HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF LINUM MARGINALE AND MELAMPSORA LINI: I. PATTERNS OF RESISTANCE AND RACIAL VARIATION IN A LARGE HOST POPULATION

Populations of wild flax, Linum marginale and its associated rust fungus Melampsora lini growing at Kiandra, New South Wales, Australia, were sampled during the 1986–1987 growing season. Thirteen different races of M. lini were detected in a sample of 96 isolates. The distribution of isolates was uneven: race A comprised 73% of the samples; race N, 8%; and race H, 5%; while the remaining races were represented by only one or two samples. The dominance of race A increased over the course of the growing season, comprising 67% of the early season samples and increasing to 78% for those collected late in the season. The overall diversity of the pathogen population decreased late in the growing season, but this trend was not statistically significant. The average virulence of individual isolates of the pathogen population increased during the growing season. This trend was most pronounced among the minor races, where the mean number of differential hosts infected increased from 4.58 for early season samples to 5.12 and 5.08 for mid and late season samples, respectively. In contrast to the virulence pattern in the pathogen, the L. marginale population displayed a more even distribution of resistance. In a sample of 67 plants 10 resistance phenotypes were detected from their pattern of resistance/susceptibility to seven pathogen isolates. No phenotype had a frequency that exceeded 30%. Resistance phenotypes were randomly distributed on both a population level and on a fine scale.     

THE DISTRIBUTION AND ORIGIN OF GENES FOR RACE-SPECIFIC RESISTANCE TO MELAMPSORA LINI IN LINUM MARGINALE

The genetic basis of resistance in wild flax (Linum marginale) to its host-specific pathogen Melampsora lini was investigated in seven lines collected from a single population growing at Kiandra, New South Wales and in an additional ten lines collected more widely across southeastern Australia. All lines showed different phenotypic patterns of resistance and susceptibility. Genetic analyses indicated the presence of single dominant genes for race-specific resistance in all but one of these lines. That particular line appeared to carry two linked dominant genes for resistance. Intercrosses between lines in each of these groups of L. marginale detected substantially more linkage between the resistance genes in the Kiandra population sample than between those in the broader geographic collection. This result is interpreted to indicate a possible mechanism whereby resistance genes are generated in natural populations.     

RESISTANCE AND VIRULENCE STRUCTURE IN TWO LINUM MARGINALE-MELAMPSORA LINI HOST-PATHOGEN METAPOPULATIONS WITH DIFFERENT MATING SYSTEMS

Different patterns of resistance to six pathotypes of Melampsora lini were detected in 11 populations of Linum marginale distributed across two metapopulations. The two metapopulations (mountains and plains of New South Wales, Australia) differed in the annual cycle of disease development, which barely overlapped, and in the growth cycle and mating system of the host. Host populations in the mountains metapopulation were highly inbred, whereas those on the plains showed appreciable levels of outcrossing. Within each metapopulation there was significant variation among component populations in (1) levels of host resistance to individual pathogen isolates; (2) mean levels of resistance to all six isolates; (3) the number of resistance phenotypes present and the evenness of their distribution within the population; and (4) the average number of pathogen lines to which individual hosts were resistant. A more limited comparison of pathogen populations from the two metapopulations (two from each) found greater similarities in the structure of populations and particular virulence frequencies within, rather than among, the two metapopulations. Differences in host outcrossing rates between the two metapopulations are reflected in marked differences in the overall level of resistance, its partitioning within and among populations, the number and distribution of resistance phenotypes in the two areas, and the level of polymorphism for specific virulence factors in the pathogen, with the plains metapopulation showing consistently higher values. However, these differences were not significant. In general, variation for all parameters was just as great among populations within a metapopulation as between the two metapopulations.     

EVOLUTION OF AN APHID-PARASITOID INTERACTION: VARIATION IN RESISTANCE TO PARASITISM AMONG APHID POPULATIONS SPECIALIZED ON DIFFERENT PLANTS

