Experimentally induced inter-bivalent redistribution of chiasmata in Delphinium

Abstract

The non-random distribution of chiasmata in a bivalent due to the occurrence of interference is well known. It has been suggested by some authors that the inter-bivalent distribution of chiasmata may also not be independently determined. Correlation studies on chiasma frequencies have demonstrated competition for chiasmata between bivalents in some organisms but not in others. In the course of investigations on the cytogenetic effects of ionizing radiations on plants, we have been able to affect changes of chiasma frequency in one group of chromosomes in the nucleus and observe the reaction of the other group to this experimentally induced condition.