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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Influence Of Ultraviolet Radiation On Cell Wall Constituents In Reduced-Lignin Mutants Of Corn And Sorghum, Brock Bermel
Influence Of Ultraviolet Radiation On Cell Wall Constituents In Reduced-Lignin Mutants Of Corn And Sorghum, Brock Bermel
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Brown midrib mutants (BMR) of corn (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) have reduced lignin content and have recently gained popularity in Southern Minnesota as forage material for grazing animals. These mutants have lowered expression of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase and caffeic O-methyltransferase enzymes in the phenylpropanoid pathway responsible for the construction of the cinnamyl alcohol subunits of lignin. Lignin is found in the secondary cell wall of higher plants, along with substantial amounts of cellulose and hemicellulose polysaccharides. Reduced lignin increases livestock digestibility of these plants, but may also increase susceptibility to environmental stress and lodging. …
Mechanical Removal Of Juniper And Its Effects On Plant Diversity, Kyle Van Vleet
Mechanical Removal Of Juniper And Its Effects On Plant Diversity, Kyle Van Vleet
Undergraduate Research Symposium
The increase in density and distribution of juniper (Juniperus spp.) in sagebrush communities throughout the Western United States, primarily as a result of fire suppression and historic over-grazing, has raised concerns among land managers and ranchers due to the detrimental effects of juniper on livestock forage species, and wildlife habitat. Juniper may dominate sagebrush communities because it may decrease understory plant cover and is more proficient in accessing deep soil waters than common competitors in the area. The main objective of this study was to examine how removal of juniper by mechanical means may affect species richness and abundance …