The evolution of associations between herbivorous insects and their parasitoids is likely to be influenced by the relationship between the herbivore and its host plants. If populations of specialized herbivorous insects are structured by their host plants such that populations on different hosts are genetically differentiated, then the traits affecting insect-parasitoid interactions may exhibit an associated structure. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) is a herbivorous insect species comprised of genetically distinct groups that are specialized on different host plants (Via 1991a, 1994). Here, we examine how the genetic differentiation of pea aphid populations on different host plants affects their interaction with a parasitoid wasp, Aphidius ervi. We performed four experiments. (1) By exposing pea aphids from both alfalfa and clover to parasitoids from both crops, we demonstrate that pea aphid populations that are specialized on alfalfa are successfully parasitized less often than are populations specialized on clover. This difference in parasitism rate does not depend upon whether the wasps were collected from alfalfa or clover fields. (2) When we controlled for potential differences in aphid and parasitoid behavior between the two host plants and ensured that aphids were attacked, we found that pea aphids from alfalfa were still parasitized less often than pea aphids from clover. Thus, the difference in parasitism rates is not due to behavior of either aphids or wasps, but appears to be a physiologically based difference in resistance to parasitism. (3) Replicates of pea aphid clones reared on their own host plant and on a common host plant, fava bean, exhibited the same pattern of resistance as above. Thus, there do not appear to be nutritional or secondary chemical effects on the level of physiological resistance in the aphids due to feeding on clover or alfalfa, and therefore the difference in resistance on the two crops appears to be genetically based. (4) We assayed for genetic variation in resistance among individual pea aphid clones collected from clover fields and found no detectable genetic variation for resistance to parasitism within two populations sampled from clover. This is in contrast to Henter and Via's (1995) report of abundant genetic variation in resistance to this parasitoid within a pea aphid population on alfalfa. Low levels of genetic variation may be one factor that constrains the evolution of resistance to parasitism in the populations of pea aphids from clover, leading them to remain more susceptible than populations of the same species from alfalfa.     

THE ORIGIN OF SPECIFICITY BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION: EVOLVED AND NONHOST RESISTANCE IN HOST–PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS

Most species seem to be completely resistant to most pathogens and parasites. This resistance has been called “nonhost resistance” because it is exhibited by species that are considered not to be part of the normal host range of the pathogen. A conceptual model is presented suggesting that failure of infection on nonhosts may be an incidental by‐product of pathogen evolution leading to specialization on their source hosts. This model is contrasted with resistance that results from hosts evolving to resist challenge by their pathogens, either as a result of coevolution with a persistent pathogen or as the result of one‐sided evolution by the host against pathogens that are not self‐sustaining on those hosts. Distinguishing evolved from nonevolved resistance leads to contrasting predictions regarding the relationship between resistance and genetic distance. An analysis of cross‐inoculation experiments suggests that the resistance is often the product of pathogen specialization. Understanding the contrasting evolutionary origins of resistance is critical for studies on the genetics and evolution of host–pathogen interactions in human, agricultural, and natural populations. Research on human infectious disease using animal models may often study resistances that have quite contrasting evolutionary origins, and therefore very different underlying genetic mechanisms.     

MAINTENANCE OF POLYGENIC VARIATION IN SPATIALLY STRUCTURED POPULATIONS: ROLES FOR LOCAL MATING AND GENETIC REDUNDANCY

Although heritable genetic variation is critical to the evolutionary process, we know little about how it is maintained. Obviously, mutation-selection balance must play a role, but there is considerable doubt over whether it can account for heritabilities as high as 0.5, which are commonly found in natural populations. Most models of mutation-selection balance assume panmictic populations. In this paper we use Monte Carlo simulations to examine the effect of isolation by distance on the variation maintained by mutation in a polygenic trait subject to optimizing selection. We show that isolation by distance can substantially increase the total variation maintained in continuous populations over a wide range of dispersal patterns, but only if more than one genotype produces the optimal phenotype (genetic redundancy). Isolation by distance alone has only a slight effect on the variation maintained in the total population for neutral alleles. The combined effect of isolation by distance and genetic redundancy, however, allows the maintenance of substantial variation despite strong stabilizing selection. The mechanism is straightforward. Isolation by distance allows mutation and drift to operate independently in different parts of the population. Because of their independent evolutionary histories, different parts of the population independently draw from the available set of redundant genotypes. Because the genotypes are redundant, selection does not discriminate among them, and they will persist until eliminated by drift. The population as a whole maintains many distinct genotypes. We show that this process allows mutation to maintain high levels of variation, even under strong stabilizing selection, and that over a moderate range of dispersal patterns the amount of variation maintained in the entire population is independent of both the strength of selection and the variance of the dispersal distance. Furthermore, we show that individual heterozygosity is increased in locally mating populations when selection is strong. Finally, our simulations provide a rough picture of how selection and the dispersal pattern influence the spatial distribution of genetic and phenotypic variation.     

