Four ascospore-pigmentation mutants were crossed with their wild-types by methods giving a considerable degree of synchrony in perithecial development; segregation patterns were scored from perithecia at different stages of maturity. The observed second-division segregation frequencies for asco in N. crassa were at a maximum when little or no ascal dehiscence had occurred but decreased markedly as dehiscence proceeded. No significant change in this frequency with maturity occurred for tan spore in Neurospora but in S. fimicola the observed second-division segregation frequencies for gray and hyaline rose with increasing perithecial maturity. As similar changes in this frequency were observed when asci were mounted in water instead of the 2 m sucrose solution normally used, it was concluded that changes in this frequency with maturity generally resulted from a differential maturation and bursting of asci with different spore arrangements, rather than from changes in crossover frequency in successive meioses. Some evidence of the latter phenomenon was found in two of the Sordaria crosses.

In a cross of asco × rib-1 in Neurospora, the observed frequency of recombination between the two loci was significantly higher in dispersed spores collected from young perithecia than in those from more mature perithecia: this effect was probably an artifact resulting from the differential maturation and bursting of asci with different divisions of segregation for asco. In a cross of crisp × + in Neurospora, an excess of crisp progeny was obtained from dispersed spores and an excess of +-progeny from spores from harvested perithecia. These deviations from the expected 1:1 ratio for cr: + were thought to result from a differential maturation of asci with different segregation patterns for crisp and the failure of many dehiscing asci to expel all eight spores.

Hypotheses to explain the various phenomena observed were discussed. Suggestions were made concerning the avoidance of bias from the differential maturation and bursting of asci in experimental procedures used in the study of recombination and gene conversion. This bias may be responsible for some phenomena previously attributed to events at meiosis.

Bulinus truncatus, one of the intermediate hosts of the genus Schistosoma is an hermaphrodite freshwater snail species occupying a variety of environments over almost all Africa. These environments are subjected to large variations in water availability. B. truncatus is allotetraploid and its populations exhibit various frequencies of aphallic individuals (unable to reproduce as male). Both traits probably favour a reproduction by self-fertilization. Here we investigate the genetic structure of populations of B. truncatus of Niger and Ivory Coast using protein electrophoresis to analyse the influence of the environment and of both the last traits. To obtain an estimate of the true heterozygosity in this allotetraploid species, we analyse independently the two diploid loci at each tetraploid locus. Our study indicates (i) an extremely low intrapopulation polymorphism with most alleles fixed and the total absence of heterozygotes and (ii) low differentiation between populations. These results indicate high gene flow between populations. However, the existence of private alleles sometimes at high frequency, the low polymorphism and the lack of heterozygotes point to the role of both genetic drift and self-fertilization, the second amplifying the genetic consequences of the first.

A modifier locus is described that alters the level of phenotypic expression of the third chromosome mutant glass in a sex specific manner. Alternative alleles either confer a sexually dimorphic level of pigment in glass mutants, with the male being greater, or cause similar expression in the two sexes. The alleles are indistinguishable in females but produce the respective phenotypes in males. The gene maps to the tip of the X chromosome at position 0·96 ± 0·11. Cytologically, the locus is present between polytene bands 3A6–8 and 3C2–3 as determined by its inclusion in translocated X segments in w + Y, Dp(l;2)w70h31 and Dp(l;3)w67k27 The dimorphic allele is dominant to the nondimorphic condition in males heterozygous for an insertional translocation carrying the dimorphic allele and a normal chromosome carrying the nondimorphic form. The dimorphic allele in two doses in males does not exhibit a dosage effect. The modifier phenotype is unaffected in two X flies by the presence of the transformer mutation.

Effects of the incompatibility factors in Schizophyllum commune Fries on the process of hyphal fusion are described. A role for the A incompatibility factor in hyphal fusion is indicated. Matings between strains with different mating types have higher fusion frequencies than matings between strains with the same mating types. Evidence is presented that the differences in fusion frequencies are not due to genetical factors other than mating types. When two strains of different mating types are grown in the same culture plate, but separated by a cellophane membrane, the strains are altered in some unexplained manner in such a way that even matings between strains of the same mating type have a higher fusion frequency than occurs in matings between compatible strains not so treated. Matings leading to the formation of common-B and dikaryotic mycelia have comparable fusion frequencies while those leading to the formation of common-A mycelia have a far lower frequency of fusions. It has been demonstrated that high fusion frequency is associated with heterozygosity at the A locus. It is suggested that a repression–derepression mechanism involving a cell wall degrading enzyme or enzymes may be involved in the regulation of hyphal fusion.

