Genetic variation in somatic embryogenic response in open-pollinated families of black spruce.

Zygotic embryos from open-pollinated seeds of 20 black spruce (Picea mariana) families were used to investigate the proportion of genotypes that would give rise to embryogenic tissue (ET) and mature somatic embryos. Eighty-five percent of the maternal genotypes gave rise to embryogenic tissue. Within-family rates of ET induction ranged from 0 to 17%, with an average of 8%. The largest proportion of variation was among families, indicating the additive nature of the genetic variation. On a medium with 6% sucrose and 3.7 µM ABA, 90% of the embryogenic lines gave rise to abundant (>100/100 mg of ET), well-formed, mature somatic embryos. A medium with 2% sucrose, without 2,4-D, was used to germinate the mature somatic embryos. These were grown in the greenhouse and have now been established in field trials.

Genetics of the polycross : 2. Male fertility variation in norway spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karst.

Seeds from polycrosses with Norway spruce, in which the same sixteen male parents were crossed to a number of female parents in each of two years, were analysed electrophoretically to detect departures from male gamete frequencies expected assuming equal male fertilities, and to detect heterogeneity among female parents in male gamete frequencies in seeds. The data were also used to estimate the fertilities of the polycross trees used as male parents. Significant departures from male gamete frequencies expected assuming equal male fertilities were found in the seed pooled from all crosses. Male fertilities estimated from male gamete frequencies in seed from all crosses also departed significantly from expectation. The results are discussed with respect to assumptions made when estimating general combining abilities and expected response to selection in polycrosses.

Genetics of the polycross : 1. Experimental results from Norway spruce.

Rates and patterns of male gamete incorporation for a polycross mating design were studied for two independent years of pollination in Norway spruce, Picea abies (L) Karst. Segregation distortion in a subset of maternal clones was documented for one locus. We have proposed a model, involving the existence of a linked lethal allele, which accounts for these observations. Significant temporal and maternal clonal differences were observed in the rates at which single locus and multilocus gametes were incorporated. Striking differences in apparent fertility existed among four clones which produced unique multilocus gametes. One clone, in particular, was shown to be contributing three times as many gametes to the next generation as predicted by the hypothesis of equal clonal male contribution. These deviations from expectation were also detected in the genotypic distributions of the resultant filial generation. Ramifications of these results on family structures in the filial generation, effective size of the male population, and possible bias in inferences of genetic differences and parameter estimation are discussed.

Temporal variation of the mating system in a natural population of jack pine.

Mating system parameters of a northern conifer, Pinus banksiana Lamb., were estimated from allozyme polymorphisms. Seeds analyzed were obtained from serotinous cones of 30 individuals and represented four independent fertilizations in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978. Results indicated that a mixed mating system model, with a mean effective outcrossing rate of 88 +/- 0.047%, described the mating system of this stand. However, there was an approximately linear increase in the apparent selfing rate from the oldest (1975) to the newest (1978) crop. Two hypotheses could account for these observations. First, there may have been changes in the mating system during the 4-yr period, but linearity of the differences observed in this study may have been due to chance. These changes were, however, independent of the variability of the observed pollen pool. This indicated that they were not a result of different proportions of outcrossed zygotes directly observed. Second, there could have been a more or less constant amount of selfing, followed by a differential loss of viability of selfed and outcrossed zygotes during the period of storage in the cones. Under this hypothesis, selfed zygotes are at a selective disadvantage relative to outcrossed zygotes. No differences in the mating system could be demonstrated among the three crown strata of this stand. There was significant interlocus heterogeneity in the filial generation genotypic distributions and in the estimated outcrossing rates, reflecting the complex nature of forces that can affect single-locus estimates. There was evidence of some additional inbreeding, possibly due to family structures in the stand; however, this was a minor component of the total inbreeding.

Segregation of allozymes in megagametophytes of viable seed from a natural population of jack pine, Pinus banksiana Lamb.

Segregation ratios of allozymes in haploid female gametophytes obtained from viable seed were studied in a natural population of jack pine, Pinus banksiana. Stability of these ratios was assessed for three levels of the sexually reproductive crown as well as for four years of natural fertilization. Analyses of observed segregation ratios of four of five polymorphic isozyme loci showed good correspondence to the overall 1∶1 ratios expected for simple Mendelian inheritance. Allozymes of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase did not segregate in the expected 1∶1 ratio. In addition, there were significant deviations from the expected segregation ratio for all the loci at some sampling positions on individual trees. Heterogeneity of segregation among trees, strata and years could be the result of pollen pool heterogeneity, segregation distortion and/or recessive lethal and semi-lethal gene combinations resulting in early embryo abortion. These types of segregation deviations in viable seed can affect the estimation of allele frequencies from bulked samples of a small number of individuals, the inference of heterozygosity/homozygosity of parental trees, and estimates of selfing rates.

Estimation of mating system parameters in plant populations using the EM algorithm.

An EM algorithm procedure is presented for the maximum-likelihood estimation of mating system parameters of mixed mating system models for both angiosperms and gymnosperms. One advantage of the procedure is the ability to accommodate any number of alleles in the mature population and pollen pool. Estimates of the outcrossing rate ([Formula: see text]) derived from the model are bounded strictly within the natural biological range (i.e., 0 ≦ [Formula: see text] ≦1).