Reproductive and Pollination Biology of Magnolia and its Allied Genera (Magnoliaceae). I. Floral Volatiles of Several Magnolia and Michelia Species and their Roles in Attracting Insects

Abstract Volatile substances emitted from the flowers of eight Magnolia taxa ( M. sieboldii ssp. japonica, M. praecocissima var. praecocissima and var. borealis, M. tomentosa, M. salicifolia, M. obovata, M. denudata, and M. grandiflora ) and one Michelia species ( M. compressa ) (Magnoliaceae) were examined and identified using GC-MS. Volatile substances of these Magnolia and Michelia species consist primarily of monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids produced by the mevalonate pathway, acetogenins by the acetate-malonate pathway, and phenyl-propanoids by the shikimate pathway. These Magnolia and Michelia species all possessed various combinations of volatile monoterpenoids, acetogenins, and phenylpropanoids, except for Magnolia obovata , which emitted primarily sesquiterpenoids. Free amino acids in pollen of 12 Magnolia and one Liriodendron species were also analyzed, and their value as food sources for pollinators evaluated.
Pollinators visiting the flowers of five Magnolia species were collected in their native sites and identified. Their behaviors and roles as pollinating agents were assessed.     

A comparison of the pre-calling period between Japanese and southeastern Asian populations of Spodoptera litura

The pre-calling behavior of female adults of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura （Lepidoptera： Noctuidae） collected in southern Japan and southeastern Asian countries was investigated. Most females started calling on days 1-4 after adult emergence. In three populations obtained in Saga prefecture in Kyushu mainland, Japan, two different patterns of pre-calling period （PCP） were observed： one was the above-mentioned pattern shown by most individuals, and the other was a pattern in which females sexually matured within several hours after emergence. Diel periodicity was shown in the time of calling activity, and its pattern varied among the populations. Pre-calling period was stable over successive generations in the laboratory.     

Molecular Systematics of Liliaceae — Asparagoideae — Polygonatae. I. RFLP Analysis of cpDNA in Several Asiatic Disporum Species

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships among 11 species in the genus Disporum were assessed by RFLP analysis of chloroplast DNA and their taxonomic status was re-evaluated in the light of molecular, karyological as well as morphological data available at present. Among cpDNAs from 17 plants of 11 species, 16 mutations were detected using 14 restriction enzymes and heterologous cpDNA probes. Restriction site data were analyzed cladistically, and a majority rule consensus tree was obtained. Species fell into four groups based on cpDNA, (1) a group containing seven species, D. uniflorum, D. taipingense, D. lutescens, D. sessile, D. kawakamii, D. multiflorum, and D. shimadai; (2) containing one species D. viridescens; (3) containing two species D. smilacinum and D. cantoniense var. skimmense; (4) containing D. leucanthum. Among these groups the first one has two clades with high probability rate. The results suggest that D. lutescens belongs to the “D. sessile group” rather than the “D. smilacinum group”. But, the separation of D. viridescens and D. smilacinum into two groups as revealed by the present analysis is somewhat controversial, since both D. viridescens and D. smilacinum share a number of morphological and karyological characters in common. Intraspecific cpDNA variation of D. sessile was also analyzed.