John, If a recessive allele becomes fixed in a population it is usually not a random event - something is exerting selection pressure that gives the plants with the recessive allele some reproductive advantage so that they set more seed than those without it. In the case of floral characters such as fragrance, that is almost always pollinator mediated selection. Alan ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Bryan" <johnbryan@worldnet.att.net> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 1:42 PM Subject: Re: [pbs] Fragrance > Alan; > What do you understand "natural selection" to mean? How do you relate > this to fragrance? Cheers, John E. Bryan > > Nolo Contendre wrote: > > > > "The colonies in North Africa were of the type that allowed > > the gene to surface and were thus fragrant. " > > > > John - this still isn't a reason to counter pollinator selection pressure in > > North Africa for fragrance. Or do you not believe in natural selection? > > > > Alan Meerow > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "John Bryan" <johnbryan@worldnet.att.net> > > To: <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > > Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 12:47 PM > > Subject: [pbs] Fragrance > > > > > Dear All; > > > > > > Mary Sue posed a question regarding fragrance in some plants in the same > > > species having fragrance and others of the same species not having any > > > fragrance. > > > > > > I do not think this has anything to do with pollinators, rather > > > geographic variation. I remember discussing this with Professor > > > Doorenbos in Wagening, The Netherlands, back in 1956, when I was living > > > and studying in The Netherlands. He told me that Cyclamen hederifolium > > > from North Africa had a distinct fragrance, while others from other > > > regions of the Mediterranean did not. His opinion was that the gene > > > carrying the fragrance character was present in all of the species but > > > recessive. The colonies in North Africa were of the type that allowed > > > the gene to surface and were thus fragrant. No doubt other colonies with > > > fragrant flowers were to be found in isolated pockets within the natural > > > range of the plants, but all from North Africa were fragrant. This seems > > > to me to be a logical reason. If it were due to pollinators the > > > variations and ability to adapt to a particular habitat would mean that > > > even greater variances in fragrance would be apparent. Cheers, John E. > > > Bryan > > > _______________________________________________ > > > pbs mailing list > > > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > > > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > pbs mailing list > > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > >