Life Sciences Commons^™

Leaf Mechanical Strength Corresponds To Water Relations In Twelve Species Of California Ferns, Breahna Gillespie

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Mentor: Stephen D. Davis

In angiosperms and gymnosperms, mechanically strong leaves are positively correlated with dehydration-tolerance. In general, leaves that are stronger mechanically tend to be evergreen while those that are not are usually mechanically weak and deciduous in response to water stress. Avoiding water stress, especially in a chaparral Mediterranean-type climate, which receives less than 500 mm of water per year, requires energy-intensive adaptation. Ferns residing in the chaparral are presumed to adopt a similar strategy: either they maintain or abscise their pinnae in drought. It was reasoned that ferns with lower water potential and able to survive in …

Variation In Mechanical Strength Of Ferns In The Santa Monica And Santa Cruz Mountains, Helen I. Holmlund

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Mentor: Stephen D. Davis

In recent years, experts in plant physiology have begun to explore the functional traits of ferns, especially in regards to their tissue-water relations. However, to our knowledge, no scientist had yet examined the relationship between fern biomechanics and physiology. We examined the mechanical properties of fern stipes (stems) and attempted to relate those properties to ecological and physiological traits. Based on our knowledge of fern anatomy, we hypothesized that stipe mechanical strength would not correlate with cavitation resistance as it does in seed-bearing plants. This assertion that mechanical strength will not relate to cavitation resistance begs …

Immunomodulatory Activity Of Sambucus Mexicana And Trichostema Lanatum On Lps Stimulated Raw 264.7 Macrophage Cells, Victoria Hester, P. Matthew Joyner

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Chumash medicinal plants Sambucus mexicana (Mexican elderberry) and Trichostema lanatum (woolly blue curls) were tested for immunomodulatory activity. Anti-inflammatory effects were determined by treating LPS induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells with plant extracts and measuring the levels of cytokines: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 10 (IL-10). We hypothesized that both plants would exert immunomodulatory activity by reducing the pro-inflammatory production of TNF-alpha or by promoting M2 polarization with a concurrent increase in IL-10 production. At concentration 0.01 mg/mL woolly blue curls and Mexican elderberry demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the concentration of TNF-alpha in vitro, while levels of …