JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2011, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (03): 25-.doi: 10.3969/j.jssn.1000-2006.2011.03.026

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Recent advance of reproductive biology in Rhododendron L.

TIAN Xiaoling1, MA Yongpeng2,3, ZHANG Changqin2, TANG Gengguo1*, ZHANG Jingli4   

  1. 1. College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; 2. Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, China; 3. The Graduate University, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049, China; 4. College of Horticulture and Landscape, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
  • Online:2011-06-13 Published:2011-06-13

Abstract: In this paper, we reviewed the research progress of Rhododendron, including palynology, breeding system and pollination biology in recent years. Finally, future studies on reproductive biology of Rhododendron should address these 4 important questions: (1) What is the evolutionary significance of threadforming structure of pollen in Rhododendron? (2) Comparative studies on reproductive biology from different species and different populations in the same species should be carried out, to find effecting factors on breeding systems and pollinators diversity as well as understand pollinating characters in Rhododendron. (3) Selecting suitable genes to find possible species from hybrid origin and constructing a much more scientific phylogeny, thereby solving problems in classical botanical taxonomy. (4) Understanding reproductive traits of hybrids from different populations and realizing the different selective pressures on parental and hybrid species, to discover the function of reproductive isolation imposed by pollinators in the process of hybridizing speciation.

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