This research proposes a method to solve the adaptive, multi-objective job shop scheduling problem. Adaptive scheduling is necessary to deal with internal and external disruptions faced in real life manufacturing environments. Minimizing the mean tardiness for jobs to effectively meet customer due date requirements and minimizing mean flow time to reduce the lead time jobs spend in the system are optimized simultaneously. An asexual reproduction genetic algorithm with multiple mutation strategies is developed to solve the multi-objective optimization problem. The model is tested for single day and multi-day adaptive scheduling. Results are compared with those available in the literature for standard problems and using priority dispatching rules. The findings indicate that the genetic algorithm model can find good solutions within short computational time.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-09-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:24:47Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 cavichioli_jc_dr_ilha.pdf: 512413 bytes, checksum: cd81d5957ea863badb365f4bca783ea8 (MD5) / A cultura do maracujazeiro-amarelo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.) tem sofrido com várias doenças, o que tem comprometido severamente a produção, determinando a migração da cultura. Dentre as doenças, a morte prematura de plantas tem se destacado, causando prejuízos nas lavouras do Estado de São Paulo. Essa doença tem sido associada a fungos do solo, como Fusarium oxysporum f. passiflorae, Fusarium solani, Phytophthora sp. e também a bactéria, como Xanthomonas axonopodis f. passiflorae. As medidas de controle da morte prematura são preventivas, e, uma vez afetada pelos patógenos, a planta morrerá, pois não há controle curativo. A aplicação de defensivos químicos não tem sido eficiente na solução do problema da morte prematura de plantas. A enxertia do maracujazeiro-amarelo em portaenxerto resistente é uma técnica promissora para o controle desta doença. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo verificar o desempenho de plantas de maracujazeiro-amarelo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) enxertadas em três diferentes espécies de maracujazeiro, em dois sistemas de enxertia, em área com e sem histórico de morte prematura. Foram conduzidos três experimentos, sendo dois em viveiro e um no campo, no município de Adamantina, SP, na região da Nova Alta Paulista, no período de dezembro de 2005 a julho de 2007. Pelos resultados verificou-se que os dois métodos de enxertia utilizados foram bem sucedidos para as três espécies de maracujazeiros estudadas. A utilização de P. giberti e P. alata como portaenxerto para P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa são medidas promissoras para o controle da morte prematura de plantas. Plantas enxertadas sobre P. giberti apresentaram menor vigor a partir dos 180 dias, menor porte vegetativo, frutos com menor diâmetro e peso e menor produtividade. / The yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg.) has been suffering with many diseases, what have been severely compromising the crop yield, determining the migration of the culture. Amongst the diseases, the premature death of plants has detached, causing crop losses the State of São Paulo. This disease has been associated with soil fungi, as Fusarium oxysporum f. passiflorae, Fusarium solani, Phytophthora sp, and also bacteria, as Xanthomonas axonopodis f. passiflorae. Measures to control premature death of plants are preventive, and, once affected by pathogens, the plant will die because there is no curative control. The application of chemical defensives has not been effective to solve the plants premature deaths. The grafting of yellow passion fruit in resistant rootstock is a promising technique for this disease control. This work aimed to evaluate the performance of yellow passion fruit grafted on three rootstocks, in two systems of grafting, cultivated in sites with or without disease history. Three experiments were carried out, two in nursery and one in the field, in Adamantina, SP, from December 2005 to July 2006. It was concluded that the two methods of grafting utilized were successful for the three species of Passiflora. The use of P. giberti and P. alata as rootstocks for P. edulis f. flavicarpa are promising measures for the control of premature death of plants. Plants grafting on P. giberti presented lower vigor form the 180 days, lower vegetative growth, fruits with lower diameter and weight and lower yield.