HOST–PARASITE GENETIC INTERACTIONS AND VIRULENCE-TRANSMISSION RELATIONSHIPS IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

Evolutionary models predict that parasite virulence (parasite-induced host mortality) can evolve as a consequence of natural selection operating on between-host parasite transmission. Two major assumptions are that virulence and transmission are genetically related and that the relative virulence and transmission of parasite genotypes remain similar across host genotypes. We conducted a cross-infection experiment using monarch butterflies and their protozoan parasites from two populations in eastern and western North America. We tested each of 10 host family lines against each of 18 parasite genotypes and measured virulence (host life span) and parasite transmission potential (spore load). Consistent with virulence evolution theory, we found a positive relationship between virulence and transmission across parasite genotypes. However, the absolute values of virulence and transmission differed among host family lines, as did the rank order of parasite clones along the virulence-transmission relationship. Population-level analyses showed that parasites from western North America caused higher infection levels and virulence, but there was no evidence of local adaptation of parasites on sympatric hosts. Collectively, our results suggest that host genotypes can affect the strength and direction of selection on virulence in natural populations, and that predicting virulence evolution may require building genotype-specific interactions into simpler trade-off models.     

ANTHER-SMUT DISEASE IN SILENE DIOICA: VARIATION IN SUSCEPTIBILITY AMONG GENOTYPES AND POPULATIONS,AND PATTERNS OF DISEASE WITHIN POPULATIONS

In an archipelago in northern Sweden, populations of the perennial, dioecious, and insect-pollinated herb Silene dioica are commonly infected by the sterilising anther-smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum. The results from transplantation and inoculation experiments in this study show that variation between populations in the incidence of disease may partly be due to variation in resistance among populations. In the transplantation experiment in which plants were naturally exposed to the fungus, disease levels varied greatly among transplants from three healthy populations when transplanted to three diseased populations in the archipelago. Clear genotypic differences in susceptibility among 25 replicated genotypes of the host plants were found when inoculated manually with two different isolates. Susceptibility varied between 0-90%, but the two isolates used did not differ in inoculation success. The results also suggest a geographical structuring in resistance of the host and virulence of the fungus. First, disease levels among experimental plants from two of the disease-free populations of S. dioica (originating from inner and outer archipelago, respectively), were high when transplanted to a diseased population nearby, but low when transplanted far away. Second, regardless of origin, plants from all healthy populations became diseased in the diseased experimental populations located in the middle part of the archipelago. Due to isostatic land upheaval in the studied archipelago, there is a vertical age-axis within islands such that the highest point on an island is the oldest. Since this may affect the demography of the host, disease spread, and the dynamics of disease, spatial patterns in adult and seedling densities, and disease and spore deposition along the age-axis were studied within three diseased populations. A low incidence of disease was found in the young, low and old, high parts of the populations and a high incidence in the vertical, middle parts of the populations. The higher disease incidence in the middle part compared with the lower part of the population may reflect less disturbance and an increased probability of disease with age.     

THE EVOLUTION OF SPITE: POPULATION STRUCTURE AND BACTERIOCIN‐MEDIATED ANTAGONISM IN TWO NATURAL POPULATIONS OF XENORHABDUS BACTERIA

Spite occurs when an individual harms itself in the act of harming other individuals. Such behaviors were once assumed to be of limited evolutionary importance, as the conditions for the evolution of spite were thought to be too restrictive. Recent theoretical work, however, suggests that spatial population structure, which allows local competition among genotypes, could favor the evolution of spite. One of the clearest examples of spite is the costly production and release by bacteria of toxins (called bacteriocins) that can kill unrelated strains of the same species. Here, we establish the existence of spatial structure in two natural populations of bacteriocin‐producing bacteria. Specifically, relatedness decreased with increasing spatial distance between the field isolates. In addition, toxin‐mediated inhibitions were found only between isolates that were collected more than 1 m apart and that were generally less than 80% similar in their genomic fingerprints. Taken together, the results suggest that the bacteria are spatially structured, with mixing of genotypes and spiteful interactions at the boundaries between demes.     

