Meiotic variation in an intergenomic autopolyploid series. I. Chiasma frequency.

Variation in chiasma frequency has been studied in PMCs of diploids and C0 autotetraploids of seven Lathyrus species exhibiting a range of genome size (10.8-19.9 pg DNA/2C). Variation in chiasma frequency showed no relation to changes in genome size, either between species or between disomic sets within nuclei. Mean chiasma frequency of the tetraploids showed a 75% increase over that in the diploids. Half of this increase represents an additive effect of chromosome doubling. Total variance in chiasma frequency of autotetraploids increases by 80% over that in diploids, in line with the square of the multiplicative effect of chromosome doubling. At the diploid level, interspecific differences account for the major component of variance (63.1%). Phenotypic variation in chiasma frequency was apparent in all seven species but represented the smallest component of variance (2.8%). Chromosome doubling results in an eightfold increase in the absolute size of the phenotypic component of variance in chiasma frequency and a threefold increase in that of the cellular component. It has no effect on the absolute size of the interspecific component.