Estudos sobre evolução têm sido desenvolvidos desde a publicação dos trabalhos de Charles Darwin sobre a origem das espécies pela seleção natural em 1859. Durante o século XX grandes avanços foram obtidos com a utilização de modelagens matemáticas e computacionais, pois com exceção de algumas espécies que podem ter sua evolução analisada in vivo, o tempo necessário para aquisição de dados é enorme e por este motivo o enfoque computacional passou a representar uma ferramenta essencial. Nesta tese são apresentados os conceitos básicos para se entender o processo evolutivo de populações assexuadas como mutação, seleção e relevos adaptativos, bem como os resultados numéricos sobre sua evolução através do processo conhecido como catraca de Muller, que baseia-se na perda estocástica da classe de indivíduos mais adaptados da população através das mutações adquiridas ao longo de sua linhagem. Neste trabalho foram estudadas diversas dinâmicas, como a de populações que estão sujeitas à passagens seriais com gargalo, onde observamos que a velocidade da catraca na não pára devido aos altos valores de epistase, enquanto que para populações com tamanho variável (crescimento e decrescimento exponencial) a catraca pára durante o período de crescimento até a população atingir o limite permitido pelo meio-ambiente, sendo que a partir deste ponto ela se comporta como no modelo de infinitos sítios tradicional. Por último, são apresentados os resultados de populações que interagem entre si em uma dinâmica presa-predador, onde o comportamento da catraca pode ser entendido com base nas dinâmicas das populações descritas anteriormente. Um outro problema abordado nesta tese é o da utilização de medidas da topologia de árvores genealógicas para verificar a presença da seleção na evolução de uma população. Apesar dos comprimentos dos ramos das árvores apresentarem alterações quando comparados ao caso neutro, observamos que os testes estatísticos utilizados não são suficientes para inferir o efeito da seleção em populações reais. / Studies about evolution have been developed since Charles Darwin\'s publications about the Origin of species and Natural Selection in 1859. During the XX century major developments were achieved through mathematical and computational modeling, since only few number of species that their evolution can be studied in vivo, once that the time scale involed for data acquisition procedure is considerable, and for this reason the computational approach become an important tool in this study. In this thesis are presented the basic concepts to understand the process of evolution in a population as mutation, selection and adaptive landscapes, in addition some numerical results about the evolution of an asexual population using the process known as Muller\'s ratchet, that can be characterized by the stochastic loss of the most fitted class of individuals through mutations that are acquired in their lineages. During this work several dynamics were studied, likewise the populations under serial bottleneck passages, where we observed that the velocity of the ratchet never stops for high epistatic coefficients, while in population whose size can varies (increasing or decreasing exponentially) the ratchet halts during population\'s increasing until these individuals do not reach the maximum number permitted, and after this point this population behaves like the traditional infinite genome size model. At last, we show the results of populations that can interact between themselves in a predator-prey dynamics, where the behaviour of the ratchet can be understood in the previous dynamics. Another problem that was studied in this thesis is related with several topology measures of genealogical trees in order to verify the selection in a population evolution. Despite branch\'s length of the trees changed due to the selection, we could see that the statistical tests used do not be sufficient to infer the effect of selection under real populations.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-08-18T12:46:43Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Dissertação_Mayra_UFPE.pdf: 2413612 bytes, checksum: 9f70369a6f1003763649d91e64aaee5d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-18T12:46:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Dissertação_Mayra_UFPE.pdf: 2413612 bytes, checksum: 9f70369a6f1003763649d91e64aaee5d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-17 / CAPES / A mata ciliar desempenha importante papel para manutenção da qualidade da água, mas o monitoramento da água de uma bacia hidrográfica é essencial para prever possíveis impactos causados nos corpos hídricos. Nos ecossistemas aquáticos, os hifomicetos desempenham um papel importante na cadeia alimentar, pois são capazes de decompor a matéria orgânica e, consequentemente, contribuem com a ciclagem de nutrientes. As áreas de Mata Atlântica abrigam alta riqueza e diversidade de hifomicetos em ambiente aquático e as comunidades desses fungos são influenciadas pelos parâmetros abióticos da qualidade da água. Visando determinar a diversidade e composição da comunidade de hifomicetos aquáticos em duas áreas de Mata Atlântica no estado de Pernambuco e correlacionar essas comunidades com os fatores abióticos da água, foram realizadas cinco coletas de água e folhas submersas no período de agosto/2014 a maio/2015 (REBIO Saltinho e RVS Gurjaú), em seis locais de cada área. Amostras de folhas foram lavadas, cortadas (1cm2) e incubadas em temperatura ambiente, em placas de Petri contendo água destilada esterilizada. Amostras de água foram analisadas para caracterizar a qualidade da água através dos parâmetros: temperatura, pH, concentração de oxigênio dissolvido e condutividade elétrica. A inspeção diária de fragmentos foliares, ao microscópio, permitiu o registro de 46 táxons de hifomicetos com 3.351 ocorrências em 2.400 fragmentos, sendo 38 táxons e 2.221 ocorrências em 1.200 fragmentos para a REBIO Saltinho e 37 táxons e 1.130 ocorrências em 1.200 fragmentos para o RVS Gurjaú. Houve predomínio de Endophragmiella sp., Monotosporella sp. e Triscelophorus monosporus em ambas as áreas. As áreas são similares em número de táxons, diversidade e equitabilidade, porém, são diferentes quando é levada em consideração a composição da comunidade de hifomicetos e também a dominância de espécies. De modo geral, as áreas apresentaram valores adequados para as variáveis indicativas da qualidade da água e foi observado, com base na análise Bio-Env (r= 0,40; p= 0,001), que a estrutura da comunidade de hifomicetos apresentou correlação com a temperatura, pH e oxigênio dissolvido. No presente estudo foram descritas três novas espécies de hifomicetos de material submerso: Xylomyces acerosisporus, Pyramidospora quadricellularis e Codinaea aquatica. Pyramidospora fluminea e Verticicladus hainanensis são citadas pela primeira vez para o Brasil. Há maior ocorrência de hifomicetos em ambientes aquáticos com leve turbulência das águas e a estrutura da comunidade de hifomicetos aquáticos é influenciada pela qualidade da água. Áreas de Mata Atlântica sob proteção ambiental abrigam alta diversidade de hifomicetos colonizadores do folhedo submerso, reforçando a importância da preservação das matas ciliares para manutenção dos corpos hídricos e da comunidade de fungos. / The riparian vegetation performs an important role to the maintenance of water quality, but monitoring of the water in a watershed is essential to predict potential impacts in the water bodies. In aquatic ecosystems, hyphomycetes carry out an important role in the food chain as they are capable of decomposing organic matter and therefore contribute to the nutrient cycling. The areas of rainforest are home to high hyphomycetes richness and diversity in aquatic environments and the communities of these fungi are influenced by abiotic parameters of water quality. Aiming to determine the diversity and community composition of aquatic hyphomycetes in two areas of Atlantic Forest in the state of Pernambuco and to correlate these communities with the abiotic characteristics of the water, five collections of water and submerged leaves were carried out from August/2014 to May/2015 (REBIO Saltinho and RVS Gurjaú) in six locations in each area. Leaf samples were washed, cut (1cm2) and incubated at room temperature, in petri dishes containing sterile distilled water. Water samples were analyzed to characterize the quality of the water through the parameters: temperature, pH, concentration of dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity. The daily inspection of leaf fragments in the microscope allowed the registration of 46 taxa and 3.351 occurrences of hyphomycetes in 2.400 fragments, 38 taxa and 2.221 occurrences in 1.200 fragments for REBIO Saltinho and 37 taxa and 1.130 occurrences in 1.200 fragments for RVS Gurjaú. There was a predominance of Endophragmiella sp., Monotosporella sp. and Triscelophorus monosporus for both areas. The areas are similar considering number of taxa, diversity and evenness, however, they are different when the composition of the hyphomycetes community is taken into account and also when the dominance of species is regarded. In general, the areas had adequate values for the variables indicative of water quality and it has been observed, based on the Bio-Env analysis (r = 0.40; p = 0,001), that the hyphomycetes community structure presented correlation with temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen. In the present study, three new species of hyphomycetes were described from submerged material: Xylomyces acerosisporus, Pyramidospora quadricellularis and Codinaea aquatic. Pyramidospora fluminea and Verticicladus hainanensis are cited for the first time to Brazil. There is a higher occurrence of hyphomycetes in aquatic environments with mild turbulence of the water. The structure of the aquatic hyphomycetes community is influenced by water quality. Atlantic Forest areas under environmental protection house a high diversity of hyphomycetes that colonizes submerged leaf litter, reinforcing the importance of preserving riparian forests for the quality of water bodies and the fungal community.

