安徽羽叶报春和毛茛叶报春的微形态特征

在扫描电子显微镜和光学显微镜下,观察了安徽羽叶报春(Primula merrilliana Schltr.)与毛茛叶报春(Primula cicutariifolia Pax)的种子、花粉形态及表面纹饰与叶表皮形态结构.结果表明:2种类的种子都呈不规则七面体或多面体,多具五边形纹饰;安徽羽叶报春的种皮雕纹浅,网眼具许多小的乳头状突起;毛茛叶报春的种皮雕纹明显,网眼粗糙,具许多大的乳头状突起.2种类花粉均为球形,具散孔(孔数达10个以上),具网状雕纹.2种类的叶表皮细胞呈凹凸镶嵌状不规则排列,而在中脉处呈长方形或略带微波状长方形,上表皮细胞稍大;叶两面被腺毛,且顶端具水孔.气孔的分布属于偏叶下表面生长,在边缘处尤密,而在中脉处近无;相对而言,安徽羽叶报春的气孔略比毛茛叶报春的气孔小,且密度也低;电子显微镜下2种类的气孔外拱盖内缘光滑,保卫细胞外缘隆起明显,中间凹陷,其上着生的乳头状突起安徽羽叶报春不如毛茛叶报春明显.     

珍稀濒危植物陕西羽叶报春的开花及传粉生物学研究

陕西羽叶报春为中国珍稀濒危植物,研究其开花物候、传粉者及访花行为、花粉活力、柱头可授性、繁育系统,以明确陕西羽叶报春的传粉特性及制濒机制。以勉县陕西羽叶报春野生居群为研究对象,通过野外观察和人工授粉实验首次对陕西羽叶报春的传粉生物学进行研究。结果表明:(1)陕西羽叶报春种群花期为2-4月中旬,单花花期一般为14~17 d;单花开花进程中花部形态有6个明显发育变化:全部被萼片包裹、花苞伸出并为深粉色、花朵打开为淡粉色、花冠为白色、花朵枯萎、花冠脱落花萼宿存。(2)陕西羽叶报春为异花授粉植物,蜜蜂属为其主要传粉者。(3)柱头在花粉未开裂前就具有可授性,可授性逐渐增强;花药在花瓣打开后的第3天才开始开裂、散粉,在第4天活力最高,为98.18%,此后逐渐减弱。(4)繁育系统检测显示,长、短柱型花的花粉/胚珠比分别为902.26和831.48,杂交指数为4;套袋实验显示,陕西羽叶报春异型交配可育,同型交配不可育。由此表明,陕西羽叶报春的繁育系统为异交型,自交不亲和,需要传粉者。综上所述,陕西羽叶报春传粉者种类少、自交不亲和、胚珠败育现象可能是导致陕西羽叶报春濒危的重要原因。     

安徽羽叶报春愈伤组织的诱导和培养

为了寻找大批量快速繁殖安徽羽叶报春(Primula merrilliana)的有效办法,笔者以其叶片、叶轴为外植体,用不同浓度生长调节物质进行愈伤组织诱导实验.结果表明:(1)愈伤组织诱导的最适培养基为:MS 2.0mg/L 6 BA 0.5mg/L～1.0mg/L 2,4-D,叶片、叶柄出愈率均达100%.(2)MS培养基加0.1mg/L 2,4～D和1.0mg/L～1.5mg/L TDZ对叶柄的诱导效果较佳,其诱导率达81%,而且在这种生长调节物质浓度下的愈伤组织可直接分化出不定芽.     

珍稀濒危植物安徽羽叶报春遗传多样性的RAPD分析

利用RAPD分子标记对安徽特有濒危物种安徽羽叶报春（Primula merrilliana）6个自然居群的134个个体的遗传多样性进行了研究。从100个随机引物中筛选出12个RAPD引物,扩增共得到158条带,其中129个多态性位点（PPL）。POPGENE分析显示安徽羽叶报春具有较丰富的遗传变异（PPL=81.65%,He=0.2515,Ho=0.3849）。Nei′s基因多样性指数计算的居群间遗传分化系数（GST=0.5511）与Shannon信息指数（54.48%）基本一致。生境的片段化和基因流障碍可能是导致居群间遗传分化显著的主要原因。针对安徽羽叶报春的居群遗传变异提出了相应的保护措施：保护好自然生境和现有的居群及个体;加强居群间的基因流动;在迁地保护过程中,在尽可能多的居群中采样,以提高栽培居群的遗传多样性。     

