CYTOTAXONOMIC STUDIES IN CHRYSOTHAMNUS (ASTEREAE,COMPOSITAE)

The basic chromosome number for Chrysothamnus is x = 9 as determined by 234 original counts representing all species. Polyploidy is frequent only in C. viscidiflorus where diploids, tetraploids, and hexaploids are found. Pollen size in the genus is basically correlated with style length rather than ploidy level. Most aspects of meiosis appear normal except for the tendency for nucleolar fragmentation. To reduce chromosome clumping during meiosis, an ice-water pretreatment was utilized. Karyotypes in Chrysothamnus reflect similar trends of specialization noted in chromosome structure for other Compositae. The taxa are predominantly self-fertilized; however, one instance of interspecific hybridization is noted. Taxonomic significance of the chromosome numbers, karyotypes, and breeding system in Chrysothamnus is discussed.     

STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF AMPHICARPY IN GYMNARRHENA MICRANTHA (COMPOSITAE)

The 2 types of fruit (aerial and subterranean) borne by the dwarf desert annual Gymnarrhena micrantha were compared with regard to their responses to factors affecting their formation, dispersal, germination and seedling mortality. The 2 types of fruit differed markedly in several respects. In comparison with the subterranean fruits, the aerial ones are much smaller and more numerous, but the formation of the inflorescence in which they develop is more dependent on a favorable supply of soil moisture. The aerial fruits are dispersed by wind, after becoming detached by a complex series of hygroscopic movements which involve several organs and tissues, while the subterranean fruits never leave the dead parent plant, germinating right through its tissues. Germination of the subterranean fruits starts after a shorter incubation period and is less temperature-dependent in both light and dark. Light stimulated germination of both types of fruit, increasing their germination rates and final percentages, but not affecting the duration of the incubation period. In the subterranean fruits, the rate of germination was equally stimulated by light over the entire temperature range, with a well-defined optimum at 15 C in both light and dark. In the aerial fruits, the same optimum was found only in the light, rates in darkness increasing with decreasing temperatures. In the aerial fruits, alternations of light and dark were more favorable to germination than either continuous light or dark, the full effect being obtained with a single 8-hr or 16-hr light period, provided it was preceded by 16 or 8 hr of darkness, respectively. Similar reactions to combinations of light and dark were not observed in the subterranean fruits. Seedlings developing from the subterranean fruits were much larger, but grew at a relatively much slower rate than those from aerial fruits. The former were distinctly more tolerant of unfavorable soil-moisture regimes, such as low moisture supply and drought. It was concluded that the 2 types of fruit serve 2 distinct functions in the biology of the plant. The aerial fruits are adapted to the function of increasing the distribution of the species within suitable habitats, while the subterranean fruits are adapted to increasing the probability of the survival of the species.     

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON THE PERCENTAGE OF STAINABLE AND PRESUMED NORMAL POLLEN IN ASTER (COMPOSITAE)

Pollen stainability is often equated with pollen viability or fertility and is used by botanists to evaluate degree of hybridity among individuals of a plant population. Under certain conditions, however, the effects of meiotic irregularities resulting from hybridization may be masked by those of the environment. In the genus Aster high percentages of pollen stainability were obtained in most samples from plants flowering in the greenhouse, including hybrids of distantly related species. When grown outdoors, plants of the same clones frequently suffered significant reduction in the amounts of normal pollen produced. During the period of flower development, two climatic parameters were assessed, relative humidity and maximum/minimum temperatures. Fluctuations in relative humidity were considerable but of nearly equal amplitude both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Diurnal temperature fluctuations, however, were much less drastic in the greenhouse than outdoors. The differential percentages of stainable pollen observed are probably attributable to the sum of environmental factors, including hard rains and strong winds, rather than any single parameter. In the genus Aster high amounts of aborted pollen grains appear to be largely a reflection of sensitivity to unfavorable microclimatic conditions during the post-meiotic period of flower development, and data on pollen stainability cannot be employed as a measure of fertility or degree of hybridity.     