Submitted by Geyciane Santos (geyciane_thamires@hotmail.com) on 2015-10-23T15:45:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertaçao - Ana Francisca Tibúrcia Amorim Ferreira e Ferreira.pdf: 1305242 bytes, checksum: 1127ee4c263f9ff4d20ed1b5e301cccb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-10-26T20:05:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertaçao - Ana Francisca Tibúrcia Amorim Ferreira e Ferreira.pdf: 1305242 bytes, checksum: 1127ee4c263f9ff4d20ed1b5e301cccb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-10-26T20:10:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertaçao - Ana Francisca Tibúrcia Amorim Ferreira e Ferreira.pdf: 1305242 bytes, checksum: 1127ee4c263f9ff4d20ed1b5e301cccb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-26T20:10:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertaçao - Ana Francisca Tibúrcia Amorim Ferreira e Ferreira.pdf: 1305242 bytes, checksum: 1127ee4c263f9ff4d20ed1b5e301cccb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-28 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The fungus Corynespora cassiicola is a plant pathogen that has worldwide distribution and has been reported causing disease on leaves, fruits, branches, nematode eggs, and even human skin. In Brazil, this pathogen has already caused serious damage to soybeans, papaya, acerola, and the northern region of the country, this pathogen has great importance in papaya, cucumber and tomato crops. Develop control strategies for a disease depends, among other factors, an understanding of the genetic variability and structure of the pathogen population, these being the goals of this work. We collected 169 isolates from papaya, tomato and cucumber, coming from the cities of Manaus, Iranduba and Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas state, Brazil, 9 populations totaling.The genetic diversity was analyzed with 8 ISSR primers, 191 polymorphic locus getting, and the polymorphism rate was 100%. The genetic diversity was high in all populations, where the highest genetic diversity index was found in MA2 population (M= 0.43), and the smallest in population of Presidente Figueiredo: PE3 (H = 0.13) and MA3 (H = 0.15). All genotypes showed similar frequencies in the population (E5 = 1.0). Genotypic diversity (G0) ranged from 0.7 to 2.2, and in general was low in all populations, thus proving the absence of recombination. Random association tests detected high levels of linkage disequilibrium, eliminating the null hypothesis (IA> 0), being significant at 1% probability, the highest rates were found in MA1 populations (IA= 6.08) and MA2 (IA= 5:24). Bayesian analysis detected four genetic groups with mixture of genotypes in groups 2 and 3, suggesting gene flow and structure in a host in group 1 (papaya) and 4 (tomato). The population is structured with great distinction between them. MA3 and TO1 populations had higher (θ = 0.27), and the lowest value was found in TO3; TO2 and PE3, PE2 (θ= 0.05). Analysis of AMOVA, the biggest change is occurring within populations (84.3%), while 15.70% is occurring among populations. / O fungo ascomyceto Corynespora cassiicola é um fitopatógeno de ampla distribuição mundial, e já foi relatado causando doenças em folhas, frutos, ramos, ovos de nematóide, e inclusive na pele humana. No Brasil, C. cassiicola já causou sérios danos à soja, mamão e acerola, e na região norte do país, este patógeno tem grande importância nas culturas do mamão, pepino e tomate. Desenvolver estratégias de controle para uma doença, depende, entre outros fatores, de uma compreensão acerca da variabilidade e da estrutura genética de população do patógeno, sendo esses os objetivos desse trabalho. Foram coletados 169 isolados obtidos de mamão, tomate e pepino, oriundos dos municípios de Manaus, Iranduba e Presidente Figueiredo, do estado do Amazonas, Brasil, totalizando 9 populações. A diversidade genética de C. cassiicola foi analisada com 8 primers ISSR, obtendo 191 locus polimórficos, e o percentual de polimorfismo foi 100%. A diversidade gênica foi alta em todas as populações, onde o maior índice de diversidade gênica foi encontrado na população MA2 (H=0,43), e os menores em populações do município de Presidente Figueiredo: PE3 (H=0,13) e MA3 (H=0,15). Todos os genótipos tiveram frequências idênticas na população (E5= 1,0). Diversidade genotípica (G0) variou de 0.7 a 2.2, e em geral foi baixa em todas as populações, provando assim ausência de recombinação nas populações. Os testes de associação aleatória detectaram altos níveis de desequilíbrio de ligação, dispensando a hipótese nula (IA>0), sendo significativo a 1% de probabilidade, os índices mais altos foram encontrados nas populações MA1 (IA= 6.08) e MA2 (IA=5.24). Pela análise bayesiana detectou-se 4 grupos genéticos com mistura de genótipos nos grupos 2 e 3, sugerindo fluxo gênico e com estruturação por hospedeiro no grupo 1(mamão) e 4(tomate). A população está estruturada, com grande diferenciação entre elas. Populações MA3 e TO1 apresentaram maior valor (θ= 0,27), e o menor valor de foi encontrado em TO3;TO2 e PE3;PE2 (θ=0,05). A análise da AMOVA mostrou que a maior variação esta ocorrendo dentro das populações (84,3%), enquanto que 15.70% esta ocorrendo entre as populações.

Chez l’ascidie coloniale Botryllus schlosseri, en plus de l’embryogénèse existent deux voies de développement aboutissant à la production de la même structure : l’organisme adulte ou zooide. Ces développements alternatifs ont lieu lors de processus biologiques distincts : le bourgeonnement palléal (BP) et le bourgeonnement vasculaire (BV). Le BP est un processus de multiplication asexuée présentant une ontogénèse stéréotypée. En revanche, le BV est un phénomène régénératif, induit dans les vaisseaux sanguins de la colonie par l’ablation de tous les zooides et bourgeons palléaux. Mes travaux de recherche ont eu pour objectif de caractériser les bases moléculaires et cellulaires régissant le BP et le BV chez B. schlosseri. L’étude de gènes marqueurs des lignées méso-, endo- et ectodermiques a révélé l’existence de territoires présomptifs pour chacune de ces lignées, dès les premiers stades du BV et du BP, et suggéré l’existence d’un programme unique aux deux processus. Les lignées neurales et musculaires ont été étudiées plus en détail lors du BP, indiquant un double rôle potentiel, neuro- et myo-génétique, au tube dorsal, une structure jusqu’à présent uniquement associée au système nerveux. Une caractérisation morphologique poussée a mené à l’identification de stades précoces stéréotypés du BV lors de la régénération. Enfin, l’analyse de transcriptomes de différents stades du BP et de la régénération ont initié l’étude non biaisée des bases moléculaires du bourgeonnement chez Botryllus. L’objectif à long terme de ces travaux est de décrypter les bases moléculaires et génétiques facilitant, chez les métazoaires, l’évolution de voies de développement alternatives. / In addition to embryogenesis, the colonial ascidians Botryllus schlosseri evolved two alternative developmental pathways leading to the same final structure: the adult body, or zooid. These non-embryonic ontogenesis occur during distinct biological processes: palleal budding (PB) and vascular budding (VB). PB is a process of asexual propagation, with a very stereotyped morphogenesis. Conversely, VB is a purely regenerative phenomenon, induced in the vascular system of the colony by the ablation of all zooids and palleal buds. My research work followed the objective to characterize the molecular and cellular basis of both PB and VB in B. schlosseri. The study of meso-, endo- and ectodermal lineage marker genes revealed the existence of presumptive territories of these lineages in the early palleal and vascular buds and that a single developmental program was launched in both VB and PB. Neural and muscle fates were studied in more detail for PB, indicating a potential double function, both neuro- and myo-genic for the dorsal tube, a structure so far associated with the nervous system only. A detailed morphological description of VB allowed to identify stereotyped stages during early regeneration. Eventually, a transcriptomic characterization of early VB and PB processes initiated an unbiased study of the molecular basis underlying the budding phenomenon in Botryllus. The overall goal of these research works is to unravel the molecular and genetic basis that facilitated, in Botryllus and globally in metazoan, the evolution of alternative developmental pathways.