GENETIC VARIATION IN RESISTANCE AND FECUNDITY TOLERANCE IN A NATURAL HOST–PATHOGEN INTERACTION

Individuals vary in their ability to defend against pathogens. Determining how natural selection maintains this variation is often difficult, in part because there are multiple ways that organisms defend themselves against pathogens. One important distinction is between mechanisms of resistance that fight off infection, and mechanisms of tolerance that limit the impact of infection on host fitness without influencing pathogen growth. Theory predicts variation among genotypes in resistance, but not necessarily in tolerance. Here, we study variation among pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) genotypes in defense against the fungal pathogen Pandora neoaphidis. It has been well established that pea aphids can harbor symbiotic bacteria that protect them from fungal pathogens. However, it is unclear whether aphid genotypes vary in defense against Pandora in the absence of protective symbionts. We therefore measured resistance and tolerance to fungal infection in aphid lines collected without symbionts, and found variation among lines in survival and in the percent of individuals that formed a sporulating cadaver. We also found evidence of variation in tolerance to the effects of pathogen infection on host fecundity, but no variation in tolerance of pathogen‐induced mortality. We discuss these findings in light of theoretical predictions about host‐pathogen coevolution.     

RECOMBINATION AND MIGRATION RATES IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS AND BACILLUS MOJAVENSIS

We have investigated the rates of recombination and migration in native populations of two closely related, naturally competent Bacillus species. Native soil isolates of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus mojavensis were obtained from three continents and, within North America, from populations at a range of geographical distances from one another. The rate of recombination within populations of each species was estimated from restriction-site data for three genes. Recombination was shown to occur within each species at about the same rate as neutral mutation, whatever the geographical scale or phylogenetic scale over which strains were sampled. The rate of migration between populations was estimated by a cladistic analysis and was shown to be high (i.e., Nm > 1), even among populations on different continents. The level of migration within each species is sufficient to prevent neutral geographical divergence within species.     

ESTERASE VARIATION AND GENETIC STRUCTURE IN THREE GEOGRAPHIC POPULATIONS OF SITODIPLOSIS MOSELLANA (GEHIN) (DIPTERA: CECIDOMYIIDAE) IN WESTERN CHINA*

Abstract This paper investigates the esterase variation and genetic structure in three geographic populations of Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin) in western China by PAGE. The localities surveyed are Gaolan (36.3°N, 103.9°E) and Wuwei (37.9°N, 102.6°E) in spring wheat region and Chang'an (34. 1°N, 108.9° E) in winter wheat region. The results suggest that the esterase is coded by two loci: Est‐1 and Est‐2. Est‐1 is coded by a plastogene producing only one band that is the fastest on the gel among all bands. The Est‐2 is duplicated loci with 8 alleles, namely, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, which produce altogether 8 bands in all the populations and 1–4 bands in individual samples. There are 19 zymogram types observed in the three geographic populations. Seventeen zymogram types emerge in Chang'an population, but 5 and 4 zymogram types are found respectively in Gaolan and Wuwei populations. II₂ zymogram type is the commonest in all the populations. The alleles that had the highest frequencies in all the populations are d, e, g. All 8 alleles at the Est2 were observed in Chang'an population, but only total 3 alleles‐d, e, g at the Est‐2 appeared in Gaolan and Wuwei populations. The analysis of genetic identity and cluster (UPGMA) on the alloenzyme indicates that the relationship between the two populations of spring wheat region seems to be closer, as compared with the relationship between spring wheat population and winter wheat population. It is evident that there exists some infraspecific variation caused mainly by genetic drift in S. mosellana and the gene flow among the populations possibly took place to some extent.     

THE INFLUENCE OF INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN DISPERSAL STRATEGIES ON THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF PLANTHOPPER POPULATIONS

The hypothesis that levels of gene flow among populations are correlated with dispersal ability has typically been tested by comparing gene flow among species that differ in dispersal abilities, an approach that potentially confounds dispersal ability with other species-specific differences. In this study, we take advantage of geographic variation in the dispersal strategies of two wing-dimorphic planthopper species, Prokelisia marginata and P. dolus, to examine for the first time whether levels of gene flow among populations are correlated with intraspecific variation in dispersal ability. We found that in both of these coastal salt marsh–inhabiting species, population-genetic subdivision, as assessed using allozyme electrophoresis, parallels geographic variation in the proportion of flight-capable adults (macropters) in a population; in regions where levels of macroptery are high, population genetic subdivision is less than in regions where levels of macroptery are low. We found no evidence that geographic variation in dispersal capability influences the degree to which gene flow declines with distance in either species. Thus, both species provided evidence that intraspecific variation in dispersal strategies influences the genetic structure of populations, and that this effect is manifested in population-genetic structure at the scale of large, coastal regions, rather than in genetic isolation by distance within a region. This conclusion was supported by interspecific comparisons revealing that: (1) population-genetic structure (G_ST) of the two Prokelisia species correlated negatively with the mean proportion of flight-capable adults within a region; and (2) there was no evidence that the degree of isolation by distance increased with decreasing dispersal capability. Populations of the relatively sedentary P. dolus clustered by geographic region (using Nei's distances), but this was not the case for the more mobile P. marginata. Furthermore, gene flow among the two major regions we surveyed (Atlantic and Gulf Coasts) has been substantial in P. marginata, but relatively less in P. dolus. The results for P. marginata suggest that differences in the dispersal strategies of Atlantic and Gulf Coast populations occur despite extensive gene flow. We argue that gene flow is biased from Atlantic to Gulf Coast populations, indicating that selection favoring a reduction in flight capability must be intense along the Gulf. Together, the results of this study provide the first rigorous evidence of a negative relationship within a species between dispersal ability and the genetic structure of populations. Furthermore, regional variation in dispersal ability is apparently maintained by selective differences that outweigh high levels of gene flow among regions.     

