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Open AccessMendel’s terminology and notation reveal his understanding of genetics
We describe both the terminology and use of symbols introduced by Mendel in his 1866 paper and discuss some misconceptions concerning their interpretation.
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Mendel’s reaction to Darwin’s provisional hypothesis of pangenesis and the experiment that could not wait
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How did Mendel arrive at his discoveries?
There are few historical records concerning Gregor Johann Mendel and his work, so theories abound concerning his motivation. These theories range from Fisher’s view that Mendel was testing a fully formed previ...
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A PARTHENOGENESIS allele from apomictic dandelion can induce egg cell division without fertilization in lettuce
Apomixis, the clonal formation of seeds, is a rare yet widely distributed trait in flowering plants. We have isolated the PARTHENOGENESIS (PAR) gene from apomictic dandelion that triggers embryo development in un...
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Open AccessMendel’s pea crosses: varieties, traits and statistics
A controversy arose over Mendel’s pea crossing experiments after the statistician R.A. Fisher proposed how these may have been performed and criticised Mendel’s interpretation of his data. Here we re-examine M...
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Analysis of wild Taraxacum bicorne Dahlst. (Compositae–Crepidinae) as a potential alternative natural rubber crop
Taraxacum koksaghyz Rodin, a dandelion from the steppes of south-eastern Kazakhstan, has been known for long time as potential rubber producer, as a temperate region alternative to the tropical rubber tree Hevea ...
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Fine map** of Restorer-of-fertility in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) identified a candidate gene encoding a pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR)-containing protein
Using fine map** techniques, the genomic region co-segregating with Restorer - of ...
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Available ex situ germplasm of the potential rubber crop Taraxacum koksaghyz belongs to a poor rubber producer, T. brevicorniculatum (Compositae–Crepidinae)
Cultivation of the Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) as a rubber producing crop was abandoned more than 50 years ago. Recently the interest in the Russian dandelion has renewed, due to the increasing demand...
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Open AccessGenetic fine-map** of DIPLOSPOROUS in Taraxacum (dandelion; Asteraceae) indicates a duplicated DIP-gene
DIPLOSPOROUS (DIP) is the locus for diplospory in Taraxacum, associated to unreduced female gamete formation in apomicts. Apomicts reproduce clonally through seeds, including apomeiosis, parthenogenesis, and auto...
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Article
A hold on plant meiosis
The process of meiosis involves genetic shuffling that dilutes the desirable traits of sexually reproducing crops. Identification of a mutation in which shuffling does not occur is a step forward for plant bre...
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Identification of a male-specific AFLP marker in a functionally dioecious fig, Ficus fulva Reinw. ex Bl. (Moraceae)
A male-specific amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker was identified in the functionally dioecious fig species, Ficus fulva. A total of 89 polymorphic fragments from three primer combinations were ...
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The occurrence of phenotypically complementary apomixis-recombinants in crosses between sexual and apomictic dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
Apomictic seed development in dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) involves (1) restitutional meiosis (diplospory), (2) egg cell parthenogenesis, and (3) autonomous endosperm development. The question is whether thes...
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Comparative cyto-embryological investigations of sexual and apomictic dandelions (Taraxacum) and their apomictic hybrids
In the autonomous apomictic Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion), parthenogenetic egg cells develop into embryos and central cells into endosperm without prior fertilisation. Unreduce...
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Crosses between sexual and apomictic dandelions (Taraxacum). I. The inheritance of apomixis
Some dandelions, Taraxacum, are diplosporous gametophytic apomicts. Crosses between closely related diploid sexuals and triploid apomicts were made to study the inheritance of apomixis. Seed-set was less than one...
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Article
Crosses between sexual and apomictic dandelions (Taraxacum). II. The breakdown of apomixis
Some dandelions are diplosporous gametophytic apomicts. In order to study the inheritance and breakdown of apomixis, crosses were made between diploid sexuals and triploid apomicts. To investigate their breedi...