Floral mechanisms in the tribeSalpiglossidae (Solanaceae)

SinceDelpino (1869),Juel (1894, 1911), andMüller (inMöller 1921: 164), the flowers ofSolanaceae have received little attention with regard to function and pollination syndromes. The present paper deals with representatives of 6 of the 9 known salpiglossidean genera. Previous observations are updated and discussed at the tribal level. Most species studied are butterfly- or moth-pollinated. With the exception ofSalpiglossis, the fertile floral parts are concealed in the corolla tube, and their arrangement is specially suited for deposit of the pollen on the lepidopteran tongue. Particularly notable are (a) abundant stigmatic secretion that makes the pollen sticky, and (b) versatile anthers that optimize contact between the tongue and the thecae.Brunfelsia andBrowallia exhibit a mechanism analogous to that ofApocynaceae, however, with two entrances instead of five. When the tongue is inserted, it is forced to contact the stigma and becomes glued with its secretion. When the tongue is pulled out, it touches the anthers and causes slight balancing movement. InStreptosolen, very probably an ornithophilous descendant of theBrowallia stock, the mechanism is much simplified.Leptoglossis andHunzikeria bear a novel device for pollen deposition: there are two fertile wheel-like anthers that are capable of full rotation up to eight turns.     

Surface structures of three species of the genusEntomophthora

The surface structure of freshly discharged conidia ofEntomophthora thaxteriana Hall & Bell andE. destruens Weiser & Batko is slightly undulated and that of their papillae has elevated ridges forming a reticulation. The conidia ofZoophthora aphidis Batko are of more variable shape than those ofE. thaxteriana andE. destruens, their surface is smoother and the reticulate structure of their papillae is less distinct. The surface of germinating or older conidia of all the 3 species is gradually wrinkled, furrowed, forming deep depressions or completely broken down. The surface features of germ tubes or hyphae depend on the tubes being filled with the plasma and the resultant turgor. The plasma ofZ. aphidis conidia is capable of forming large areas of membranes of various shapes which enables it to move to a rather long distance.

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Résumé La structure de la surface des conidies projetées deEntomophthora thaxteriana Hall & Bell etE. destruens Weiser & Batko est faiblement ondulée et celle de leurs papilles a des crêtes élevées formant un réticule. La forme des conidies deZoophthora aphidis Batko est plus variable que celle des conidies deE. thaxteriana etE. destruens, leur surface est plus unie et la structure réticulaire de leurs papilles est moins distincte. La surface des conidies en germination ou plus agées des 3 espèces est successivement ridée, sillonnée, formant des dépressions profondes ou complètement écroulée. Les caractères de la surface des tubes germinatifs ou des hyphes dépendent de la teneur des tubes en plasma et de la turgescence qui en résulte. Le plasma des conidies deZ. aphidis est capable de former de grandes surfaces de membranes de formes diverses qui lui permettent de se déplacer à une assez grande distance.

     

Plastids of sieve tube members in the stamen vascular bundle ofSorghum bicolor (Gramineae)

Summary The plastids in sieve tube members of the stamen vascular bundles ofSorghum bicolor, fixed in glutaraldehyde with postfixation in osmium tetroxide, are of the P-type containing cuneate crystalloids of a proteinaceous nature surrounded by a double envelope. Secondary inclusions are present in these P-type plastids. P-type plastids inSorghum often remain intact in the mature sieve tube members.This work was supported by a grant from the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, U.S.A. Project No. 1740 toHarry T.Horner, Jr., andNels R.Lersten and Project No. 1914 toHarry T.Horner, Jr. of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Iowa State University, Ames, U.S.A. This work was completed by the author as part of the Ph. D. dissertation research.     

Über den Feinbau verdickter (nacré) Wände und der Plastiden in den Siebröhren vonAnnona undMyristica

Zusammenfassung Die verdickten (nacré) inneren Wände der Siebröhren von Annonaceen, vonMyristica, Illicium undKadsura geben mit spezifischen Farbstoffen eine positive Cellulosereaktion. Untersuchungen über ihre Feinstruktur zeigen, daß sie sich aus bevorzugt parallel verlaufenden Fibrillen (Durchmesser 100–200 Å) zusammensetzen. Die Paralleltextur ist wahrscheinlich für den Perlmutterglanz der Wände mitverantwortlich. Die Wandverdickungen entstehen bereits in sehr jungen plasmareichen Siebröhren und engen das Siebröhrenlumen im Laufe ihrer Differenzierung bis auf weniger als die Hälfte des Ausgangswertes ein. - Die Siebröhren-Plastiden von Annonaceen undMyristica enthalten einen Proteineinschluß, z. T. zusätzlich auch Stärkekörner.

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On the fine structure of nacreous walls and of plastids in the sieve tubes ofAnnona andMyristica

Summary Wall thickenings (nacreous walls) in sieve tubes ofAnnonaceae, ofMyristica, Illicium, andKadsura give positive reactions with dyes staining cellulose walls. In electron microscopic investigations their composition of 100–200 Å wide fibrils can be depicted. The predominant parallel arrangement of the fibrils is suggested to be one of the conditions for the pearly luster of the wall thickenings. The formation of nacreous walls is initiated in young sieve tubes; finally the wall thickenings may occlude more than half of their cross-sectional area.—Sieve-tube plastids fromAnnonaceae andMyristica contain protein inclusions and often supplementary starch grains.

