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Studies on supernumerary chromosomes in the genus Dactylis

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Summary

  1. 1.

    In Dactylis glomerata subsp. lusitanica some populations were found to have supernumeraries. These supernumeraries were somatically stable, heterochromatic and had sub-median centromeres. At metaphase I they were about half the size of the smallest euchromatic chromosomes.

  2. 2.

    At diakinesis and metaphase I, the supernumeraries formed bivalents and multivalents in moderately high frequency. Some multivalent configurations had triple-chiasmata. There were no differences in the chiasma frequencies in supernumeraries between various genotypes with two supernumeraries except in the case of comparisons involving the asynaptic plant. The two genotypes with 4 supernumeraries also did not differ in this respect.

  3. 3.

    In plant Dgl 585-3 (2n+3s) the chiasma frequency in supernumeraries differed highly significantly in two years, while with respect to the normal set the differences were insignificant.

  4. 4.

    Anaphase I separation was studied in plants with one and two supernumeraries. In plants with one supernumerary both non-disjunction and the division of the univalent supernumerary were found. In plants with two supernumeraries the two supernumeraries on the whole disjoined regularly to the two poles. In the asynaptic plant (2n+2s), where the two supernumeraries were present as univalents in most of the cells, in only one cell out of 72 had one of the supernumeraries divided. The data on lagging supernumeraries at both the meiotic divisions, indicate a correlation between the extent of pairing of supernumeraries and a reduction in frequency of laggards. Thus in this respect they resemble the normal set.

  5. 5.

    Data were also collected with respect to the position of the univalent supernumerary on the spindle at metaphase I and the effect of supernumeraries on morphological characters and pollen fertility.

  6. 6.

    Asynapsis seems to affect the supernumeraries much more than the normal chromosomes. A higher frequency of non-chiasmate associations between supernumeraries and the normal set was found to be associated with asynapsis. In spite of a very low pairing in supernumeraries under the influence of asynapsis, they disjoined regularly to the poles.

  7. 7.

    Evidence was found for the non-disjunction of supernumeraries at pollen mitosis in Dactylis. The variance for the case when supernumeraries were transmitted from the male side was significantly higher.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of California, Davis

    S. S. Shah

  2. c/o Dr. C. S. Shah, Asst. Professor's Quarters Vallabh Vidyanagar, Dist. Kaira, India

    S. S. Shah

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  1. S. S. Shah
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Partly based on a dissertation submitted to the Graduate Division, Northern Section, of the University of California in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

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Shah, S.S. Studies on supernumerary chromosomes in the genus Dactylis. Chromosoma 14, 162–185 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336758

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336758

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