Life Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Red Leaf Coloration In Prey Capture For Pinguicula Planifolia, Jenna Annis, Janice Coons, Charles Helm, Brenda Molano-Flores

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Anthocyanins in the leaves of carnivorous plants are suggested to play a role inprey capture. In this study, we investigated the role of red leaf coloration (an indicator of anthocyanins)on prey capture using Pinguicula planifolia (Chapman’s Butterwort). Overall,red leaves had less prey (i.e., Collembola) than green leaves, suggesting that red colorationdoes not enhance prey capture for Chapman’s Butterwort. However, the frequent presenceof Collembola on leaves suggests that this plant species could be relying on other cues toattract prey (e.g., olfactory cues).

A New Species Of Cyperus Section Incurvi (Cyperaceae) From Venezuela, Gordon Tucker

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Cyperus fedoniae is described as a new species. It is known from a single collection from the lowlands of southern Venezuela. It is a member of section Incurvi. It is related to C. dichromeniformis and C. inops, from which it can be distinguished by its smaller size and features of spikelets and achenes. A distinctive feature is the arching culms which take root at the base of the spikelets.Cyperus fedoniae es descrito como una nueva especie. Se conoce de una sola muestra de las tierras bajas del sur de Venezuela. Es un miembro de la secci.n Incurvi. Est. relacionada con …

New Mexico, Gordon Tucker, Phil Tonne

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Natural History Collections: Connecting With Faculty And Content, Stacey Knight-Davis, Todd A. Bruns

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

For well over a century, American biologists have built collection of plants, animals, fungi, insects, and other natural materials. Often, these collections serve as a record of the unique biodiversity of the local area and provide a record of change over time. Many taxonomic, genetic, and environmental discoveries lay waiting in the drawers and cupboards in which these specimens are stored. / / Uploading images of natural history specimens to Digital Commons allows them to be easily discovered in with a web search, leading the user back to the home collection. As an example, a search for 'big leaf magnolia …

Angiosperm Phylogeny: 17 Genes, 640 Taxa, Douglas E. Soltis, Steven A. Smith, Nico Cellinese, Kenneth J. Wurdack, David C. Tank, Samuel F. Brockington, Nancy F. Refulio-Rodriguez, Jay B. Walker, Michael J. Moore, Barbara S. Carlsward, Charles D. Bell, Maribeth Latvis, Sunny Crawley, Chelsea Black, Diaga Diouf, Zhenxiang Xi, Catherine A. Rushworth, Matthew A. Gitzendanner, Kenneth J. Sytsma, Yin-Long Qiu, Khidir W. Hilu, Charles C. Davis, Michael J. Sanderson, Reed S. Beaman, Richard G. Olmstead, Walter S. Judd, Michael S. Donoghue, Pamela S. Soltis

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

• Premise of the study : Recent analyses employing up to fi ve genes have provided numerous insights into angiosperm phylogeny, but many relationships have remained unresolved or poorly supported. In the hope of improving our understanding of angiosperm phylogeny, we expanded sampling of taxa and genes beyond previous analyses.

• Methods : We conducted two primary analyses based on 640 species representing 330 families. The fi rst included 25 260 aligned base pairs (bp) from 17 genes (representing all three plant genomes, i.e., nucleus, plastid, and mitochondrion). The second included 19 846 aligned bp from 13 genes (representing only …

Angiosperm Phylogeny: 17 Genes, 640 Taxa, Douglas Soltis, Steven Smith, Nico Cellinese, Kenneth Wurdack, David Tank, Samuel Brockington, Nancy Refulio-Rodriguez, Jay Walker, Michael Moore, Barbara Carlsward, Charles Bell, Maribeth Latvis, Sunny Crawley, Chelsea Black, Diaga Diouf, Zhenxiang Xi, Catherine Rushworth, Matthew Gitzendanner, Kenneth Sytsma, Yin-Long Qiu, Khidir Hilu, Charles Davis, Michael Sanderson, Reed Beaman, Richard Olmstead, Walter Judd, Michael Donoghue, Pamela Soltis

