XVI International Botanical Congess

Due to variation in levels of male sterility both over time and between populations, Bouteloua chondrosioides, a perennial, diclinous, grass presents itself as an organism of great interest to scientists studying plant mating systems. Preliminary data indicates that expression of male sterility in B. chondrosioides is a complex interaction between the genotype and the environment. This poster will present data to characterize the natural history of B. chondrosioides, the genetic structure of populations using allozyme markers, and data on the heritability of male sterility. This will increase our understanding of the significance and evolution of plant mating systems and lay the groundwork for future tests on the role of male sterility in plant mating systems.