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore and describe how two gay male parents transitioned to parenthood. The Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) theoretical model was used as the theoretical framework for understanding the experiences of the two participants in the study. The study also used an interpretivist paradigm and explorative case study design. The participants were purposely selected, and the data were generated by means of a semi-structured interview. The findings indicate that the participants experienced similar resistance from their families of origin after ‘coming out’ to them. The ability of one of the participants to become a parent was questioned. The participants in the study, like most couples, considered various factors such as their financial situation and their medical aid benefits before they decided to become parents. They also had to consider their pathway to parenthood, which in their case was adoption. The participants faced many challenges during the adoption process such as finding a country that allowed gay men to adopt, having limited adoption options due to changes in the law, and trying to get paternity leave. They reported that as parents they felt marginalised by the school system and also by having to deal with insensitive and uncomfortable questions from members of society about their family identity. Their children also experienced bullying at school. They were, however, able to establish a strong family and felt fulfilled in their role as parents. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Multiple stressors have caused a decline in coral populations. Broadcast spawning corals once dominated the Florida Reef Tract (FRT), but since their decline, smaller brooding corals, soft corals, and macroalgae are replacing them. Brooding corals are more resilient to current threats in part because they are reproductive throughout much of the year and their larvae are competent to settle after release. Despite the ubiquity of brooders on Florida reefs, much of their reproductive strategy remains unknown. This study aimed to examine paternity as a function of colony size and density in Porites astreoides, a common brooding coral in the FRT. Porites astreoides colonies were configured in arrays at three densities that were replicated three times. A focal colony was surrounded by six other colonies, separated from the focal colony at different distances (1m, 7m, and 15m) representing high, moderate, and low population densities, respectively. All arrays were placed in the field but were separated from the reef and naturally occurring P. astreoides colonies by at least 50 m. Four days before the new moon, colonies were transported to the laboratory for larval collection. Over a four day period, a total of 3,184 larvae were collected from 24 colonies, 13 of which released larvae over consecutive days. The resulting larvae were genotyped using seven microsatellite markers. All larvae had the exact genotypes of the colony from which the larvae were collected, i.e. maternal- egg donor. This suggested the larvae were parthenogenically produced and no sperm was used to fertilize the eggs. This is the first study to suggest that parthenogenesis is occurring in P. astreoides. In today's oceans that have been depleted of corals, parthenogenesis may be an advantageous reproductive strategy used to boost populations. However, parthenogenesis reduces the genetic diversity which could hinder successful sexual reproduction in the future causing fragmented populations.

Yes / The coexistence of hermaphrodites and female-sterile individuals, or androdioecy, has been documented in only a handful of plants and animals. This study reports its existence in the plant species Cardamine amara (Brassicaceae), in which female-sterile individuals have shorter pistils than seed-producing hermaphrodites. Morphological analysis, in situ manual pollination, microsatellite genotyping and differential gene expression analysis using Arabidopsis microarrays were used to delimit variation between female-sterile individuals and hermaphrodites. Female sterility in C. amara appears to be caused by disrupted ovule development. It was associated with a 2.4- to 2.9-fold increase in clonal propagation. This made the pollen number of female-sterile genets more than double that of hermaphrodite genets, which fulfils a condition of co-existence predicted by simple androdioecy theories. When female-sterile individuals were observed in wild androdioecious populations, their ramet frequencies ranged from 5 to 54 %; however, their genet frequencies ranged from 11 to 29 %, which is consistent with the theoretically predicted upper limit of 50 %. The results suggest that a combination of sexual reproduction and increased asexual proliferation by female-sterile individuals probably explains the invasion and maintenance of female sterility in otherwise hermaphroditic populations. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the coexistence of female sterility and hermaphrodites in the Brassicaceae.