PROGENY ANALYSIS BY ISOZYME MARKERS IN THE POLYPLOID LIVERWORT PLAGIOCHASMA RUPESTRE

Crossing experiments showed that the polyploid (n = 18) bisexual liver wort Plagiochasma rupestre is capable of self-fertilization, as well a s cross-fertilization. Progeny of natural and controlled fertilization s were analysed with respect to segregation of two isozyme markers. No segregation was observed in offspring from field-fertilized sporophyt es. Induced fertilizations showed that esterase activity is controled by one locus. The activity of glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase is c ontrolled by two genes. Isozyme patterns are explained by genome dupli cation (n = 18), but the two chromosome sets behave independently. All opolyploidy seems therefore to be the most likely origin of the duplic ation.