花颜色和花气味的量化研究方法

花颜色和花气味是花部构成的重要内容。在已开展的传粉生态学研究中对二者的报道主要是描述性的,而其量化研究可以为揭示传粉机制提供有力的实验证据。本文主要介绍了花颜色的测量和标定方法,包括比色卡、分光色差仪和便携式光谱仪等;花气味的采集方法,包括动态顶空套袋-吸附采集法、吸附-溶剂洗脱法和固相微萃取法等;花气味的检测和分析方法,包括气相色谱-质谱联用仪分析和电子鼻型超速气相色谱仪分析等;以及昆虫行为学实验方法,包括气相色谱-昆虫触角电位联用技术、Y型嗅觉仪和飞行箱实验等。科研人员可以根据实验材料的特点和实验目的选择适合的量化研究方法。     

花对称性的研究进展

花对称性(floral symmetry)是被子植物花部结构的典型特性之一,主要有辐射对称和两侧对称两种形式。被子植物初始起源的花为辐射对称,而两侧对称的花则是由辐射对称的花演变而来。两侧对称的花部结构是被子植物进化过程中的一个关键的革新,被认为是物种形成和分化的关键推动力之一。近年来有关花对称性的形成和进化机制的研究在植物学科的不同领域均取得了长足的进展。本文综述了花对称性在发育生物学、传粉生物学、生殖生态学及分子生物学等方面的研究进展。两侧对称形成于被子植物花器官发育的起始阶段,随后贯穿整个花器官发育过程或者出现在花器官发育后期的不同阶段。花器官发育过程中一种或多种类型器官的败育以及特异性花器官结构的形成是两侧对称形成的主要原因。研究表明,在传粉过程的不同阶段,花对称性均会受到传粉昆虫介导的选择作用。相比辐射对称的花,两侧对称的花提高了特异性传粉者的选择作用,增加了花粉落置的精确性,进而确保了其生殖成功。花对称性的分子机理已经在多种双子叶植物中进行了深入的研究。现有的证据表明,CYC同源基因在花对称性的分子调控方面起着非常重要的作用。花对称性在被子植物进化过程中是如何起源,与其他花部构成之间是否协同作用,一些不符合一般模式的科属其花对称性的形成机制等都是今后要进一步研究的命题。     

植物繁殖生态学的若干重要问题

发现模式,并根据过程解释模式,是科学研究的主要目标.在植物繁殖生态学领域内,人们已经总结了一些重要的模式,包括普遍的雌雄同体、分离的花果期、较低的结实率、大量的同时开花、胁迫生境更易出现的异交、生活史性状与交配系统的相互作用、花序内的花分化,以及花内的雄蕊分化(异型雄蕊)等.对这些模式如何从机理上予以解释,还需要植物繁殖生态学家的艰苦努力.本文着重强调了植物许多重要繁殖特征都可以通过植株、花序以及花各层次上的资源分配而得到很好的解释,尤其是可以在很大程度上协调其他不同侧重点研究得到的矛盾结论.在今后逐渐强调多因素、多尺度对花部特征与传粉系统的适应与进化的研究中,从直接决定花部特征与交配系统的资源分配出发,将是促进人们准确理解与预测花部特征适应与进化的一个重要研究方向.     

垂花青兰花蜜腺的发育解剖学研究

垂花青兰（Dracocephalum nutans Linn.）花蜜腺分布于子房基部的花托上,盘状蜜腺的上部裂成三小一大的四枚裂片,基部在膨大的花托外环绕一圈。蜜腺组织由分泌表皮、产蜜组织和维管束三部分组成,是典型的结构蜜腺;组织化学染色显示淀粉粒动态明显,因此又属淀粉蜜腺。在发育的过程中细胞液泡化动态明显,且淀粉粒和蛋白质具有明显的消长变化,蜜汁通过气孔器和表皮细胞的角质层泌出。     

异株百里香花蜜腺的发育解剖学研究

异株百里香（Thymus marschallianus Willd）花蜜腺分布于子房基部的花托上,结构蜜腺盘状,成熟时膨大,环绕在花托外。蜜腺组织由分泌表皮、产蜜组织和维管束三部分组成;组织化学染色显示淀粉粒的积累是在蜜腺细胞发育的最初和最后,因此将其归为非淀粉型蜜腺。在发育的过程中细胞液泡化动态明显,而淀粉粒和多糖均不具有明显的消长变化;蜜汁是由韧皮部运转到泌蜜组织中的,再由表皮细胞的角质层渗到细胞外。     

Mutations in the Arabidopsis SWC6 gene, encoding a component of the SWR1 chromatin remodelling complex, accelerate flowering time and alter leaf and flower development

