Abstract
WHEREAS most of the statistical work on fluctuations (Darwin's individual variations) has related to their occurrence in a race or species, the author has focussed his attention upon fluctuations within the individual plant. His extensive data are derived from measurements of leaves and various floral parts, as well as by counting the numbers of ray-florets in two species of Aster. The conclusion is reached that extra-individual fluctuation is a summation of the fluctuations within the various individuals and that the two phenomena are identical. The graphs in all cases betray a definite rhythm, a rise to a maximum and a subsequent fall to a minimum, but the fluctuations show slight differences in character which can be reduced to three principal types. In the final section the author concludes that the ultimate causes of this fluctuation are inherent in the protoplasm, but that its manifestation, and to some extent also its special character, are dependent on external and internal factors.
Die intraindividuelle fluktuierende Variabilität: eine Untersuchung über die Abänderung des Pflanzenindividuums und die Periodizität der Lebenserscheinungen.
Von Prof. Dr. E. Dennert. (Botanische Abhandlungen, Heft 9.) Pp. 149. (Jena: Gustav Fischer, 1926.) 7 gold marks.
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[Book Reviews]. Nature 118, 873 (1926). https://doi.org/10.1038/118873c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/118873c0