Primary measurement of pollen flow in Liriodendron chinense using RAPD markers

Techniques of tracking movements of pollen grains are essential for many to pics in pollination biology. Pollen transfer of Liriodendron chinense (Hems l.) Sarg., a hermaphroditic plant, may be both interfloral and intrafloral pollination. Observations on pollinator movements and flower emasculated ex periments in natural populations showed that most of pollen grains deposite d on stigmas in a flower are foreign. But it is not certain whether cross p ollination or long distance pollen transfer occurs in this insect-pollinate d plant. The authors attempt to use random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) loci for paternity analysis to mark pollen dispersal. The results indicate d pollen via gene transportation reached at least 100 m away from the polle n source in a selected population. The primary study suggests a larger effe ctive population size in this endangered plant. With its rapid and simple c haracters, RAPD methods can be a suitable technique for marking pollen flow and able to be widely used in various taxa.