Sex and Sex-Determination in the Light of Observations and Experiments on Diecious Plants

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A general presentation of the author''s work on sex conditions and sex-reversal in plants. The results of treatment with short-day illumination and nutrition for the following species are given: Cannabis sativa, Humulus japonicus, Arisaema triphyllum, A. dracontium, Thalictrum dasycarpum, Acnida tamarisdna, Morus alba, Thalictrum dioicum, and Zea mays. The author concludes that the 3 lines of evidence[long dash]the non-correspondence of chromosome aggregations and segregations with the time of sex determination in the great majority of plant and animal types, the taxonomic relation of the unisexual and monosporangiate species to the hermaphroditic and bisporangiate species, and the experimental work on the diecious species themselves[long dash]all indicate that sexuality is physiologic and that specific sexuality as maleness and femaleness is not a matter of Mendelian heredity, but is conditioned on functional states. The conditions and movements of sex-determination and changes are presented under the simile of a poised balance which with greater or less loads of the proper nutritive activity will in various species lead to neutral states, secondary sexual states. incomplete primary sexual states, or complete primary sexual states, [male] and [female] . These conditions arise in the ontogeny of the individual or organ in the order named, the incomplete primary sexual state, however, is known in only a few groups. A complete bibliography of the author''s papers on sex is appended.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: