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The Role Of Light In Mnium Cuspidatum Hypersensitive Response Defense Mechanisms To Pythium Irrequlare Pathogen Infection, William Andrew Weldon

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Moss, and all plants in general, are constantly defending themselves against pathogenic infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Defense mechanisms require energy from compounds such as ATP and thus, are driven in part by photosynthesis. However, mosses typically grow in low light areas. Therefore, I investigated the extent of light dependency of the HR defense mechanisms of Mnium cuspidatum in response to infection by the pathogen Pythium irregulare. First, I conducted a field study on the Butler University campus in order to identify the typical light environment for growth of.M. cuspidatum '[vPl]interms of both photometric and infrared/far-infrared light readings. After …