中国四川报春花属一新种

报道了中国四川报春花属(Primula L.)一新种——小繸瓣报春(P.hydrocotylifolia G.Hao,C.M.Hu&Y.Xu)。小繸瓣报春植株无毛、无粉,叶片多少呈圆形,具纤细的叶柄,开花期叶丛基部无鳞片,球形蒴果藏于宿存花萼,成熟时裂成不规则碎片,显然属于脆蒴报春组(sect.Petiolares Pax)革叶报春亚组(subsect.Chartacea W.W.Sm.&Forrest),并与该亚组的川西繸瓣报春(P.veitchiana Petitm.)最为接近,但后者植物体的各部分均远大于此新种,花序多花,花亦较大,二者之间无过渡类型。     

鄂报春(Primula obconica Hance)亲缘地理学的初步研究

为了获得鄂报春（Primula obconica Hance）的种内亲缘地理学信息,对叶绿体基因组上非编码区trnL-trnF的序列变异进行了分析.获得的20个单倍型具有一定的地理分布结构.对这些单倍型进行系统发育分析,得到了三个主要分支：东部分支广泛分布于中国东南部、湖南、湖北、四川和云南;四川分支分布于四川西部;云南分支分布于云南西北部.东部分支分布面积较后两个分支大,并且在东部分支中可以发现一定的演化关系.结合古气候学和地质学信息,推测东部分支中现存的单倍型由冰期时气候变冷导致鄂报春快速迁移而形成,云南、四川分支中的单倍型可能是在各自的避难所中得以保存.同时本文也简要地探讨了鄂报春几个亚种之间的分类学关系.     

欧报春二型花柱的繁育特性研究

二型花柱植物通常具有自交不亲和性,在不同植物中所表现的可育性不同。欧报春(Primula vulgaris)是典型的二型花柱植物,为了探究欧报春的繁育特性,通过温室栽培,对欧报春的长花柱和短花柱的花部特征、花粉和花柱形态、花粉活力、柱头可授性、花粉/胚珠比、杂交指数、杂交亲和性、花粉管观察进行研究。结果表明,(1)长花柱和短花柱的花冠直径、花冠筒长度、柱头高度、花药高度和花筒中部直径均表现出两型性;(2)花粉和柱头观察发现花粉极轴长、花粉赤道轴长、花柱直径、柱头乳突细胞和花粉数量均有差异;(3)长花柱的花粉/胚珠比为384.20,短花柱为369.70,属于兼性异交类型;长花柱和短花柱的花粉活力和柱头可授性能在较长时间内维持较高活力;(4)长花柱杂交指数值为5,短花柱为4,表明繁育系统类型为异交,部分自交亲和,需要传粉者;6种授粉组合均能结实,异型花间授粉的结实数明显高于同型自花授粉和异株同型授粉;短花柱为母本的异型花间授粉组合亲和性优于其他组合;欧报春存在自交不亲和性,长花柱的自交不亲和性低于短花柱。     

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。     

Multigene Sequence Analysis of Aster Yellows Phytoplasma Associated with Primrose Yellows

Primula acaulis (L.) Hill. plants showing stunting, leaf‐yellowing and virescence were first discovered in the Czech Republic. Polymerase chain reactions with subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses and sequencing enabled classification of the detected phytoplasmas into the aster yellows group, ribosomal subgroup 16SrI‐B, tufI‐B, rpI‐B, groELIB‐III and SecY‐IB subgroups. Phylogeny of the 16S rRNA gene sequences as well as sequence analysis of several chromosomal regions, such as the 16S‐23S ribosomal operon, ribosomal proteins, spc ribosomal protein operon, genes for elongation factor EF‐Tu, molecular chaperonin large subunit GroEL, immunodominant membrane protein, ribosome recycling factor, urydilate kinase, ATP‐ and Zn²⁺‐dependent proteases not only confirmed its affiliation with the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ species but also enabled its detailed molecular characterization. The less researched regions of phytoplasma genome (amp, adk, hflB, pyrH‐frr genes) could be valuable as additional markers for phytoplasma through differentiation especially within the 16SrI‐B ribosomal subgroup.     

Both morph‐ and species‐dependent asymmetries affect reproductive barriers between heterostylous species

The interaction between floral traits and reproductive isolation is crucial to explaining the extraordinary diversity of angiosperms. Heterostyly, a complex floral polymorphism that optimizes outcrossing, evolved repeatedly and has been shown to accelerate diversification in primroses, yet its potential influence on isolating mechanisms remains unexplored. Furthermore, the relative contribution of pre‐ versus postmating barriers to reproductive isolation is still debated. No experimental study has yet evaluated the possible effects of heterostyly on pre‐ and postmating reproductive mechanisms. We quantify multiple reproductive barriers between the heterostylous Primula elatior (oxlip) and P. vulgaris (primrose), which readily hybridize when co‐occurring, and test whether traits of heterostyly contribute to reproductive barriers in unique ways. We find that premating isolation is key for both species, while postmating isolation is considerable only for P. vulgaris; ecogeographic isolation is crucial for both species, while phenological, seed developmental, and hybrid sterility barriers are also important in P. vulgaris, implicating sympatrically higher gene flow into P. elatior. We document for the first time that, in addition to the aforementioned species‐dependent asymmetries, morph‐dependent asymmetries affect reproductive barriers between heterostylous species. Indeed, the interspecific decrease of reciprocity between high sexual organs of complementary floral morphs limits interspecific pollen transfer from anthers of short‐styled flowers to stigmas of long‐styled flowers, while higher reciprocity between low sexual organs favors introgression over isolation from anthers of long‐styled flowers to stigmas of short‐styled flowers. Finally, intramorph incompatibility persists across species boundaries, but is weakened in long‐styled flowers of P. elatior, opening a possible backdoor to gene flow through intramorph pollen transfer between species. Therefore, patterns of gene flow across species boundaries are likely affected by floral morph composition of adjacent populations. To summarize, our study highlights the general importance of premating isolation and newly illustrates that both morph‐ and species‐dependent asymmetries shape boundaries between heterostylous species.     

Seed weight and seed number affect subsequent fitness in outcrossing and selfing Primula species

Using the outcrossing Primula farinosa and its autogamous selfing relatives P. scotica , P. scandinavica and P. stricta , we compared the fitness of light and heavy seeds. Heavy seeds germinated in greater numbers and more quickly. In competition with seedlings grown from lighter seeds, heavy seeds produced larger rosettes. In P. farinosa such seedlings went on to produce more seeds, and in two populations heavier seeds, than plants from lighter seeds. After transplantation to natural populations, seedlings of P. farinosa derived from heavy seeds produced larger rosettes, more flowers and seeds than those from lighter seeds in certain populations so that seedlings born of heavy seeds were much fitter than seedlings from lighter seeds. Average seed weight varied in inverse proportion to seed number per capsule. The autogamous species produced on average about twice as many seeds per capsule as P. farinosa . In P. scotica and P. stricta this difference appears to be due in part to assured fertilization, but this high fecundity did not cause disadvantageously light seeds. As these species produced fewer capsules per scape, their overall seed production was on average no greater than for P. farinosa . P. farinosa traded-off fitness between capsules with large seed numbers, which donated more offspring to the next generation, and those with small seed numbers, whose heavy seeds would be more likely to reproduce themselves in the next generation. We conclude that low fecundity in outcrossing species might at times be advantageous.