Genetic Variation in Seed and Fruit Characters in Sugar Maple

摘要

A study of the seeds and fruits of sugar maples from 32 provenances has shown that: (1) dry weight of seed and percentage of filled fruit varied genetically among and within provenances; (2) dry weight of seed and latitude of provenance are positively correlated; provenances from higher latitudes and colder temperatures exhibited higher weights; (3) the percentage of filled fruit was not significantly related to dry weight of seed and was negatively correlated with latitude; (4) dry weight of seed exhibited a complex pattern of genetic variation; in the northeast the variation was ecotypic with a strong suggestion of a cline within ecotype; in the remainder of the species' range the variation appeared clinal in nature.