039．P〈0．001．P〈0．001）;干旱胁迫下种子粒径长、种子粒径宽、种子单粒重和种子千粒重分别显著下降12．12％、12．59％、43．43％和15．38％（显著度水平均为P〈0．001）;干旱胁迫下雌雄植株的地上部分生物量均显著降低（P=0．002,P=0．020）,且雌株的生殖投入在干旱胁迫下显著高于雄株（P=0．049）。研究结果表明了蓰草雌雄植株开花物候及花器官对干旱的响应明显不同。与雄株相比．雌株在干旱胁迫下增加了生物量向生殖器官的分配,从而最大程度地减轻胁迫对其繁殖能力的影响。     

Effects of foliar herbivory by insects on the fitness of Raphanus raphanistrum: damage can increase male fitness

Generally, effects of herbivory on plant fitness have been measured in terms of female reproductive success (seed production). However, male plant fitness, defined as the number of seeds sired by pollen, contributes half of the genes to the next generation and is therefore crucial to the evolution of natural plant populations. This is the first study to examine effects of insect herbivory on both male and female plant reproductive success. Through controlled field and greenhouse experiments and genetic paternity analysis, we found that foliar damage by insects caused a range of responses by plants. In one environment, damaged plants had greater success as male parents than undamaged plants. Neither effects on pollen competitive ability nor pollinator visitation patterns could explain the greater siring success of these damaged plants. Success of damaged plants as male parents appeared to be due primarily to changes in allocation to flowers versus seeds after damage. Damaged plants produced more flowers early in the season, but not more seeds, than undamaged plants. Based on total seed production, male fitness measures from the first third of the season, and flower production, we estimated that damaged and undamaged plants had equal total reproductive success at the end of the season in this environment. In a second, richer environment, damaged and undamaged plants had equal male and female plant fitness, and no traits differed significantly between the treatments. Equal total reproductive success may not be ecologically or evolutionarily equivalent if it is achieved differentially through male versus female fitness. Genes from damaged plants dispersed through pollen may escape attack from herbivores, if such attack is correlated spatially from year to year.     

Compensation of seed production after severe injury in the short-lived herb Barbarea vulgaris

A pot experiment with the common ruderal herb Barbarea vulgaris (Brassicaceae) was set up to elucidate to what extent short-lived species sprouting from roots regenerate and compensate for seed production after damage. We tested if sprouting from roots ensures survival after severe aboveground biomass damage, but the number of seeds produced declines with increasing severity of injury, decreasing nutrient availability and progress in the life cycle at the time of injury.Plants of B. vulgaris were cultivated in a 3-year garden experiment at two nutrient levels (high vs. low). During the experiment, two levels of injury severity were applied: high (removal of all aboveground biomass) and low (removal of aboveground biomass leaving basal axillary buds intact). Damage was applied at four life-cycle phases: young rosette, overwintered rosette, flowering plant and fruiting plant. All injured plants survived and resprouted irrespective of life-cycle phase, severity of injury and nutrient availability. Injury significantly affected seed production and also the plants’ life cycle. Plants injured in the second year of their life (overwintered rosette, flowering plant and fruiting plant) postponed reproduction to the third season (in the case of high injury severity) or their seed production was lower than in intact plants (in the case of low injury severity). In plants injured in the first life year, seed production and life cycle were not influenced. Nutrient level only marginally affected resprouting after injury and seed production.The experiment showed that the ability to sprout from roots enables plants to survive a 100% loss of aboveground biomass, and to keep some seed production or even compensate it. The short-lived ruderal species B. vulgaris successfully copes with severe disturbance by resprouting and does not rely only on its seed bank.     

Does self-pollination provide reproductive Assurance in Aquilegia Canadensis (Ranunculaceae)?

The ability to produce seeds when pollinators or potential mates are scarce is thought to be one of the main advantages of self-fertilization in flowering plants. However, whether autonomous selfing increases seed set in natural populations has seldom been tested, and even fewer studies have evaluated the advantage of selfing across a gradient of pollen availability. This study examines the fertility consequences of autonomous selfing in Aquilegia canadensis (Ranunculaceae), a short-lived, spring-flowering perennial typically found in small, patchy populations on rock outcrops. We used a pollinator exclusion experiment to confirm reports that A. canadensis has a well-developed capacity for autonomous selfing resulting from incomplete protogyny and close proximity of stigmas and anthers during dehiscence. Flowers excluded from pollinators set 87% as many seeds per carpel (X +/- 1 SE = 7.1 +/- 1.4 seeds) as hand-pollinated flowers (8.1 +/- 1.3 seeds), and seed production in unpollinated flowers correlated negatively with the distance between stigmas and anthers (r = -0.46). Autonomous selfing could be potentially valuable in providing reproductive assurance because only 2.7 +/- 0.5 pollen grains were deposited on each stigma before anther dehiscence, compared to 134.1 +/- 17.9 pollen grains by the end of anther dehiscence. However, prevention of autonomous selfing by anther removal before dehiscence did not decrease seed set, even for plants at low plant densities where outcross pollen may have been in short supply. Emasculated flowers set as many seeds per carpel (9.3 +/- 0.9) as intact flowers (8.4 +/- 1.1), indicating that sufficient cross pollen is deposited for full seed set. These results do not support the hypothesis that autonomous selfing by A. canadensis has been selected because it provides reproductive assurance.     

Asian Tapirs Are No Elephants When It Comes To Seed Dispersal

The elimination of the largest herbivores (elephants and rhinoceroses) from many forests in tropical East Asia may have severe consequences for plant species that depend on them for seed dispersal. We assessed the capacity of Malayan tapirs Tapirus indicus—the next largest nonruminant herbivore in the region—as a substitute for the lost megafauna in this role by studying their ability to disperse the seeds of nine fleshy‐fruited plants with seeds 5–97 mm in length. We combined information from feeding trials, germination tests, and field telemetry to assess the effect of tapir consumption on seed viability and to estimate how far the seeds would be dispersed. The tapirs (N=8) ingested few seeds. Seed survival through gut passage was moderately high for small‐seeded plants (e.g., 36.9% for Dillenia indica) but very low for medium‐ (e.g., 7.6% for Tamarindus indica) and large‐seeded (e.g., 2.8% for Artocarpus integer) plants. Mean seed gut passage times were long (63–236 h) and only the smallest seeds germinated afterwards. Using movement data from four wild tapirs in Peninsular Malaysia we estimated mean dispersal distances of 917–1287 m (range=22–3289 m) for small‐seeded plants. Malayan tapirs effectively dispersed small‐seeded plants but acted as seed predators for the large‐seeded plants included in our study, suggesting that they cannot replace larger herbivores in seed dispersal. With the absence of elephants and rhinos many megafaunal‐syndrome plants in tropical East Asia are expected to face severe dispersal limitation problems.     

Shifts in seed size across experimental nitrogen enrichment and plant density gradients

We tested the hypotheses that increased soil resource availability selects for larger seeded plants by: (1) increasing community seed density and seedling competition, (2) increasing light competition, which favours larger seeded species if their additional seed resources are allocated to shoots. We also tested the hypothesis that plants respond to increased nutrient availability by producing larger seeds. In a controlled environment experiment, we grew monocultures of five species of co-occurring annual plant species at two N addition rates and measured seed size and the number of seeds produced. In a second experiment, we sowed seed of the five species together, manipulated nitrogen (N) addition rate and community seed density and measured species performance. In the first experiment, elevated N addition increased seed size, but only in larger seeded species. In the second experiment, high N addition increased community seed production. However, contrary to our hypothesis small seeded species were selected under high seed density, possibly because they germinated and grew more rapidly thus enabling them to pre-empt limiting resources. Larger seeded species were favoured by high N addition, as hypothesised. However, our data suggest that this was due to their seed reserves boosting survival below the denser canopies of fertile conditions rather than via competitive advantages. Our results point to a largely overlooked role of recruitment in determining community response to fertilisation. Although our results may not generalise to all plant communities they suggest that seed traits play a role in community response to both the direct effect of N addition and the stimulation of seed density caused by increased productivity. These results are also consistent with the view that the advantage of large seed size is not a competitive one, but greater survival in the face of environmental hazards.     

Seed-specific expression of a bacterial desensitized aspartate kinase increases the production of seed threonine and methionine in transgenic tobacco

In order to study the regulation of threonine and methionine synthesis in plant seeds, tobacco plants were transformed with a chimeric gene containing the coding DNA sequence of a mutant lysC gene from Escherichia coli fused to a promoter from a phaseolin seed storage protein gene. The bacterial mutant lysC gene codes for aspartate kinase (AK) which is desensitized to feedback inhibition by lysine and threonine. Increased AK activity, compared with control non-transformed plants, was detected in seeds but not in leaves, roots and flowers of the transgenic plants. This expression was accompanied by a significant increase in the levels of free threonine and methionine in the seed. The level of these amino acids also correlated positively with the levels of the bacterial enzyme. No alteration in plant phenotype and 'average seed weight' was observed in any of the transgenic plants, indicating that plant growth and seed development were normal. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the threonine and methionine biosynthetic pathways are active in plant seeds. Thus, targeting of the production of favorable biosynthetic enzymes to plant seeds may represent a desirable molecular approach for production of crop plants with a more balanced nutritional quality.     

High Protein Somaclones Seleted from Somaclonal Varients in Triticum aestivum L.

