FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ENERGY AND REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN A DOUGLAS-FIR SEED ORCHARD AND ITS IMPACT ON GENETIC DIVERSITY

The relationship between reproductive energy and reproductive success and its impact on clonal female gamete contribution were studied in a clonal Douglas-fir [Pseudosuga menziesii (MIRB.) FRANCO] seed orchard. The Effect of among- vs. within-clonal variation on seed-cone crop (energy) and filled-seed yield (success) was determined by partitioning their respective variance components. Clonal gametic representations were expressed using GRIFFIN's (1982) parental-balance curves and CROW and KIMURA's (1970) effective population number. Seed-cone and filled-seed yields produced similar parental-balance curves and female effective population numbers: Although similar parcental-balance curves and female effective population numbers were produced, the actual clonal gametic representation differed when the contribution of any set of specific clones were considered. It was concluded that parental-balance curves and female effective population numbers provide a static description of the genetic representation and do not illustrate the dynamics of clonal reproductive outputs.