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Reciprocal Transplantation Of The Desert Soil Crust: Can It Be Done?, Christina D. Cole

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A 100 meter X 100 meter study site was chosen at White Rock Springs in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada. To examine Syntrichia caninervis, a desert crustal moss, reciprocal transplantations (20 mm and 40 mm diameter cores) were performed between shaded to shaded, exposed to exposed, and shaded to exposed microsites to determine if it was possible to transplant the study organism with reasonable survivorship. Transplants were inspected following rain events for percent hydration, number of dead stems, and change in percent cover. Data indicated that there was a low mortality rate of S. caninervis stems, and few …

Use Of Randomly Amplified Polymorphic Dna-Polymerase Chain Reaction (Rapd-Pcr) To Distinguish North American Populations Of Acroptilon Repens (L.) Dc, Raul A. Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Sixty U.S. populations of Acroptilon repens collected in 1998 were analyzed using RAPD-PCR. Each population was represented by five specimens gathered from each location. A total of 301 specimens were examined using two Operon Technologies, RAPD-PCR primers (A 10 and C04). The DNA amplification products produced through the PCR process were electrophoretically separated to produce DNA fragments ranging from 100 to 2000 base-pairs in length. The 60 U.S. populations sampled, produce ten RAPD banding pattern types using A 10 primer and seventeen pattern types with C04. Genetic variation within and among the populations was low, however, one dendogram did show …

Production Of The Subtropical Seagrass, Halodule Wrightii Aschers., In Lower Laguna Madre, Texas, Joseph L. Kowalski

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The autecology of shoal grass, Halodule wrightii Aschers., was studied at 1.2 m depth from June 1995 to February 1997 in Lower Laguna Madre (LLM), Texas. Halodule wrightii in LLM received about 47% surface irradiance, but otherwise displayed lower growth rates and biomass in nutrient-poor rhizosphere and water-column environments compared to H. wrightii populations in other Texas estuaries. High tissue N content and low C:N ratios belied low growth dynamics. Halodule wrightii in LLM is probably nutrient limited. A high nutrient demand by H. wrightii in a nutrient-poor environment may explain, in part, its gradual displacement by Thalassia testudinum and …

Gender Variation In Croton Californicus (Euphorbiaceae), James Lynwood Smith Ii

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Croton californicus Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) is a subshrub suspected of being dimorphic with phase choices. Gender variation in C. californicus was studied in natural populations of southern California for three years (1994-96) to observe patterns of gender !ability. Some sites exhibited significantly male-biased sex ratios, and these sites often had the greatest number of monoecious morphs, cosexual plants with unisexual flowers. Gender variation was quantified for cosexual plants by calculating the Estimated Floral Gender (EFG) which varied from 1.00 (female) to 0.00 (male). The distribution of the EFG was highly skewed towards maleness. Monoecious individuals were then categorized by …

Uptake And Transformation Of Trichloroethylene By Hybrid Poplar: Laboratory Studies, Julie K. Chard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Trichloroethylene (TCE) was widely used as an industrial solvent and degreasing agent for most of the twentieth century. It is now a widespread groundwater contaminant. Phytoremediation may be a cost-effective cleanup method for TCE-contaminated soils and groundwater. Studies of environmental TCE fate are complicated by its volatility. The literature reports both significant and insignificant plant uptake of TCE. Conflicting findings may be due to differences in exposure level, conditions, and duration of the studies, or to experimental artifacts from laboratory systems.

This research quantified plant uptake and volatilization of TCE using a unique laboratory system. Hybrid poplar trees were exposed …

Effects Of Safflower (A Spring Crop), And Wheat Planting Date On Controlling Jointed Goatgrass (Aegilops Cylindrica) In Winter Wheat, Caleb Dale Dalley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To improve management and control of jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica Host.) on traditional winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropland, a better understanding of the effects spring crop and wheat planting date have on weed populations and wheat yield is needed. A study of the effects of safflower (a spring crop) and wheat planting dates (early vs late) was conducted over a 2-yr period. Long term effects will be examined over a 5-yr period. The effects these treatments had on yield, weed seed contamination, jointed goatgrass population density, and soil seedbank concentration were measured. Two identical experiments were initiated, …