安徽羽叶报春核心和边缘居群的形态变异比较研究

为了解濒危二型花柱植物安徽羽叶报春(Primula merrilliana)居群的形态变异,对其4个核心居群和3个边缘居群的14个形态性状进行了比较研究。结果表明,核心居群形态性状的变异系数为0.09~0.50,边缘居群为0.05~0.56,变异幅度两者间差异不明显;核心居群有8个性状的均值显著高于边缘居群(P0.05),仅有3个性状(花冠直径、花瓣宽和叶宽)为边缘居群高于核心居群。核心居群两型花间的互惠指数较高也较稳定(0.83~0.90),花型间互惠程度较高,而边缘居群的互惠指数差异较大(0.60~0.93),不同居群的互惠程度变化较大。因此,两型花柱植物安徽羽叶报春的形态性状变异基本支持\"中心丰富模型\"假说,并对其保护策略进行了探讨。     

濒危植物安徽羽叶报春两种花型的繁育特性及其适应进化

二型花柱的维持机制和自然选择压力多年来一直是生态学和进化学研究领域的热点之一。通过实验室栽培和野外观察统计相结合的方法,对安徽羽叶报春两种花型(长柱花和短柱花)的形态特征、花粉活力、柱头可授性、花粉/胚珠比、自然授粉及结籽能力、自交亲和性等繁育特性进行了比较研究。结果表明:长、短柱花的花冠直径和裂片宽无明显差异,而花冠筒、雌蕊和雄蕊高、花粉数目及大小、P/O比均有显著差异。在自然条件下,长柱花所接受的总花粉数要明显高于短柱花的总花粉数,但所接受的异型花花粉数和平均每果结籽数两者无显著差异。长柱花和短柱花的花粉和柱头活力相似,均能在较长时间内维持较高活力,仅在开花末期显著下降。两种花型的花在自花授粉、同型异花授粉、异型花授粉条件下均能结籽,但异型花授粉的结籽数均明显高于自花授粉和同型异花授粉结籽数。在长柱花各种授粉方式中,花粉萌发率无明显差异,但异型花花粉管的生长速度明显比同型异花花粉和自花花粉的快,而在短柱花柱头上表现为异型花授粉的萌发率最高,但只要萌发后在花柱中的生长速度无显明差异。此外,综合上述结果,对二种花型花部综合征的维持机制及自然选择压力进行了探讨。     

环境因子对陕西羽叶报春种子萌发及成苗的影响

陕西羽叶报春（Primulafilchnerae）是百年绝迹、曾被植物界视为可能绝灭的二年生草本植物,其种子萌发和成苗是其种群续存的前提,也是其园林开发时繁育工作的理论依据。本研究发现,陕西羽叶报春种子细小,25℃、低光（2700Ix）和当年采集种子是其萌发的最适条件。然而,该条件的成苗率仅25％左右,成苗／萌发比也比其它处理低。29℃高温下陕西羽叶报春种子存在一定程度的休眠,赤霉素（GA。）处理后萌发率虽显著增加,始萌发时间缩短,但高浓度（200mg／L）GA。处理使种子成苗率和成苗／萌发比显著降低。经过2个多月的高温高湿（29℃下萌发）处理后,将未萌发的种子重新在最适温度25℃下萌发,发现它们的萌发率不受影响,但始萌发时间显著缩短。以上结果说明陕西羽叶报春种子成熟后,及时采收并适当让其高温休眠一段时间,萌发时先用低浓度（20mg／L）GA。处理,不但可以显著提高萌发率,而且可提高成苗率和成苗／萌发比。     

