The performance of progeny groups from two populations ofPhyteuma nigrum, with particular reference to the chance of survival or extinction

Knowledge of minimum conditions for regeneration is of particular importance in estimating chances of survival and recovery of small, declining populations. In this paper, the performance of seed families from individual parents of Phyteuma nigrum are determined in order to investigate their potential for regeneration. It is argued that a low mean performance and a low level of variability of seed families may be of minor importance in large populations, but critical in small ones.