Effect Of Blue Light And Temperature On Leaf Expansion, Stem Elongation, And Growth, Tracy A. O. Dougher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Short height and high yield per unit energy in controlled environments are essential to the success of a food production system for spaceflight. Temperature and light quality can be manipulated in controlled environments to reduce plant height and increase yield. Although the effects of temperature on height and yield are well studied at ambient CO₂, temperature effects at elevated CO₂ with a hydroponic root zone are not well characterized. We studied soybean yield and height under two lamp types over a broad range of temperatures. Temperature had little effect on yield or height, but lamp type had …

Sucrose Metabolism In Two Saccharum Species, Monica Ida Valdez-Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

S. officinarum is a thick-stemmed sugarcane which stores large amounts of sucrose, and S. spontaneum is thin-stemmed with very little sucrose. Sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and invertase enzymes are thought to affect the accumulation of sucrose in the stems of sugarcane. This study was performed to determine if (i) differences between SPS and acid invertase activities account for the difference in sucrose content of sugarcane stems, and (ii) differences in SS activity influence sucrose concentration. The difference between SPS and acid invertase activities did not appear related to the low sucrose content in S. spontaneum. However, the …

Investigation Of The Determinants Of African Savanna Vegetation Distribution: A Case Study From The Lower Omo Basin, Ethiopia, Catherine A. Schloeder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Organization has little information on the extent and ecological determinants of plant species composition and distribution in Omo National Park. Elsewhere, the determinants of African savanna vegetation dynamics have been the focus of numerous investigations, yet our understanding of the hierarchical nature and relative importance of any relationships remains very general. As well, our ability to derive predictions about vegetation responses is limited to extreme generalizations. African savanna landscape ecotones have received even less attention than most landscapes. In this dissertation, I test hypotheses about plant species distribution-determinant relationships in Omo National Park, a park that …

Influence Of Grazing, Fire, And Rainfall Regime On Plant Species Dynamics In An Ethiopian Perennial Grassland, Michael J. Jacobs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The dominant habitat-type of Omo National Park (ONP), Ethiopia, is grassland. This grassland supports a variety of wild herbivores and indigenous people; the latter hunt large herbivores for subsistence or graze their domestic livestock in the Park. Therefore, an understanding of grassland dynamics is a high priority for ONP management. Grazing and fire are major factors influencing species composition and vegetation change in East African grasslands. Rainfall regime, in turn, can influence both grassland response to grazing and fire. The ONP grasslands occur along a rainfall gradient ranging from subhumid to semiarid. Research objectives were to: (1) test the Milchunas, …

Ultraviolet-B Radiation: Effects On Pollen Of 34 Taxa, And Inheritance Patterns And Carryover Of Radiation Response In Arabidopsis, Javad Torabinejad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although considerable research has addressed effects of elevated ultraviolet-B (UV-8) radiation on vegetative plant structures and processes, the reproductive biology and patterns of inheritance of UV-B tolerance have received much less attention. I examined the effects of UV-B radiation on pollen of 34 taxa. I also addressed questions concerning the patterns of inheritance of UV-B tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana and examined potential cumulative carryover effects of UV-B exposure through multiple generations of this species.

In the first study, a significant reduction in pollen germination occurred in only five species, but pollen tube growth in more than half of the species …

Survey Of Exotic Plants Along The Blue Ridge Parkway Between Lower Otter Creek And Sunset Field, Cynthia Diane Gastineau Lane

Theses & Honors Papers

The objective of this study was to identify and inventory exotic plant vegetation along a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway and to determine which species, if any, are invading the adjacent forest and the extent to which these invasions occur. The methods used were derived from those developed by James Akerson at Shenandoah National Park in 1997. Six transects were studied along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each transect included two to five 100 square meter plots. The first plot of each site was centered at the border between the mowed area and the natural area. The second plots were …

A Vegetation Analysis Of Plant Communities In And Around Selected Holding Ponds At Mcclintic Wildlife Management Area, Mason County, West Virginia, Russell Bowman Shrader

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study was conducted as an analysis of vegetation in and around four ponds at McClintic Wildlife Management Area (MWMA), located in Mason County, West Virginia. The MWMA is the former West Virginia Ordnance Works (WVOW), having served as a trinitrotoluene (TNT) manufacturing site from 1941-1946. Such history presents the area with unique conditions resulting in diverse types and amounts of plants, since any type of forest disturbance, regardless of cause, alters ecosystem functions. This project was originally designed as part of a groundwater pump-and-treat plan for MWMA, where potential impacts of groundwater removal to ponds and the associated plant …

A Medicinal Plant Survey In Marketplaces Of Ecuador, Pamela Bailey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A medicinal herb survey was conducted in ten major marketplaces in Andean and coastal communities of Ecuador. Collections were made during the summer of 1997. Four plant collections from each market were pressed, dried, identified, and the medicinal information for each plant was recorded. Photographs of fresh plants, market vendors and the marketplaces were taken.