温度对水螅种群增长和个体大小的影响

应用群体累积培养法,以枝角类为食物,在10℃、20℃和30℃三种温度下,研究了温度对水螅(Hydra sp．)种群密度、种群增长率和个体大小的影响。结果表明温度对水螅种群密度和个体体积由极显著影响。在培养初期,30℃下的水螅种群密度最大;而在培养后期,20℃下的水螅种群密度则显著大于30℃下的值;10℃下的值则始终最小。在同一温度下,种群增长率均与时间呈曲线相关,10℃、20℃、30℃的回归方程分别为：Y=0．000433X^2-0．00262X 0．00332、Y=-0．003367X^2 0．068335X-0．066489、Y=-0．018469X^2 0．188952X-0．030933。在研究范围内,30℃的水螅个体最小。     

荒山绿化对野生新疆郁金香传粉昆虫多样性的影响

为探究荒山绿化模式下对野生新疆郁金香Tulipa sinkiangensis传粉昆虫多样性的影响,选取乌鲁木齐市雅玛里克山设置长期绿化区、短期绿化区和自然生境3个环境梯度,采取样线和样方调查等方法进行新疆郁金香传粉昆虫多样性的研究。共收集传粉昆虫共316头,隶属17科23属36种,优势种为黑腹膝芒寄蝇Gonia picea。不同绿化梯度下物种丰富度指数相似,但随着荒山绿化进程的推进传粉昆虫多样性指数、均匀度指数呈下降趋势,自然生境最高(2.719;0.941),长期绿化区最低(1.299±0.311;0.553±0.076)。长期绿化区和短期绿化区之间物种组成极不相似;长期绿化区和自然生境以及短期绿化区和自然生境之间物种组成均为中等不相似。同时发现,树木胸径对传粉昆虫多样性具有显著负面影响(P=0.047)。研究表明,未来荒山绿化工程应提高生态异质性,避免大片纯林的单一种植模式。     

大气CO2浓度升高对花蜜及传粉昆虫的影响

植物依赖昆虫传授花粉,昆虫从植物获得花粉和花蜜作为食物,两者在漫长的进化过程中形成了密切的互惠共生关系.大量研究表明,CO2浓度升高对植物花蜜的产量和组成有显著的影响.CO2浓度增加后,有花植物花蜜的产量和组分在不同物种之间的变化差异很大,即使是种内不同基因型植株的花蜜对CO2浓度增加的反应也有所不同.大部分种类花蜜的...     

The influence of floral symmetry,dependence on pollinators and pollination generalization on flower size variation

Background and Aims

The pollinator-mediated stabilizing selection hypothesis suggests that the specialized pollination system of zygomorphic flowers might cause stabilizing selection, reducing their flower size variation compared with actinomorphic flowers. However, the degree of ecological generalization and of dependence on pollinators varies greatly among species of both flower symmetry types and this may also affect flower size variation.

Methods

Data on 43 species from two contrasting communities (one alpine and one lowland community) were used to test the relationships and interactions between flower size phenotypic variation, floral symmetry, ecological pollination generalization and species'' dependence on pollinators.

Key Results

Contrary to what was expected, higher flower size variation was found in zygomorphic than in actinomorphic species in the lowland community, and no difference in flower size variation was found between symmetry types in the alpine community. The relationship between floral symmetry and flower size variation depended on ecological generalization and species'' dependence on pollinators, although the influence of ecological generalization was only detected in the alpine community. Zygomorphic species that were highly dependent on pollinators and that were ecologically specialized were less variable in flower size than ecologically generalist and selfing zygomorphic species, supporting the pollinator-mediated stabilizing selection hypothesis. However, these relationships were not found in actinomorphic species, probably because they are not dependent on any particular pollinator for efficient pollination and therefore their flower size always shows moderate levels of variation.

Conclusions

The study suggests that the relationship between flower size variation and floral symmetry may be influenced by population-dependent factors, such as ecological generalization and species'' dependence on pollinators.     

