Abstract
THE movement of pollen is a critical event in the population genetics of wind-pollinated plants. Neighbourhood size and potential for genetic differentiation, for example, are significantly influenced by pollen flight distances1,2. The evolution of phenological and morphological mechanisms that enhance wind pollination is well studied3,4, but the actual distance of pollen flight in natural populations is less clearly documented. Pollen movements have been estimated by using genetic markers in field plots5, trapping pollen with artificial barriers6, and catching radioisotope- and chemically-marked pollen of conifers7–9. I report the successful measurement of wind-dispersed pollen in natural populations of woodland herbs, using neutron-activation analysis of surface-treated pollen. Preliminary results suggest highly restricted pollen movement in these herbs.
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HANDEL, S. Restricted pollen flow of two woodland herbs determined by neutron-activation analysis. Nature 260, 422–423 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/260422a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/260422a0
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