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Meinem Lehrer, Herrn Prof. Dr.Walter Schumacher, in Dankbarkeit zum 70. Geburtstag.     

F. C. Napp undJ. G. Mendel Ein Beitrag zur Vorgeschichte derMendelschen Versuche

Zusammenfassung Im Hinblick auf den 100. TodestagF. C. Napps (22. 7. 1867), der als Abt des St. Thomas-Stiftes in AltbrünnJ. G. Mendel in das Stift aufnahm, ihm ein naturwissenschaftliches Studium sowie die Durchführung seiner Versuche ermöglichte, und im Hinblick auf den 100. Jahrestag der WahlMendels zum Abt des gleichen Stiftes (31. 3. 1868) wird der Beziehung dieser beiden Männer zueinander im Hinblick auf die EntdeckertatMendels gedacht. Im Anschluß an eine kurze BiographieNapps wird dessen Öffentlichkeitsarbeit im Dienst der praktischen Landwirtschaft und der für die Landwirtschaft wichtigen Grundlagenforschung gewürdigt. Eine besonders enge BeziehungNapps zu der wissenschaftlichen TätigkeitMendels ergibt sich auf Grund seiner Tätigkeit zugunsten der Meteorologie und der Bienenzucht.

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F. C. Napp andJ. G. Mendel a contribution to the prehistory ofMendel's experiments

Summary On the centenary of the death ofF. C. Napp (22. 7. 1867), abbot of the St. Thomas-monastery of Old-Brünn, who admittedJ. G. Mendel in his convent, enabled him to study natural science and to carry out his experiments, and on the centenary of the election ofMendel to succeedNapp as abbot (31. 3. 1868), we take note of the relationship between these two men as it concerns the discoveries ofMendel. Following a short biography ofNapp we appreciate his service to agriculture and its basic sciences. We find a close connection between the scientific work ofMendel andNapp in meteorology and bee keeping.

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Dem Leiter dere Genetischem Abteilung GregorMendel, des Mährischen Museums in Brünn (Brno/SSR), HerrnDr. V. Orel, sei für einen wiederholten Studienaufenthalt im Mendeleanum auch an dieser Stelle verbindlichst gedankt.     

Morphological and cytological investigations ofUlothrix zonata and taxonomy of the related species

The present communication deals with the observations made on the morphology, reproduction and cytology ofUlothrix zonata (Weber & Mohr)Kütz. in culture. The alga displays a remarkable phenotypic plasticity in nature as well as in culture. The present study provides additional evidence of karyology in support ofLokhorst andVroman's treatment ofU. zonata which merges a number of earlier described species in it. The cytological details and chromosome number (n = 10) determined for the Indian isolates ofU. zonata agree with those ofSarma for the British material.NBRI Research Publication No. 63 (N.S.)     

Flagellation of“Gluconobacter” melanogenus

Summary Electron-micrographs ofGluconobacter melanogenus strain AC 8 (formerlyG. liquefaciens), andG. melanogenus strain U 4, have conclusively confirmed the findings ofShimwell andCarr (1959),Stouthamer (1960), andLeifson (private communication), that these strains are not polarly flagellatedAcetomonas orGluconobacter strains, but peritrichously flagellated acetate-oxidisingAcetobacter ones. When transferred to the latter genus all evidence that these two genera are derived from a “common pool of ancestors”, as claimed byDe Ley (1961), disappears.     

Influence des parasites oophages sur la régulation des populations deCassida deflorata Suff

Summary The layings ofCassida deflorata Suffr. are parasited in southern France byMymaridae (Anaphoidea sp. andFulmekiella ovata soyka),Trichogrammatidae (Monorthochaeta nigra Blood.) andEulophidae (Foersterella flavipes Foerst. andTetrastichus rhosaces Walk.). In the Alpes-Maritimes, two successive generations ofMymaridae andTrichogrammatidae seem to attack the layings ofC. deflorata. In Corsica, parasitism byMymaridae andF. flavipes is very frequent and may be the essential regulating factor of the populations ofCassida. In the other regions that have been studied, although the large number ofCassida imagos appearing in spring show that mortality during the aestivation and hibernation is not the primary factor, it does not seem that the limitation of the populations is essentially caused by the activity of oophagous insects.      

Morphometric analysis ofMacaca arctoides andM. thibetana in relation to other macaque species

As a first step in reviewing the classification of the two stump-tailed macaque species,Macaca arctoides andM. thibetana, as compared with other species of the genusMacaca, 72 linear dental and cranial variables of 11 macaque species were examined by morphometric analyses. The results indicate that the two stump-tailed species are the largest of the macaques and although rather similar overall, they exhibit significant differences in the pattern of variation in most of the five skull regions as shown by Principal Components and Canonical Variate Analyses. Euclidean Distances based on Canonical Variate scores indicate that the females ofM. arctoides andM. thibetana are more widely separated than eight other pairs of macaque species, and that the separations of the respective males are greater than those of three other pairs of species. These findings are consistent withFooden's classification of the stump-tailed macaques as two separate species (Fooden, 1976;Fooden et al., 1985). The present results suggest, as other researchers have proposed on the basis of external features, biochemistry and genetics, that the two stump-tailed macaque species andM. assamensis are closely related. The results also tentatively imply associations withM. fuscata andM. sylvanus but these require further study. The findings have implications for the assessment of the various Chinese Pleistocene macaque fossils.