Contrasting effects of plant population size on florivory and pollination

Changes in plant population size, induced by various forms of habitat degradation, can affect the performance of plants by altering their interactions with other organisms such as pollinators and herbivores. However, studies on plant reproductive response to variation in population size that simultaneously consider different interactions are rare. In this study, we examined (1) how levels of pollinator visitation and florivory vary with population size of a self-incompatible herb, Verbascum nigrum (Scrophulariaceae), (2) the relative effect of these two interactions on host seed set, and (3) whether the intensity of florivory influences pollinator visitation rate. The intensity of florivory increased, whereas pollinator visitation rate decreased with host population size. Although average seed production was negatively affected by the intensity of florivory, seed production was independent of population size. The direct negative effect of florivores on plant seed set was indirectly enforced by their negative effect on pollinator visitation rate. Our results emphasize the complexity of responses of different plant–animal interactions to plant population size. However, interactions involving specialized organisms are likely to disrupt first as plant population size decreases.     

Genetics of flower size and nectar volume in Petunia pollination syndromes

The two related Petunia species, P. axillaris and P. integrifolia, are sympatric at various locations in South America but do not hybridise. Divergent pollinator preferences are believed to be in part responsible for their reproductive isolation. The volume of nectar produced and several components of flower morphology might contribute to pollinator-dependant reproductive isolation. In this study, we aimed to identify the genetic changes underlying the quantitative differences observed between these two Petunia species in flower size and nectar volume. We mapped quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for the different phenotypes of P. axillaris and P. integrifolia in an inter-specific backcross population. QTL of small to moderate effect control the differences in flower size and volume of nectar. In addition, we observed strong suppression of meiotic recombination in Petunia, even between closely related species, which precluded a fine resolution of QTL mapping. Thus, our data suggest that flower size and nectar volume are highly polygenic. They are likely to have evolved gradually through pollinator-mediated adaptation or reinforcement, and are not likely to have been primary factors in early steps of pollinator isolation of P. axillaris and P. integrifolia.     

The effect of wild radish floral morphology on pollination efficiency by four taxa of pollinators

The effects of floral morphology on rates of pollen removal and deposition by different pollinators in generalist plant species are not well known. We studied pollination dynamics in wild radish, Raphanus raphanistrum, a plant visited by four groups of pollinators: honey bees, small native bees, butterflies, and syrphyd flies. The effects of anther position and other factors on pollen removal during single visits by all four pollinator taxa were measured. Flowers with high anther exsertion (i.e., anthers placed higher above the opening of the corolla tube) tended to have the highest numbers of pollen grains removed, but this effect was strongest for honey bees and butterflies. For all pollinator taxa, pollen removal increased with the number of pollen grains available on a flower and whowed a positive, decelerating relationship with the duration of the visit. The effects of stigma position and other factors on pollen deposition during single visits by honey bees and butterflies were also studied. The nectar-feeding butterflies had a higher pollination efficiency (percentage of pollen grains removed from anthers that were subsequently deposited on a stigma) than the nectar- and pollen-feeding honey bees. Flowers with intermediate stigma exsertion had the highest numbers of pollen grains deposited on their stigmas by butterflies, but stigma exsertion had no effect on deposition by honey bees. For both butterflies and honey bees, pollen deposition on the recipient flower increased with the amount of pollen removed from the donor flower, and there was a positive, decelerating relationship between deposition and time spent at the flower; these results are analogous to those for pollen removal. The effects of anther and stigma exsertion on pollen removal and denosition did not fit predictions based on patterns of floral correlations, but results for morphology, pollen availability, time spent per visit, and pollinator efficiency are in broad agreement with previous studies, suggesting the possible emergence of some general rules of pollen transfer.     

Comparative reproductive biology of Primula merrilliana Schltr. and P. cicutariifolia Pax

The reproductive biology of Primula merrilliana Schltr. and P. cicutariifolia Pax that are sister taxa and the only two members of Primula sect. Ranunculoides were studied. The results showed that P. merrilliana is typically a distylous species not only in morphology but also in function; it has an incompatibility system that restricts the legitimate pollination to that between pin and thrum flower morphs, but self-fertilization may occur under certain conditions. P. cicutariifolia is self-compatible. The pin morph of P. merrilliana has longer stigma papillae and smaller pollen than the thrum morph. The results stated above support the view that P. filchnerae should be moved from sect. Pinnatae to sect. Auganthus.     

