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Biology

Honors Theses

Theses/Dissertations

Ecology

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Discovery Of Truffles (Tuber Species) In North Mississippi Pecan Orchards, Scout Hodges May 2022

Discovery Of Truffles (Tuber Species) In North Mississippi Pecan Orchards, Scout Hodges

Honors Theses

This thesis describes a study conducted in the years 2019-2022, which aimed to discover a new species of truffle in the state of Mississippi. Tuber lyonii, more commonly referred to as the “pecan truffle,” is an ectomycorrhizal fungus found on the roots of pecan trees in much of the southeastern region of the United States. Though there are many truffles native to the United States, the pecan truffle is one of the few that has been found to have high culinary value. Given the plethora of pecan orchards in the state of Mississippi, I decided to search for evidence …


Analyzing Thermal Gradients Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning In Scrub Oak Habitats, Alyssa Silbey Jun 2020

Analyzing Thermal Gradients Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning In Scrub Oak Habitats, Alyssa Silbey

Honors Theses

Thermal microclimates are an important component of natural ecosystems because they provide appropriate niche space for many organisms; however, they are not widely studied because of their small scale. Likewise, variation in these microclimates may significantly impact animal thermoregulation and plant physiological processes and be especially important in the face of climate change. The goal of this study is to determine how the size and structure of Quercus ilicifolia shrubs influences ground temperature gradients. We hypothesized that differences in leaf cover and leaf area index (LAI) would cause temperature under shrubs to cool relative to the ambient temperature, and that …