Mutations affecting the Arabidopsis SWC6 gene encoding a putativeorthologue of a component of the SWR1 chromatin remodellingcomplex in plants have been characterized. swc6 mutations causeearly flowering, shortened inflorescence internodes, and alteredleaf and flower development. These phenotypic defects resemblethose of the photoperiod independent early flowering 1 (pie1)and early in short days 1 (esd1) mutants, also affected in homologuesof the SWR1 complex subunits. SWC6 is a ubiquitously expressednuclear HIT-Zn finger-containing protein, with the highest levelsfound in pollen. Double mutant analyses suggest that swc6 abolishesthe FLC-mediated late-flowering phenotype of plants carryingactive alleles of FRI and of mutants of the autonomous pathway.It was found that SWC6 is required for the expression of theFLC repressor to levels that inhibit flowering. However, theeffect of swc6 in an flc null background and the down-regulationof other FLC-like/MAF genes in swc6 mutants suggest that floweringinhibition mediated by SWC6 occurs through both FLC- and FLC-likegene-dependent pathways. Both genetic and physical interactionsbetween SWC6 and ESD1 have been demonstrated, suggesting thatboth proteins act in the same complex. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation,it has been determined that SWC6, as previously shown for ESD1,is required for both histone H3 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylationof the FLC chromatin. Altogether, these results suggest thatSWC6 and ESD1 are part of an Arabidopsis SWR1 chromatin remodellingcomplex involved in the regulation of diverse aspects of plantdevelopment, including floral repression through the activationof FLC and FLC-like genes. Key words: Arabidopsis, chromatin remodelling, floral repression, HIT-Zn finger, phase transition, SWR1 complex     

Pollen limitation and natural selection on floral characters in the yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus

In flowering plants, pollen limitation has been proposed to intensify selection on floral characters important in pollinator attraction, but may also select for traits that increase seed set through autonomous selfing. Here, a factorial design (+/- pollen addition, +/- pollinator removal) was used to investigate how the pollination environment affects selection on floral morphology via female fitness in a mixed-mating population of the yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus (Phrymaceae). Female fitness was strongly pollen-limited, with supplementally pollinated plants setting 37% more seeds than open-pollinated individuals. Strong positive selection was found on flower length, weak positive selection on flower width : length ratio and no selection on stigma-anther distance in both open-pollinated and supplementally pollinated treatments. By contrast, flowers with relatively narrow corollas and low stigma-anther distances were favored in the pollinator exclusion treatment. These results provide mixed support for the idea that pollen limitation intensifies selection on floral characters. Despite strong phenotypic selection, natural pollen limitation did not mediate selection on characters associated with either pollinator attraction or self-fertilization. However, the novel pattern of selection on severely pollen-limited plants suggests that reproductive assurance against pollinator loss may have been directly involved in the floral evolution of closely related selfing taxa.     

柴黄姜的传粉生物学特性

对产自湖北武当山的柴黄姜（Dioscorea nipponica subsp．rosthornii Prain et Burkill）的花部特征和访花昆虫种类及访花行为、访花频率和携粉量进行了研究,并对柴黄姜的传粉方式、结实和种子萌发状况进行了检测。结果表明,柴黄姜具有虫媒花的典型花部特征,共观测到访花昆虫4目34种,其中传粉昆虫6种,隧蜂属（Halictus sp．）和地蜂属（Andrena sp．）的2种昆虫是柴黄姜的主要传粉昆虫。访花昆虫对雄株的访花高峰时段为11：00至14：00,对雌花没有明显的访花高峰时段。在自然条件下,柴黄姜的座果率为18．86％,结实率为7．12％,种子萌发率为64．76％。在武当山,柴黄姜种群扩展仍以有性繁殖为主,无性繁殖为重要补充。     

用cDNA-AFLP及其改进的方法分析茶树花发育过程中的基因表达

利用cDNA-AFLP及其改进的cDNA-AFLP方法,分析茶树花发育过程中的基因表达。其发育过程中的基因表达可以分为3类:未成熟阶段发育特异基因;成熟阶段发育特异基因;茶树花发育过程中均表达的基因。利用改进的cDNA-AFLP方法,我们获得编码花药发育特异基因:pollen coat protein(Pcp)。用cDNA-AFLP方法,我们获得7个已知功能基因分别编码Cytchrome(P450),beta-primeverosidase,Dnaj-like protein,anthranilate phosphoribosyl transferase(AnPRT),Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenasesmall subunit(RubpS),alpha-tubulin和Carbonic anhydrase。用RACE方法获得pollen coat protein(Pcp),DnaJ-like protein和Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase small subunit等3个基因的全长,并已提交GenBank。