News from IAB

The mission of the International Association of Bryologists (IAB), as a society, is to strengthen bryology by encouraging interactions among all persons interested in byophytes.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

BRYONET: bryophyte chromosomes

BRYONET

Regarding Chromosomes.
Richard may well ask - do you remember when ...? Those were the days
when students were taught Botany as it pertained to real whole organisms
that you prodded, poked, pushed, dissected, sliced, squashed, pressed,
identified, etc., etc.
Sadly, how many Colleges or Universities actually teach much general
botany any more?
But, enough of that.
What disturbs me more than a doubling of chromosome numbers (or addition
of X rather than 2X) is the variability you find in the literature where
an extra chromosome or two is cited. Indeed, in some of the chromosome
preparations I made the chromosome size is so small it is difficult to
say whether or not that darkly stained spot is a piece of stained
nucleoplasm or cytoplasm, a chemical artefact, or even a chromosome.

Prof Rod Seppelt
Principal Research Scientist
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Higway
Kingston, Tasmania, 7050
Australia
Ph +61 (0)3 6232 3438
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