Flowering of contrasting white clover varieties in relation to daylength in controlled environments and in the field

The effect of 12 , 14 and 16 h photoperiods, given consecutively, on flower production in 10 varieties of white clover (Trifolium repens) in controlled environments, is described. The effect of natural daylengths from September to July on the same plants in the field was also studied in the following year. Relationships between morphological and physiological traits and flowering were examined. In controlled environments most plants flowered under the longest days, three times as many in the 16 h daylength as in the 12 h. Larger leaved types had a higher proportion of reproductive plants than did smaller leaved types. Floral initiation was not observed in the field until daylengths were in excess of 15 h. Increasing daylength increased flower production, floret and ovule numbers but did not appear to increase nectar production significantly.     

The use of agricultural, open and forest habitats by juvenile Mauritius Kestrels Falco punctatus

Knowledge of tropical raptor habitat use is limited and yet a thorough understanding is vital when trying to conserve endangered species. We used a well studied, reintroduced population of the vulnerable Mauritius Kestrel Falco punctatus to investigate habitat preferences in a modified landscape. We constructed a high resolution digital habitat map and radiotracked 13 juvenile Kestrels to quantify habitat preferences. We distinguished seven habitat types in our study area and tracked Kestrels from 71 to 130 days old during which they dispersed from their natal territory and settled within a home‐range after reaching independence. Mean home‐range size was 0.95 km² characterized by a bimodal pattern of intensity around the natal site and post‐independence home‐range. Compositional analysis showed that home‐ranges were located non‐randomly with respect to habitat but there was no evidence to suggest differential use of habitats within home‐ranges. Native and semi‐invaded forest and grassland were consistently preferred, whereas agriculture was used significantly less than other habitats. No difference was found between the available length of edge dividing native forest and grassland within a home‐range when compared to that available within a 2.35‐km buffer around their nest‐site, based on the maximum distance a juvenile was found to disperse. Repeating the analysis in three dimensions gave very similar results. Our results suggest that Mauritius Kestrels are not obligate forest dwellers as was once thought but can also exploit open habitats such as grassland. Kestrels may be using isolated mature trees within grassland as vantage points for hunting in the same way as they use the natural stratified forest structure. We suggest that the avoidance of agriculture is partly due to a lack of such vantage points. The conservation importance of forest degradation and agricultural encroachment is highlighted and comparisons with the habitat preferences of other tropical falcons are discussed.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dunaliella salina</Emphasis> organelle genomes: large sequences,inflated with intronic and intergenic DNA

Background  

Dunaliella salina Teodoresco, a unicellular, halophilic green alga belonging to the Chlorophyceae, is among the most industrially important microalgae. This is because D. salina can produce massive amounts of β-carotene, which can be collected for commercial purposes, and because of its potential as a feedstock for biofuels production. Although the biochemistry and physiology of D. salina have been studied in great detail, virtually nothing is known about the genomes it carries, especially those within its mitochondrion and plastid. This study presents the complete mitochondrial and plastid genome sequences of D. salina and compares them with those of the model green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Volvox carteri.     

The inheritance of floral characters in white clover (Trifolium repens)

A diallel cross was carried out among seven varieties of white clover to investigate the inheritance of some of those characters which affect potential seed yield. Peduncle length and number of seeds/floret have low narrow-sense heritabilities, while peduncle length displays the added complications of heterozygosity and non-allelic interactions. Consequently, improvements in these characters will be difficult. Seed number m^-2 is a composite character which apparently exhibits heterozygosity. Higher seed yields will therefore be obtained by selection for its component characters, particularly floret number and floral density, both of which are apparently inherited in a comparatively straightforward manner. These results are discussed in the context of improving the potential seed yield of white clover.