SONG STRUCTURE AND SINGING BEHAVIOUR OF WILLOW WARBLER PHYLLOSCOPUS TROCHILUS ACREDULA IN POPULATIONS OF LOW AND HIGH DENSITY

ABSTRACT

Song structure and singing behaviour in two nesting populations of Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus acredula of different density were studied in Moscow and Kostroma Regions, Russia, from 1994–1997. In total 520 songs of 9 males from the low-density population and 566 songs of 12 males from the high density population were analysed. Singing periods in the high density Willow Warbler population (11 males, 758 min.) were longer (58% of the time) than in the low density population (13 males, 866 min.) (58%). In the high density population, 51% of singing time consisted of “singing duels” (singing in gaps between the songs of a neighbouring male, and singing during the singing of a neighbouring male), while in the low density population only 7% did. The initial phrases of Willow Warbler songs were significantly longer in the high density population, with up to 9–13 elements, while there were no occurrences of this length in the low density population. Songs as a whole were longer and more variable in the high density population. Thus changes in structure, singing activity and behaviour are linked to male-male interaction and density of the nesting community.     

MICROGEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN SAVANNAH SPARROWS (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS)

Surveys of genetic population structure are often limited to large geographic scales because geographically close populations are indistinguishable. Genetic uniformity across adjacent demes can be interpreted as evidence for cohesion (panmixia) or recent divergence. However, poor genetic resolution at microgeographic scales can also arise from the use of overly conservative (slowly evolving) markers. This study examines the ability of hypervariable, minisatellite loci to discriminate among geographically close populations of Savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) and to track morphological differentiation at a microgeographic scale (interregional distance < 55 km). Savannah sparrows breeding at five island and two mainland sites in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada, show concordant patterns of variation in external morphology (seven characters) and multilocus DNA fingerprinting profiles (S_xy): island sparrows are phenotypically larger and genetically more similar to each other than they are to mainland sparrows. This pattern of variation is consistent with both adaptive (natural selection) and nonadaptive (genetic drift) mechanisms of population divergence. Based on minisatellite diversity, the effective size of both island and mainland populations is 37, an estimate substantially lower than census population sizes. These data are discordant with observations of sparrow vagility and abundance and suggest a closer examination of microgeographic patterns in avian systems.     

FINE-SCALE GENETIC AND PHENOTYPIC STRUCTURE IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS AND BACILLUS LICHENIFORMIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BACTERIAL EVOLUTION AND SPECIATION

The genetic and phenotypic structure of sympatric populations of wild bacteria traditionally identified as Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis was analyzed. Small soil samples were taken from a single, tiny site in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, USA, to provide a true population analysis, in contrast to many analyses of genetic structure using bacterial strain collections of widely heterogeneous origin. Genetic analyses of isolates used multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, mismatches in restriction fragment length polymorphism, and variants from Southern hybridization with B. subtilis DNA probes. Phenotypic analyses of isolates used the API test system for detection of growth and acid production on specific carbon sources. The two species were distinct both phenotypically and genetically, despite their known potential for genetic exchange in laboratory experiments. Genic and genotypic diversity were high in both species, and only 16% of observed allozyme variants might possibly be common to both species. Hence, there is probably modest genetic exchange, if any, between the species in nature. Clear hierarchies of population-genetic structure were found for both species. Different types of genetic data yield concordant population structures for B. subtilis. For both species, two-locus and multilocus statistical analyses of linkage demonstrated modest to strong disequilibrium at the species level but truly panmictic subunits within each species. The evidence for extensive genetic recombination within these fine-scale subdivisions is unequivocal, indicating that the sexuality of these bacteria can be well expressed in nature. The relation of these results to processes of bacterial evolution and speciation is discussed.     