Effects of black mustard population size on the taxonomic composition of pollinators

In plant species that are pollinated by a variety of animal species, spatial and temporal variability in the taxonomic composition of those pollinators may cause spatial and temporal variability in selection on floral traits. While temporal variation in pollinator composition has been widely reported, spatial variability, particularly on a local scale, has been studied less frequently; nevertheless, available evidence suggests that local spatial variability may be a widespread feature of plant-pollinator interactions. In addition, the causes of this spatial variability are poorly known. This study was undertaken to quantify variability in the taxonomic composition of pollinators visiting local populations of black mustard, Brassica nigra, and to determine some of the causes of this variability. Simultaneous observations were conducted in seven pairs of black mustard populations. The members of each pair were in close spatial proximity but differed in number of plants. Larger plant populations were visited by significantly greater numbers of honey bees and significantly fewer small bees than small populations on a per-plant basis. There was also a trend toward greater syrphid fly visitation in small populations. The increased numbers of honey bees at large plant populations is probably due to their ability to recruit long distances to the most rewarding plant populations. The lower number of small bees at large plant populations may be due to competition from honey bees and/or spreading a constant number of small bees over the larger number of plants in large populations.This paper is dedicated to the memory of George Eickwort     

Effect of population density of compatible neighbours on inbreeding level within a Primula sieboldii population

We investigated the effect of population density of compatible neighbours on inbreeding level of Primula sieboldii, a heterostylous clonal herb. Pollinator availability, seed set, selfing rate, diversity of pollen donors, and fitness of progenies were compared between less and more isolated genets, which differed in the number of compatible opposite-morph genets within 20 m, the range at which most pollen flow occurred. Although pollinator availability did not differ between the two groups, seed set and diversity of pollen donors in more isolated genets were significantly lower than in less isolated genets. Additionally, the mean selfing rates of less and more isolated genets were 1.3 and 36.7%, respectively, and the mean leaf area of the self-fertilized seedlings was 70 to 40% smaller than that of outcrossed seedlings of the same mother genet. Due to this large inbreeding depression, it is unlikely that self-fertilized seedlings could successfully establish in natural habitats and hence the inbreeding level in the next generation around the more isolated genet would not increase rapidly. However, the possibility of mating between full-sibs would increase because the diversity of pollen donors was low and both pollen and seed dispersal were spatially restricted. Thus the inbreeding level of the next generations would gradually increase around the more isolated genets owing to biparental inbreeding. This study suggested that the population density of compatible neighbours has a critical impact on the future inbreeding level within P. sieboldii populations.     

Nonadditive effects of flower damage and hummingbird pollination on the fecundity of Mimulus luteus

Flower herbivory and pollination have been described as interactive processes that influence each other in their effects on plant reproductive success. Few studies, however, have so far examined their joint effects in natural populations. In this paper we evaluate the influence of flower damage and pollination by the hummingbird Oreotrochilus leucopleurus on the fecundity of the Andean monkey flower Mimulus luteus. We performed a 2×2 factorial experiment, with artificial clipping of lower petals and selective exclusion of the hummingbird as main factors. In spite of the relatively low proportion (27.5%) of the variance in seed production accounted for by the full factorial model, artificial damage and hummingbird exclusion, as well as their interaction, were highly significant, indicating nonadditive effects of factors on plant fecundity. In the presence of hummingbirds, undamaged flowers had a seed production that was 1.7-fold higher than for damaged flowers, suggesting that the effect of flower damage on female reproductive success occurs probably as a consequence of hummingbird discrimination against damaged corollas. This result indicates that the impact of flower herbivory on plant fecundity was contingent on the presence or absence of hummingbirds, suggesting that pollinators may indirectly select for undamaged and probably resistant flower phenotypes. A second interaction effect revealed that undamaged flowers produced 78.5% more seeds in the absence of rather than in the presence of O. leucopleurus, raising the question of the ecological mechanism involved. We suggest that the strong territorial behavior exhibited by the bee Centris nigerrima may confine the foraging activities of the remaining bee species to safe sites within exclosures. Overall, our results provide evidence that hummingbird pollination and flower herbivory have interdependent effects on M. luteus fecundity, which indicates that it will be difficult to predict their ecological and evolutionary consequences unless interactions are analyzed in an integrated form.