Limitations of Gene Markers as Applied to the Characterization of Plant mating Systems : Biochemical Markers in the Population Genetics of Forest Trees

The Hague

1991

S. 129-142

16 Lit. Ang.

Bandaufführung

74910

In plant populations, mating events can usually be recorded only as the fusion of gametes. Hence, as a rule, estimations of mating frequencies must be based on seed samples. The characterization of mating systems is thus basically concerned with identification of the parents that contributed to a zygote, where indentification of the two gametes forming a zygote requires genetic markers. However, the fact that only in exceptional cases the parents contributing gametes to a zygote can be identified from knowledge of the zygoteJs genotype causes special problems in the analysis of the mating system. Among these are the measurement of mating preferences, the specification of potential mating partners, the appropriate classification into random and the various forms of assortative mating, the mode of sampling offspring, the estimation and interpretation of proportions of self-fertilization, the use of ordered or unordered genotypes and multiple locus gene markers. It is pointed out that many of these problems can be solved with the help of a particular concept of mating preferences.