Spores from three bryophyte species with dwarf males (
Homalothecium lutescens
,
Homalothecium sericeum
and
Isothecium alopecuroides
) were sown on shoots of
H. lutescens in vitro
. After 10 months, presence and fertility of dwarf plants were scored. Spores of the more distantly related
I. alopecuroides
were unable to develop into dwarf plants on
H. lutescens
. Spores of both
H. lutescens
and
H. sericeum
developed into dwarf plants. In fact, dwarf plants of
H. sericeum
were both more abundant and more often fertile than those of
H. lutescens
. The ability of
H. sericeum
spores to develop into dwarf males on shoots of
H. lutescens
suggests a possible pathway for hybridization between the two species. On the other hand, the inability of
I. alopecuroides
to develop into dwarf males on shoots of
H. lutescens
suggests that regulation of spore germination and dwarf male development on host shoots is associated with the degree of relatedness between species.
Osteogenesis imperfecta in a dwarf male with SOL: A head on challenge taken up by anaesthesiologists