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

• Premise of the study : Recent analyses employing up to fi ve genes have provided numerous insights into angiosperm phylogeny, but many relationships have remained unresolved or poorly supported. In the hope of improving our understanding of angiosperm phylogeny, we expanded sampling of taxa and genes beyond previous analyses. • Methods : We conducted two primary analyses based on 640 species representing 330 families. The fi rst included 25 260 aligned base pairs (bp) from 17 genes (representing all three plant genomes, i.e., nucleus, plastid, and mitochondrion). The second included 19 846 aligned bp from 13 genes (representing only …

Botany At Eastern Illinois University, Marissa C. Jernegan, Nancy Coutant, Janice M. Coons

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Eastern Illinois University was established in 1899, and from its beginning recognized the importance of the botanical sciences. Two terms of botany were required for the four year program. Otis W. Caldwell, a botanist, was one of the original faculty members. He taught all of the biology courses and initiated the acquisition of a greenhouse. Caldwell was the first of a series of talented and dedicated botany professors including Edgar N. Transeau, Ernest L. Stover, Hiram F. Thut and John E. Ebinger. These and many other professors incorporated a field component into almost all classes. This dedication to the study …

Additions To The Flora Of Connecticut, Gordon C. Tucker

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Since the publication of the Connecticut checklist by Dowhan (1979), new state records have continued to appear. These were summarized by Mehrhoff (1995), including some made by Tucker ( 1987, 1991 ). Although geographically distant, the flora of Connecticut has continued to hold my attention since the publication of a flora of the southeastern part of the state (Tucker 1995). Over the past decade, I have made several collections that are new records for the state flora. These new records are reported in this paper, as well as a 1970 collection of Coronilla scorpio ides that was never added to …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Vandeae (Orchidaceae) And The Evolution Of Leaflessness, Barbara Carlsward, W. Whitten, Norris Williams, Benny Bytebier

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Members of tribe Vandeae (Orchidaceae) form a large, antropical clade of horticulturally important epiphytes. Monopodial leafless members of Vandeae have undergone extreme eduction in habit and represent a novel adaptation to the canopy environment in tropical Africa, Asia, and America. To study the evolution of monopodial leaflessness, molecular and structural evidence was used to generate phylogenetic hypotheses for Vandeae. Molecular analyses used sequence data from ITS nrDNA, trnL-F plastid DNA, and matK plastid DNA. Maximum parsimony analyses of these three DNA regions each supported two subtribes within monopodial Vandeae: Aeridinae and a combined Angraecinae þ Aerangidinae. Adding structural characters to …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Vandeae (Orchidaceae) And The Evolution Of Leaflessness, Barbara S. Carlsward, W. Mark Whitten, Norris H. Williams, Benny Bytebier

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Members of tribe Vandeae (Orchidaceae) form a large, antropical clade of horticulturally important epiphytes. Monopodial leafless members of Vandeae have undergone extreme eduction in habit and represent a novel adaptation to the canopy environment in tropical Africa, Asia, and America. To study the evolution of monopodial leaflessness, molecular and structural evidence was used to generate phylogenetic hypotheses for Vandeae. Molecular analyses used sequence data from ITS nrDNA, trnL-F plastid DNA, and matK plastid DNA. Maximum parsimony analyses of these three DNA regions each supported two subtribes within monopodial Vandeae: Aeridinae and a combined Angraecinae þ Aerangidinae. Adding structural characters to …

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Neotropical Leafless Angraecinae (Orchidaceae): Re-Evaluation Of Generic Concepts, Barbara Carlsward, W. Whitten, Morris Williams

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Phylogenetic relationships of leafless Neotropical Angraecinae (Dendrophylax Rchb.f., Harrisella Fawc. & Rendle, Polyradicion Garay, and Campylocentrum Benth.) were estimated using combined nuclear (ITS nrDNA) and plastid (matK and trnL-F) data sets with African angraecoid taxa as outgroups. Results indicate that Harrisella, Polyradicion, and Campylocentrum filiforme (Sw.) Cogn. are embedded within Dendrophylax and should be included in Dendrophylax. This contrasts with earlier generic concepts, which have been based mainly on gross differences in floral size and various morphological autapomorphies. Based on our current sampling, Campylocentrum includes both leafy and leafless species and is sister to a broadly defined Dendrophylax.