Prophage H90 has been found to undergo a phenomenon similar to zygotic induction, during conjugal transfer from a lysogenic donor to a non-lysogenic recipient.

It has not been possible to demonstrate that the level of infectious centres increases concomitantly with transfer of the prophage. However, the genetic consequence of zygotic induction was observed with regard to decreased recombinant yield of markers distal to the prophage. This latter fact has been exploited in interrupted mating experiments, to locate the prophage at between 5 and 7 min on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO map. It was further shown by transduction experiments that the prophage does not appear to be linked to clusters of co-transductional markers at the 5 and 7 min locations.

Embryos were recovered 3½ days post coitum from females of three replicate large- and small-selected Q-strain lines, together with their unselected control lines. Selection had been carried out by D.S. Falconer, resulting in large and small lines which differed two-fold in adult body weight. Females of the large lines yielded significantly more embryos than those of the other lines. Embryo cell number showed significant heterogeneity among replicates, but was similar in large, small and unselected lines. The data are not consistent with the hypothesis that the divergence in adult body weight is due to a uniform difference in rate of cell division throughout development.

A natural population of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. was screened for genetic variation at 59 protein loci, using a sample of parr, the juvenile freshwater stage. The mean heterozygosity per locus, estimated at 0·033 ± 0·014, is similar to that described in other salmonid species but low for fish species in general. Variation was observed at AAT, IDH, MD–ME, GLO, ADA, and SDH loci. The methods described should prove useful in stock discrimination and in producing salmon for restocking and sea-rearing. The observed extent of gene duplication is discussed in relation to the evolution and systematics of the salmonid fishes.

Covariance between direct and maternal genetic effects on body weight in random-bred ICR mice at 2 through 10 weeks of age was estimated from cross-fostering experiments. The covariance contributes only a few percent of phenotypic variance at 2 weeks, but increases to 10–15% at later ages. Nearly all estimates are positive. We suggest that genes active during later parts of growth affect maternal performance more than those active during early growth, causing increased covariance at later ages. A model of combined genetic and persistent environmental effects on maternal performance is presented. Persistent effects of genetic or environmental variation in recent ancestors can influence covariance between relatives and response to selection.

Using the 602 second chromosome lines extracted from the Ishigakijima population of Drosophila melanogaster in Japan, partial diallel cross experiments (Design II of Comstock & Robinson, 1952) were carried out, and the additive genetic variance and the dominance variance of viability were estimated. The estimated value of the additive genetic variance is 0·01754±0·00608, and the dominance variance 0·00151±0·00114, using a logarithmic scale. Since the value of the additive genetic variance is much larger than expected under mutation–selection balance although the dominance variance is compatible with it, we speculate that in the Ishigakijima population some type of balancing selection must be operating to maintain the genetic variability with respect to viability at a minority of loci. As candidates for such selection, overdominance, frequency-dependent selection, and diversifying selection are considered, and it is suggested that diversifying selection is the most probable candidate for increasing the additive genetic variance.

Genetic mapping by means of mitotic haploidization (induced by parafluoropkenylalanine) and mitotic crossing-over was carried out with the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Thirty-two different genetic markers were involved in this investigation; some meiotic linkage relationships had been previously reported (Leupold, Megnet) for 16 of these loci. Mitotic haploidization experiments resulted in the genetic identification of six chromosomes in the haploid complement.

Furthermore, in an attempt to study the mechanism of action of parafluorophenylalanine (pFPA) on mitotic haploidization, pedigree analyses were performed by micromanipulation of diploid cells growing in the presence of pFPA. Haploid cells were detected after 40 hours of contact with the analogue and many lethal pedigree branches were observed. These observations seem to agree with Käfer's (1961) and Lhoa's (1968) suggestion that mitotic haploidization in Fungi is achieved by progressive loss of chromosomes throughout cell divisions.