The Origin and Function of Heterostyly in Angiosperms

This bachelor's theses focuses on the phenomenon of heterostyly, which is an extraordinary feature of several representatives of plants from Angiosperm group like primroses /Primula/, based on two or three simultaneously occuring forms of one species, and expresses itself by opposite height configuration of anthers and stigmas, and that supports a reciprocal pollination and decreases a risk of self-pollination. The introduction in the beginning of the theses compares heterostyly with another various adaptations, which Angiosperms use them to avoid self-pollination. Further, the theses is divided to topical chapters, such as occurence and types of heterostyly (distyly, tristyly), and there are also many mentions about history of research of this phenomenon and about possibilities, according to which the heterostyly could have been evolved. In the theses there are mentioned other supplementary features, such as pollen grain differences as well. Also, this theses dedicates to interactions between heterostylous plants and pollinators and even to a brief genetic basis of heterostyly, which is a very important topic for explaining all these features. In the conclusion, there is mentioned a project named "The chase for cowslips", which is mapping populations of primroses - cowslips /Primula veris/ in..