Sex allocation of females and hermaphrodites in the gynodioecious Geranium sylvaticum

Seed production and patterns of sex allocation were studied in female and hermaphroditic plants in two gynodioecious populations of Geranium sylvaticum (Geraniaceae). Females produced more flower buds and seeds than hermaphrodites in one of the two study populations. The other female traits measured (pistil biomass, seed number per fruit, individual seed mass) did not differ between the gender morphs. The relative seed fitness of hermaphrodites differed between the study populations, with hermaphrodites gaining less of their fitness through female function in the population with a high frequency of females. However, the amount and size of pollen produced by hermaphrodites did not differ between populations. The number of flower buds was positively correlated with seed production in females, whereas in hermaphrodites a positive correlation between number of buds and seed production was found in only one of the two study populations. These results suggest that fitness gain through female function is labile in hermaphrodites of this species, and is probably affected by environmental factors such as the sex ratio of the population.     

Floral dimorphism, pollination, and self-fertilization in gynodioecious GERANIUM RICHARDSONII (Geraniaceae)

The selective maintenance of gynodioecy depends on the relative fitness of the male-sterile (female) and hermaphroditic morphs. Females may compensate for their loss of male fitness by reallocating resources from male function (pollen production and pollinator attraction) to female function (seeds and fruits), thus increasing seed production. Females may also benefit from their inability to self-fertilize if selfing and inbreeding depression reduce seed quality in hermaphrodites. We investigated how differences in floral resource allocation (flower size) between female and hermaphroditic plants affect two measures of female reproductive success, pollinator visitation and pollen receipt, in gynodioecious populations of Geranium richardsonii in Colorado. Using emasculation treatments in natural populations, we further examined whether selfing by autogamy and geitonogamy comprises a significant proportion of pollen receipt by hermaphrodites. Flowers of female plants are significantly smaller than those of hermaphrodites. The reduction in allocation to pollinator-attracting structures (petals) is correlated with a significant reduction in pollinator visitation to female flowers in artificial arrays. The reduction in attractiveness is further manifested in significantly less pollen being deposited on the stigmas of female flowers in natural populations. Autogamy is rare in these protandrous flowers, and geitonogamy accounts for most of the difference in pollen receipt between hermaphrodites and females. Female success at receiving pollen was negatively frequency dependent on the relative frequency of females in populations. Thus, two of the prerequisites for the maintenance of females in gynodioecious populations, differences in resource allocation between floral morphs and high selfing rates in hermaphrodites, occur in G. richardsonii.     

Patterns of genetic diversity reveal multiple introductions and recurrent founder effects during range expansion in invasive populations of Geranium carolinianum (Geraniaceae)

Genetic diversity, and thus the adaptive potential of invasive populations, is largely based on three factors: patterns of genetic diversity in the species'' native range, the number and location of introductions and the number of founding individuals per introduction. Specifically, reductions in genetic diversity (‘founder effects'') should be stronger for species with low within-population diversity in their native range and few introductions of few individuals to the invasive range. We test these predictions with Geranium carolinianum, a winter annual herb native to North America and invasive in China. We measure the extent of founder effects using allozymes and microsatellites, and ask whether this is consistent with its colonization history and patterns of diversity in the native range. In the native range, genetic diversity is higher and structure is lower than expected based on life history traits. In China, our results provide evidence for multiple introductions near Nanjing, Jiangsu province, with subsequent range expansion to the west and south. Patterns of genetic diversity across China reveal weak founder effects that are driven largely by low-diversity populations at the expansion front, away from the introduction location. This suggests that reduced diversity in China has resulted from successive founder events during range expansion, and that the loss of genetic diversity in the Nanjing area was mitigated by multiple introductions from diverse source populations. This has implications for the future of G. carolinianum in China, as continued gene flow among populations should eventually increase genetic diversity within the more recently founded populations.     