Calli were induced from the explants of young inflorescences of a haploid wheat pollen plant of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The calli were subcultured and 138 regenerated plants were differentiated from them. Among the plants 5 set 42 seeds from which 34 R2 plants were obtained. The R2 plants varied in plant height, awnedness, waxiness and maturation period. In R3 generation some somaclone lines segregated but most of them were more or less stable. All clone lines were stable in R4 generation. According to the assay of seed prorein content of 82 selected clones from over 100 R5 stable clones, 5 clones with high protein content, which varied from 19.16% to 21.33%, were discovered. Repeated assay in R6 generation confirmed the results. Differences in electrophoresis pattern of seed protein and amino acid content among clones were also recorded.     

Seed size predicts global effects of small mammal seed predation on plant recruitment

Recent studies demonstrate that by focusing on traits linked to fundamental plant life‐history trade‐offs, ecologists can begin to predict plant community structure at global scales. Yet, consumers can strongly affect plant communities, and means for linking consumer effects to key plant traits and community assembly processes are lacking. We conducted a global literature review and meta‐analysis to evaluate whether seed size, a trait representing fundamental life‐history trade‐offs in plant offspring investment, could predict post‐dispersal seed predator effects on seed removal and plant recruitment. Seed size predicted small mammal seed removal rates and their impacts on plant recruitment consistent with optimal foraging theory, with intermediate seed sizes most strongly impacted globally – for both native and exotic plants. However, differences in seed size distributions among ecosystems conditioned seed predation patterns, with relatively large‐seeded species most strongly affected in grasslands (smallest seeds), and relatively small‐seeded species most strongly affected in tropical forests (largest seeds). Such size‐dependent seed predation has profound implications for coexistence among plants because it may enhance or weaken opposing life‐history trade‐offs in an ecosystem‐specific manner. Our results suggest that seed size may serve as a key life‐history trait that can integrate consumer effects to improve understandings of plant coexistence.     

Apomixis and Polyembryony in the Guggul Plant, Commiphora wightii

The present report is a part of our study on the reproductivebiology of a traditional Indian medicinal plant,Commiphora wightii,a source of guggul steroids. Field examination showed a predominantlylarge number of isolated and groups of female individuals. Onlyone andromonoecious and two exclusively male plants were recorded.Female plants set seed irrespective of the presence or absenceof pollen. Hand-pollination experiments and embryological studieshave confirmed the occurrence of non-pseudogamous apomixis,nucellar polyembryony and autonomous endosperm formation forthe first time in this plant, which is presently threatenedby over-exploitation. Commiphora wightii ; autonomous endosperm; guggul; medicinal plant; non-pseudogamous apomixis; nucellar polyembryony     

Origins of variance in seed number and mass: interaction of sex expression and herbivory in Lomatium salmoniflorum

Summary As in many plant species, Lomatium salmoniflorum (Umbelliferae) individuals produce many flowers, only a subset of which produce mature seeds that escape seed parasitism and enter the seed bank. The interrelationships between the timing and number of flowers produced, sex expression, seed set, and seed parasitism were studied for their direct and indirect effects on the numbers and masses of viable seeds produced by individual plants. In a sample population of 369 plants that produced 161 386 flowers, 76% of the plants produced some hermaphroditic flowers. The percentage of hermaphroditic flowers increased significantly with the total number of flowers produced by a plant. Seed set was 65–90% in plants producing >600 flowers, but was highly variable in plants producing fewer flowers. Hand-pollinated plants showed the same pattern of seed set, suggesting that variable seed set in small plants may result from insufficient resources for seed development. The majority of schizocarps was produced by only 12% of the plants. Parasites killed 24.5% of the seeds prior to dispersal. Another 14.5% of the seeds lacked endosperm. Hence, the initial 161 386 flowers, which included 25874 hermaphroditic flowers each capable of producing two seeds, produced 42 468 seeds of which an estimated 25906 entered the seed bank as undamaged seeds with fully developed endosperm. Path analysis indicated that the number of hermaphroditic flowers on a plant and the percentage of seeds attacked by seed parasites had the greatest direct effects on the number of viable seeds entering the seed bank. The date at which a plant began flowering and the percentage of flowers setting seed had smaller or only indirect effects on viable seed production. Mean seed mass for plants was not significantly related to any of the factors that affected seed number, but little of the variance in seed mass occurred among plants. Masses of intact seeds in the population ranged 9-fold in both 1987 and 1988. Thirty-five percent of the variance was among seeds within umbels, 46% was among umbels within plants, and only 19% was among plants. The large variation among umbels within plants resulted from a seasonal pattern in which seeds from umbels produced late in the spring had lower mean seed masses than seeds from umbels produced early in the spring. Overall, the results indicate that both direct and indirect interactions between number of flowers, the date of initiation of flowering, seed set, and seed parasitism affect the number of viable seeds entering the seed bank. These interactions strongly bias viable seed output to a small minority of plants that produce many seeds with a wide range of masses over the growing season.