Fifty three families were represented in the 112 species collected. Forty-two species (37%) were introduced to Ecuador while seventy species (63%) were native to Ecuador. Plant taxa were grouped into 22 categories of medicinal usage. The most common 3 uses were: 1. General tonic and …

Vascular Flora Of The Allison Prairie, Lawrence County, Illinois, Brian R. Garrard

Masters Theses

Allison Prairie in Lawrence County, Illinois is a five acre recreation of a gravel prairie. The Allison Prairie Restoration is the largest and best remaining example of a sand and gravel prairie in the Wabash Border Natural Division of Illinois. A total of 112 species of vascular plants representing 35 families are known to exist at the Allison Prairie Restoration (Table 1). Heterotheca camporum (Greene) Shinners (golden aster), Melilotus alba Medic. (white sweet clover), and Sporobolus asper (Michx.) Kunth (dropseed) are dominants (Table 2 and 3). There is 1 gymnosperm species, Juniperus virginiana L. (red cedar), 30 monocot species and …

Effects Of Sludge Application On Prairie Establishment, Brenda Joan Durbahn

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Native prairie in Iowa has all but disappeared since the development of agricultural land by European settlers over the past 165 years. Reconstructing prairie is one way to replace some of the acreage that was lost. A byproduct of settling an area is the generation of garbage and other wastes. Currently there is a surplus of sludge, the waste product of waste water treatment facilities. This material is usually disposed of in landfills, used on agricultural land or reclamation projects.

A small area of prairie was reconstructed on the top of a closed portion of the Black Hawk County Solid …

The Use Of Rapd To Detect Genetic Variation In Populations Of Liatris Aspera Michx., Duane Joseph Kitchen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The tall grass prairie is one of the most degraded and fragmented ecosystems on earth. Interest in conserving, restoring, and reconstructing tallgrass prairie began early in the 1900s, and has increased dramatically since the 1960s. Early restoration and reconstruction efforts relied primarily on seed collected from prairie remnants near the planting site, but with the increase in prairie planting efforts came a greater demand for large quantities of affordable, viable seed of native prairie species. Following an increase in the use of cultivated varieties (cultivars) of seed, concerns over the loss of genetic integrity of local populations and low genetic …

Artificial Alimentation Of Bees Using Natural Juices During The Dry Season, Ramiro Bernal Acosta

Theses and Dissertations

In the community of Tunshi San Nicols of the Licto parish in the Province of Chimborazo, an evaluation was done on the effect of an energetic supplementary feeding of bees (Italian-mestizas) during the dry season (September 23 to February 20). These supplements consisted of carrot juice (T1), orange juice (T2) and sugar cane juice (T3). These supplements were also compared to a control group (T0). The experimental units consisted of 16 standard beehives distributed randomly with the 4 treatments and 4 repetitions of each treatment. The results showed that sugar cane juice (T3) obtained the best results in the consumption …

Comparative Study Of Six Different Types Of Subtracts In The Production Of Earthworm Humus And Its Productive Effect In Vegetables (Radish, Beet, White Onion, Cabbage), Romeo Byron Romero Mancero

Theses and Dissertations

In the province of Chimborazo, found in the Riobamba canton, a study was done with the purpose of comparing different subtracts for the production of earthworm humus (pig feces, guinea pig feces, rabbit feces, bovine feces, market residues, and vegetable residues from the harvest) and its productive effect in vegetables (radish, onion, beet and cabbage). Twenty-four beds, 1.5 m2 (1.5 x 1) in size, as well as sixteen 3 m2 (1 x 3) parcels were used for the study. A design of complete blocks was applied with a monofactorial in the first test, and a bifactorial in the second test. …