HISTOLOGY AND INHERITANCE OF THE CLOSED FLOWER IN CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS (COMPOSITAE)

Three different closed flower types were identified in safflower and were classified as arrowhead, bar, and cage. Histological observations revealed that the closed flower condition is caused by a differentiation of epidermal cells into papillae that become interdigited. The primary difference between the three types is the length of the fused edge along the petal lobe. The papillae are pointed and have thickened walls of cutin. Reduced seed set results from changes in the internal environment during microsporogenesis. The expression of each closed flower type is governed by a single gene; the arrowhead, bar, and cage types have, respectively, the genotypes arar, baba, and coca.     

高氏后异刺线虫肠道和生殖细胞超微结构观察

我们曾经发现雌性高氏后异刺线虫在生殖周期中,虫体的外表形态和器官结构以及细胞核内DNA含量均发生连续的变化。现在进一步对线虫细胞的超微结构进行分析,着重观察核内染色质结构的变化。前三期雌虫肠细胞核内有许多粗大的染色质团块和显著的核仁。Ⅳ期肠核内染色质团块融合成少数球体,而且不断减少,以致消失,单剩下染色质细粒(纤丝切面)。而核仁增大,结构更为复杂。卵巢细胞亦有类似改变,但末见染色质球体。雄虫并无生殖周期,也无上述变化。     

STRUCTURE AND ONTOGENY OF LATICIFERS IN CICHORIUM INTYBUS (COMPOSITAE)

The branched anastomosed laticifer system in the primary body of Cichorium intybus L. originates in embryos from files of laticiferous members at the boundary between phloic procambium and ground meristem. Upon seed germination, laticiferous members develop perforations in the end walls which become entirely resorbed. Perforations also develop in the longitudinal walls of contiguous laticiferous members and from lateral connections between developing laticifer branches. Additional laticiferous members originate as procambium differentiation proceeds, and their differentiation follows a continuous acropetal sequence in leaf primordia of the plumule. In roots, laticifers closely associated with sieve tubes in the secondary phloem originate from derivatives of fusiform initials in the vascular cambium. These laticifers develop wall perforations and in a mature condition resemble laticifers in the primary body. As the girth of the root increases, laticifers toward the periphery, unlike associated sieve tubes, resist crushing and obliteration. Laticifers vary in width from about 4 to 22 μm; the widest ones occur in involucral bracts and the narrowest ones in florets. There was no evidence that intrusive growth occurs during development of the laticifer system, although such growth may occur during development of occasional branches which extend through ground tissue independent of phloem and terminate in contact with the epidermis. Presence of amorphous callose deposits is related to aging of laticifers and mechanical injury.     

THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF INDUCED BRANCHES IN HELIANTHUS

The development of buds and their vascular connections are described for Helianthus annuus and H. bolanderi. Bud meristems of H. annuus usually become isolated by parenchymatization of the bud traces in the cortical zone. If the buds are induced to grow as a result of decapitation of the terminal meristem, a continuous range between typical primary connections and pseudo-adventitious connections are made between the main axis and the lateral buds. Considerable growth of the branches occurs within 48 hours after decapitation. Axillary buds of H. bolanderi grow continuously, and both the meristem and vascular system of the buds are derived directly from the apical meristem of the shoots.     

CINEMATIC OBSERVATIONS ON THE GROWTH AND DIVISION OF CHLOROPLASTS IN NITELLA

As it elongates from about 0.2 to 80 mm, the Nitella internodal cell shows an increase in plastid number from a few thousand to about 4 million. The increase takes place by plastid division. A continuous motion picture record followed a population of 8 plastids in an elongating cell until their progeny numbered 18, a span longer than 1 fission cycle for some of the plastids. One complete fission-fission cycle was about 22 hr. The highly directed nature of chloroplast expansion (elongation) is lost when cell wall strain (expansion) is mechanically inhibited by pressing the cell between glass plates. The plastids then expand about equally in all directions in the plane of the cell surface. When a new direction of maximum strain is introduced by the mechanical induction of a lateral in the cell, the plastids elongate in this new direction. The direction of the protoplasmic stream does not show this striking response to strain but tends to follow the lines of the chloroplast chains, not the long axis of individual plastids.     

