0000000000037686
AUTHOR
Katri Kärkkäinen
Genetic basis of trichome production in Arabidopsis lyrata.
Leaf trichomes may protect plants against herbivorous insects, and may increase tolerance to drought and UV-radiation. The perennial herb Arabidopsis lyrata (Brassicaceae) is polymorphic for trichome production and occurs in a glabrous and trichome-producing form. In addition, there is quantitative variation in trichome density among trichome-producing plants. To examine the genetic basis of glabrousness, we conducted controlled crosses with plants originating from two natural populations in Sweden (one polymorphic for trichome-production, and one consisting of glabrous plants only). In addition, we estimated the heritability of trichome number from parent-offspring regressions for plants o…
Factors influencing the extent of inbreeding depression: an example from scots pine
Detailed studies suggest that the level of inbreeding depression may vary between populations. In a study of Scots pine from Finland, the level of inbreeding depression was much lower in northern than in southern populations. We have examined theoretically whether population genetic factors, such as the level of selfing, intensity of selection against heterozygotes or homozygotes, level of mutation, a bottleneck, finite population size, or the level of polyembryony could account for this difference. Higher selfing or stronger selection against heterozygotes in the north, both at biologically reasonable levels, appear to produce changes consistent with the observed differences and we conside…