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VIMS Articles

2004

Inbreeding; mating system; outbreeding; reproductive assurance; seed production

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Seed Production From The Mixed Mating System Of Chesapeake Bay (Usa) Eelgrass (Zostera Marina; Zosteraceae), Jm Rhode, Je Duffy Feb 2004

Seed Production From The Mixed Mating System Of Chesapeake Bay (Usa) Eelgrass (Zostera Marina; Zosteraceae), Jm Rhode, Je Duffy

VIMS Articles

In monoecious plants, gametes can be exchanged in three ways: among unrelated genets (outbreeding), with close relatives (inbreeding), or within individuals (geitonogamous selling). These different mating systems may have consequences for population demography and fitness. The experiment presented herein used artificial crosses to examine the mating system of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, USA eelgrass (Zostera marina L; Zosteraceae), a bisexual submerged aquatic plant that can outbreed, inbreed, and self. Genetic data indicate severe heterozygosity deficiencies and patchy genotype distribution in these beds, suggesting that plants therein reproduce primarily by vegetative propagation, autogamy, or geitonogamy. To clarify eelgrass reproductive strategies, flowers from …