Rover+the+Clover


 * __White Clover //(Trifolium repens)// __**


 * Family: Fabaceae **


 *  Figure 1. **White Clover (Image from http://informedfarmers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/white-clover-pic11.jpg)

n Predominantly self-incompatible, therefore cross-pollination is essential for seed set n Pollen is not easily dispersed by wind and any airborne pollen results in ineffective pollination n Most important pollination agents is bees, esp. the honey bee (Apis mellifera) n In the absence of effective pollinating agents seed set is very low with reports of 0-2.7 seeds produced per flower head. Bees improve the efficiency of pollen deposits and several visits by bees to a floret maximize pollen tube access to ovules (over 90%) ( **Rodet et al, 1998) ** n Seed set can be increased by artificially pollinating floret by hand pollination or rubbing the flower heads together to promote selfing, as mechanical damage has been shown to be important in stimulating pollen germination  **(Harris 1987)**
 * __Pollination and Fertilisation __**


 *  Figure 2. **Honey bee (Image from http://bbe-tech.com/bees/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/honey-bee.jpg)

n Prostrate legume and tends to be a short-lived perennial but can behave as an annual under moisture stressed conditions n **Stolon** <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: underground stem; the lateral stolons are nutritionally supported by adventitious roots and become independent plants n <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Stems** <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: smooth and hairless; stipules are short, needle-point on bluntish end, spherical seed head n <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Leaves** <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">: typically trifoliate; leaflets oval or heart shape may have light crescent mark on upper side; smooth, hairless n <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Flowers:** <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">30-40 white or pale pink flowers per seed head; the heads are dome shaped up to ~2.5 cm diameter; fused sepals, five free petals; hermaphroditic; keel, wings, banner <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">; d <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">iadelphous androecium structure (Stamens; 9 fused, 1 free) n <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Pods:** <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">small, oblong pods containing 3-4 seeds n <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**Seeds:** <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">brown/yellow; egg/heart-shape; ~1.6 million/kg
 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Floral morphology __**


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Figure 3. **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Opened out flower. Scale bar = 5mm (Photograph from lab)


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Figure 4. **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Flower parts separated out (Photograph from lab)


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> Figure 5. **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">White Clover Stages of development (Photograph from lab)


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Variability of Floral Morphology __**

n <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Very little variability in floral morphology


 * || **<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Number of samples ** || **<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Average **<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(mm) || **<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">SD ** ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Seed Head Diameter ** || <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9 || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">19.7 || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3.8 ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Flower Length ** || <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">26 || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">9.08 || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1.11 ||

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">* Measurements taken with calipers <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">* Measuring the distances between stigma and anther was difficult with calipers as they were very close together. It was also difficult as the flower parts often had moved or ripped while opening up the flower <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">* The stigma and anthers were estimated to be only a few millimetres apart

n <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">White Clover flowers do have nectar however w <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">e did not find any nectar in the flowers when we checked with a <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">capillary <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;"> tube
 * __Nectar Information__**

n <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">T <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">he pollen grains possess a multifaceted morphology. Some appear spherical and others are slightly eclipse-shaped. n <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Found abundantly in the pollen sacs located on the terminal end of stamens.
 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Pollen Morphology __**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">What type of pollen does this species produce and how abundant is it within each flower? **

n <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Taking a guestimation of number of pollen grains viewed under a microscope at a particular magnification level n <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Splitting the image using a grid composed of equally sized squares, and counting the number of pollen grains/square, then multiplying the squares covering the area of dispersed grains, will produce a reasonable approximation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">How could you count the number of pollen grain? What size and shape are they? **



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(scale bar = 30 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">µm <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">), the bottom image is at 4x magnification (scale bar = 150 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;">µm) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">. Average <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">diameter of the pollen grains was found to be approximately 30 microns. (Photograph from lab)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Figure 6. **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Pollen grains under microscope. The top two images are at 40x magnification

=__**References**__=
 * En.wikipedia.org (2002) //Fabaceae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabaceae [Accessed: 16 Oct 2012].**


 * Pasturepicker.com.au (2007) //Factsheet - White clover//. [online] Available at: http://www.pasturepicker.com.au/Html/White_clover.htm****[Accessed: 16 Oct 2012].**


 * Harris, W. White Clover- How Much and How to Get it.pp 73-79. []**


 * Rodet, G., Vaissiere, B. E. Brevault, T., Torre-Grossa, J.P. (1998). Status of Self-pollen in bee pollination efficiency of white clover (//Trifolium repens L.).// Oecologia 114: 93-99.**