Molecular Phylogenetics Of Neotropical Leafless Angraecinae (Orchidaceae): Re-Evaluation Of Generic Concepts, Barbara S. Carlsward, W. Mark Whitten, Morris H. Williams

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Phylogenetic relationships of leafless Neotropical Angraecinae (Dendrophylax Rchb.f., Harrisella Fawc. & Rendle, Polyradicion Garay, and Campylocentrum Benth.) were estimated using combined nuclear (ITS nrDNA) and plastid (matK and trnL-F) data sets with African angraecoid taxa as outgroups. Results indicate that Harrisella, Polyradicion, and Campylocentrum filiforme (Sw.) Cogn. are embedded within Dendrophylax and should be included in Dendrophylax. This contrasts with earlier generic concepts, which have been based mainly on gross differences in floral size and various morphological autapomorphies. Based on our current sampling, Campylocentrum includes both leafy and leafless species and is sister to a broadly defined Dendrophylax.

Flora Of An Unusually Diverse Old Growth Forest In The Southeastern Adirondacks, Gordon Tucker, Richard Mitchell

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

A lowland, virgin white pine-hemlock stand and associated old-growth habitats were studied at Pack Forest Preserve, Warren County, NY. An area of 48.1 acres, interrupted only by nature trails, has white pines up to 58 inches in diameter, and supports 355 native plant species-an unexpectedly high number, considering its location in the climatically severe Adirondack Mountains. This minimally disturbed old-growth forest and its associated wetlands are not only diverse, but essentially weed-free, making them ideal for future ecological research, botanical teaching and monitoring activities.

Flora Of An Unusually Diverse Old Growth Forest In The Southeastern Adirondacks, Gordon C. Tucker, Richard S. Mitchell

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

A lowland, virgin white pine-hemlock stand and associated old-growth habitats were studied at Pack Forest Preserve, Warren County, NY. An area of 48.1 acres, interrupted only by nature trails, has white pines up to 58 inches in diameter, and supports 355 native plant species-an unexpectedly high number, considering its location in the climatically severe Adirondack Mountains. This minimally disturbed old-growth forest and its associated wetlands are not only diverse, but essentially weed-free, making them ideal for future ecological research, botanical teaching and monitoring activities.

Achene Microstructure In Eriophorum L. (Cyperaceae): Systematic Implications And Paleobotanical Applications, Gordon C. Tucker, Norton G. Miller

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Silica bodies in the outer cells of the achene epidermis in 17 species of Eriophorum-and nine species of Scirpus, some of which have been placed in Eriophorum, were revealed by sonication and/or acetolysis and examined by scanning electron microscopy. A silica body consists of a basal platform, one or more large elevated protuberances, and sometimes smaller satellite protuberances. Individual species differ in the number of protuberances, the presence/absence of satellites, the texture of the platform, and the occurrence of nodules on the larger protuberances. These features, combined with achene shape and characteristics of the anticlinal walls of the epidermal cells …

Achene Microstructure In Eriophorum L. (Cyperaceae): Systematic Implications And Paleobotanical Applications, Gordon Tucker, Norton Miller

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Silica bodies in the outer cells of the achene epidermis in 17 species of Eriophorum-and nine species of Scirpus, some of which have been placed in Eriophorum, were revealed by sonication and/or acetolysis and examined by scanning electron microscopy. A silica body consists of a basal platform, one or more large elevated protuberances, and sometimes smaller satellite protuberances. Individual species differ in the number of protuberances, the presence/absence of satellites, the texture of the platform, and the occurrence of nodules on the larger protuberances. These features, combined with achene shape and characteristics of the anticlinal walls of the epidermal cells …

Taxonomic Notes On Two Common Neotropical Species Of Cyperus (Cyperaceae), Gordon Tucker

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Taxonomic Notes On Two Common Neotropical Species Of Cyperus (Cyperaceae), Gordon C. Tucker

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Two New Species Of Cyperus (Subgenus Protocyperus) From Mexico And Central America, Gordon C. Tucker

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Two new species of Cyperus (Subgenus Protocyperus) from Mexico and Central America, Cyperus nayaritensis, endemic to Nayarit, Mexico, and C. microbrunneus, of Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica, are described, illustrated and compared to their nearest relatives.

Two New Species Of Cyperus (Subgenus Protocyperus) From Mexico And Central America, Gordon Tucker

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Two new species of Cyperus (Subgenus Protocyperus) from Mexico and Central America, Cyperus nayaritensis, endemic to Nayarit, Mexico, and C. microbrunneus, of Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica, are described, illustrated and compared to their nearest relatives.