THE FLAVONOIDS OF LASTHENIA (COMPOSITAE)

Lasthenia (Compositae: Helenieae), a western North American-Chilean genus of 16 species, produces 22 flavonoid glycosides. Flavonoids are the chalcones butein and okanin, the aurones maritimetin and sulfuretin, the flavone luteolin, and the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin, and patuletin. The presence or absence of various of these classes of compounds in general follows sectional alignments in the genus, confirms affinities based on morphological and cytological evidence, and suggests relationships of problematical species. Intraspecific variation in flavonoid constituents occurs in several species, and in one taxon intrapopulation variation seems to exist as well. Evolution within Lasthenia has been associated with a loss of the ability to produce or accumulate luteolin, chalcones, and aurones; an increase in diversity of quercetin glycosides; acquisition of the ability to produce patuletin; and an elaboration of glycosylation patterns of patuletin.     

OBSERVATIONS ON THE EFFECT OF ADDED HYPOCHLORITE ON THE NUMBERS AND KINDS OF BACTERIA IN MILK

SUMMARY: In an investigation of the effect of added hypochlorite on the bacterial flora and bacterial numbers of milk no bactericidal action was apparent within 15 min of adding the disinfectant unless at least 500 p/m available chlorine had been added. After 24 hr storage at atmospheric temperature a reduction in numbers was found with 10 p/m available chlorine and this became more pronounced with increased concentrations. Micrococci seemed more susceptible to the bactericidal effect than streptococci, which formed, after 24 hr storage, the predominant residual flora where 250 and 500 p/m available chlorine had been added. Acid production by lactic streptococci was retarded at concentrations greater than 50 p/m available chlorine in a 5 hr incubation period at 30°, but after a 24 hr incubation the decrease in acid production was only apparent when 500 or 1,000 p/m available chlorine was present. Little effect on acid production by lactic streptococci was found when less than 50 p/m available chlorine had been added. The residual chlorine content of rinses of equipment sterilized in hypochlorite solutions was negligible.     

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MICROBODIES IN THE GENUS TILLANDSIA (BROMELIACEAE)

Organelles morphologically similar to microbodies have been found in several tissues of atmospheric species of Tillandsia from different habitats. The presence of catalase was demonstrated by the DAB reaction thus confirming the microbody nature of these organelles. They are a feature of the Tillandsia species with normal photosynthetic carbon fixation and with CAM. Their size is consistently small. The nucleoid observed in the microbodies shows a characteristic morphology which has not been reported before within other plant microbodies. This nucleoid is composed of minute tubular structures, for which the authors here propose a three-dimensional arrangement.     

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHYTOMELANIN LAYER IN FRUITS OF AGERATUM CONYZOIDES (COMPOSITAE)

The development of the phytomelanin layer in the achenes of Ageratum conyzoides (Compositae, Eupatorieae) was studied using light and electron microscopy. At the level of the embryo sac, the young ovary wall contains an outer zone, consisting of an epidermis and two hypodermal layers, and an inner zone, consisting of developing fiber cells and 3–5 layers of parenchyma. A schizogenous space forms between the developing fibers and the inner hypodermis at about the time that the embryo sac is fully organized. At this stage, the developing fibers contain papilla which are outgrowths that connect the fibers to the inner hypodermal cells. After fertilization, phytomelanin accumulates on the cell walls lining this space. Subsequently, by the time the fruit matures, the phytomelanin fills the space completely and forms a solid, black layer. The surface of the inner hypodermis that faces the space forms a mold; the characteristic peglike projections of the mature phytomelanin layer develop by filling the invaginations between the hypodermal cells. During phytomelanin accumulation, abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum is present in the hypodermis, especially in the outer layer. It is hypothesized that the precursors of the phytomelanin are synthesized in this endoplasmic reticulum and that these precursors migrate into the space where the phytomelanin is polymerized.