Primary measurement of pollen flow inLiriodendron chinense using RAPD markers

Techniques of tracking movements of pollen grains are essential for many topics in pollination biology. Pollen transfer ofLiriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg., a hermaphroditic plant, may be both interfloral and intrafloral pollination. Observations on pollinator movements and flower emasculated experiments in natural populations showed that most of pollen grains deposited on stigmas in a flower are foreign. But it is not certain whether cross pollination or long distance pollen transfer occurs in this insect-pollinated plant. The authors attempt to use random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) loci for paternity analysis to mark pollen dispersal. The results indicated pollen via gene transportation reached at least 100 m away from the pollen source in a selected population. The primary study suggests a larger effective population size in this endangered plant. With its rapid and simple characters, RAPD methods can be a suitable technique for marking pollen flow and able to be widely used in various taxa.