Rose-scented geranium (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pelargonium</Emphasis> sp.) generated by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium rhizogenes</Emphasis> mediated Ri-insertion for improved essential oil quality

Transgenic plants of rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens cv. Hemanti) have been produced from Agrobacterium rhizogenes (strains A₄ and LBA9402) mediated hairy root cultures. Amongst the explants tested, leaves were most responsive followed by the petioles and internodal segments, respectively. The A₄ strain performed better for all the three explants both in terms of frequency of response and time requirement for hairy root induction. Transgenic shoots could be obtained by spontaneous regeneration without intervening callus phase amongst 16% and 12% root lines of A₄ and LBA 9402 origin, respectively, or they were induced in 29% and 22% hairy root lines of A₄ and LBA9402 origin, respectively, with different hormonal supplementation. These transgenic plants showed 30% survival as against 90% of their control under the confined environment of glasshouse. The transgenic plants were of similar morphotype having increased branching, higher number of leaves with increased dentations, short and round stature, highly branched root system and absence of leaf wrinkling. These transgenic plants showed opine positive results even after 5 months of their transfer to the glasshouse. The essential oil compositions of 81% of these transgenics were qualitatively similar to that of the wild type parent. However, two transgenic plants (LZ-3 and 14TG) showed increase in concentrations of geraniol and geranyl esters signifying improved oil quality with respect to the citronellol:geraniol ratio. These two oils having better olfactory value represent an improvement over that of the wild type parent from the commercial point of view.     

中国老鹳草属(牻牛儿苗科)归化植物新记录

报道在江苏省发现的中国归化植物新记录刻叶老鹳草(Geranium dissectumL.),对其形态特征进行了描述,并提供了形态照片。     

青藏高原东缘的锈菌资料VIII. 老鹳草上柄锈菌属一新种

本文报告了采自云南横断山区玉龙雪山多氏老鹳草 Geranium donianum 上的柄锈菌属一新种,即多氏老鹳草柄锈菌Puccinia geranii-doniani。文中对新种作了拉丁文描述并附了孢子形态的线条图,讨论了新种与近似种的主要区别。新种模式标本保存在北京中国科学院菌物标本馆(HMAS)。     

Phylogenetic position of the Hawaiian geraniums based on rbcL Sequences

The seven currently recognized species of Geranium endemic to the Hawaiian Islands are unusual in their shrubby or arborescent habit and unlobed, parallel-veined leaves rather than the palmately cleft or lobed leaves and herbaceous habit typical of the genus. Their placement within the genus and their biogeographic source have been obscured by this morphological distictiveness and the limited resolution of relationships on the basis of morphology in the very speciose subgenus Geranium. Phylogenetic analysis of rbcL gene sequences provides strong support for the monophyly of the Hawaiian group, and indicates that the Hawaiian clade is deeply nested within section Geranium rather than comprising a separate section. The continental relatives studied to date with the greatest similarity in sequence to the Hawaiian group are native to the Americas rather than Asia or the Pacific. The Hawaiian species are extremely similar to one another in rbcL sequence, while the tree topology obtained is consistent with a basal position for Geranium arboreum within the group.     

Characterization of somatic embryogenesis in Pelargonium××hortorum mediated by a bacterium

Several cultivars of hybrid seed geranium (Pelargonium×hortorum Bailey), previously shown to be recalcitrant in culture, produced somatic embryos at high frequency when explants were co-cultivated with a morphogenesis promoting bacterium. This bacterium was isolated as an in vitro contaminant from cultures of geranium seedling explants and identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus and species circulans. Co-cultivation of hypocotyl explants with the bacterium promoted somatic embryo formation and improved both the frequency and quality of somatic embryos. In the cultivar Ringo Rose, the least responsive among the cultivars screened, the embryogenic response was more than four times that of axenic cultures. Nearly 70% of these embryos converted into plantlets, while the somatic embryos induced under axenic conditions developed poorly and plantlet formation was inconsistent. Among the different treatments of bacterial culture tested (autoclaved culture, culture filtrate, sonicated bacterial culture, sonication of bacterial culture followed by filtration, HPLC fractionation of crude bacterial lysate), only two HPLC fractions promoted embryogenesis to a marginal degree. Co-cultivation of the explants with bacterium during the first week of induction was crucial for obtaining high-frequency embryogenesis, indicating the role of bacterial stimuli during the induction process. Received: 23 June 1998 / Revision received: 20 August 1998 / Accepted: 27 October 1998     

野老鹳草DNA的提取方法及RAPD分析

目的：以野老鹳草（Geranium carolinianum L．）的茎、叶为材料,研究野老鹳草DNA的提取方法及RAPD的分析。方法：采用CATB法、高盐低pH法和SDS法分别提取野老鹳草的基因纽DNA,并对3种方法进行了一些改进。通过RAPD分析所提取的DNA,比较所用的提取方法。结果：比较DNA产量、质量等,确定了高盐低pH法较佳。结论：干燥的材料和新鲜的材料均可提取得到DNA,高盐低pH法提取的效果优于CTAB和SDS法。