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF B CHROMOSOMES OF XANTHISMA TEXANUM (COMPOSITAE: ASTEREAE). II. LOCAL VARIATION WITHIN AND BETWEEN POPULATIONS AND FREQUENCY VARIATION THROUGH TIME

Variation in the frequency of individuals of Xanthisma texanum with B chromosomes among populations at the local level and variation in the frequency and distribution through time of individuals with B chromosomes within populations was investigated in a small area of southwestern Oklahoma and adjacent Texas between 1974 and 1987. The chromosome numbers of 1,224 individuals were determined from meiotic material; 15.8% of these had B chromosomes, less than 1% had three or four B chromosomes; none had more than four B chromosomes. The frequency of plants with B chromosomes among all sites sampled ranged from 0 to 33% and from 0 to 25% in sites separated by only a hundred meters; large differences in sample size occurred. Even at the subsite level large differences in frequencies in plants with B chromosomes were found. Within single sites, B chromosome frequency was not constant through time: the pattern of change differed among subsites within populations. In some cases the frequency went to zero. No correlations between environmental parameters and B chromosome frequency were documented.     

草鱼野生与选育群体线粒体DNA控制区D-loop遗传变异分析

为探究经过2个选育世代后选育群体遗传多样性和遗传结构的变化, 研究对4个野生群体(邗江、九江、石首和吴江)和2个选育世代(F1和F2)进行了线粒体DNA控制区(D-loop)序列的遗传变异分析。实验结果表明, 4个野生群体在单倍型数目(H)、单倍型多样性(H_d)、核苷酸多样性(π)、平均核苷酸差异数(K)水平上均高于2个选育世代, 在2个选育世代内表现为F1代群体的核苷酸多样性(π)和平均核苷酸差异数(K)大于F2代群体, 但单倍型多样性(H_d)小于F2代群体; 单倍型分析结果表明, 6个群体间无共享单倍型, 4个野生群体间共发现2种共享单倍型(Hap1和Hap3), 石首群体和2个选育世代共享1种单倍型(Hap15); 遗传分化指数(F_st)分析结果表明, 邗江、九江、吴江3个野生群体和2个选育世代间存在较大的遗传分化(F_st范围为0.41475—0.55128), 石首群体与F1代群体之间存在较小的遗传分化, 与F2代群体之间存在中等水平的遗传分化, 同时F1代群体与F2代群体之间存在较小的遗传分化; 基于6个群体276个个体构建的邻接(Neighbor-Joining, NJ)进化树和基于27种单倍型构建的单倍型网络图也得到了相似的结论, 即邗江、九江、吴江3个野生群体和2个选育世代间的亲缘关系较远, 石首群体和2个选育世代两两之间的亲缘关系较近。以上结果表明, 经过2个世代的选择育种, 选育群体的遗传结构已发生了变化, 并且随着选育的进行, 选育世代的遗传多样性下降的较为明显, 这警示着我们在今后的育种工作中应适当改变现有的选育方案, 并实时监测选育群体的遗传多样性, 以便为今后进一步的选育工作打下坚实的基础。     

西双版纳不同斑块望天树种群的密度、结构和生物量

 根据5个不同斑块的野外调查数据,分析了残存分布在西双版纳的国家一级保护稀有树种望天树（Parashorea chinensis）的种群密度与数量、 年龄结构与生物量动态, 组建了不同生长发育阶段的望天树个体生长与年龄的回归模型、个体生物量模型及种群年龄结构模型, 编制了不同 斑块的望天树种群及整个种群的静态生命表、存活曲线和年龄结构图。结果表明,不同斑块的望天树种群因种群年龄及所受到的干扰方式的不 同,其种群密度和年龄结构差异很大,不同年龄阶段的死亡率也不同。面积最小的斑块缺乏成熟个体,并出现龄级结构缺省的现象。不同斑块 局部种群的生物量随林龄的变化近似于Logistic增长,但各斑块局部种群的最大生物量以及生物量随时间的动态变化有所不同。整个种群的年 龄结构为稳定增长型种群,1～60龄的种群个体的死亡率随林龄的增加而下降,60～150龄的个体死亡率随林龄的增加而上升,180 龄后种群呈 现生理衰退,个体出现死亡高峰。种群的生物量在180 龄前呈Logistic 增长,此后,生物量下降。部分斑块受到严重的人为干扰,已严重威胁 其局部种群的生存。