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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

A Common Garden Experiment Suggests Local Adaptation In Stomata Size But Not Stomata Density In Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca), Alyssa Gundel May 2022

A Common Garden Experiment Suggests Local Adaptation In Stomata Size But Not Stomata Density In Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca), Alyssa Gundel

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Local adaptation is a common process that occurs in organisms with wide geographic ranges to maximize fitness in different environments. One specific species that has been shown to have certain locally adapted traits is Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. A handful of these traits include height, stem count, number of leaves, and length and width of the leaves. The size and density of stomata, the pores underneath the leaf used for gas exchange and transpiration, may also be influenced by environmental conditions; however, this relationship has not been studied in common milkweed. In order to analyze population-level differences in the density …


The Plant And The Pathogen: Elucidating The Relationship Between Root-Knot Nematodes, Ph Levels, And Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Rachel Garnett May 2022

The Plant And The Pathogen: Elucidating The Relationship Between Root-Knot Nematodes, Ph Levels, And Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Rachel Garnett

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) within the Meloidogyne genus are considered one of the largest threats to plant health and subsequent crop yield and profit (Forghani and Hajihassani 2020; Bernard et al. 2017). As a pest that presents global consequences, its mitigation through sustainable interventions may confer results for the treatment of similar plant pathogens. A member of the Brassicaeae family, Arabidopsis thaliana, was chosen for this study to determine how this model plant responds to RKN-standard pH media. pH was varied between control and experimental groups, and the phenotypic variables of primary root length and plant height were observed and analyzed. …


The Plant And The Pathogen: Elucidating The Relationship Between Root-Knot Nematodes, Ph Levels, And Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Rachel Garnett Apr 2022

The Plant And The Pathogen: Elucidating The Relationship Between Root-Knot Nematodes, Ph Levels, And Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Rachel Garnett

Student Scholar Showcase

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) within the Meloidogyne genus are considered one of the largest threats to plant health and subsequent crop yield and profit (Forghani and Hajihassani 2020; Bernard et al. 2017). As a pest that presents global consequences, its mitigation through sustainable interventions may confer results for the treatment of similar plant pathogens. A member of the Brassicaeae family, Arabidopsis thaliana, was chosen for this study to determine plant responses to RKN-standard pH media. pH was varied between control and experimental groups, and phenotypic variables of primary root length and plant height were observed and analyzed. Wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana …


Abiotic Stress And Anthocyanins Biosynthesis In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Carolanne Bekus Apr 2019

Abiotic Stress And Anthocyanins Biosynthesis In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Carolanne Bekus

Student Scholar Showcase

Crops and farmers today are facing unprecedented challenges due to the changing environment. The plants of the future need to be hardy to survive harsh environmental conditions such as increased temperature, and prolonged droughts. It is imperative to understand the mechanisms plants employ to protect themselves under these types of stresses. Anthocyanins are pigments of the flavonoid subclass produced by plants. They impart red to purple color to flowers, fruits, and seeds. They also have antioxidant properties and they contribute to stress tolerance in plants. They are understood to be produced under abiotic stresses in order to protect the plant. …


Evaluating Effects Of Gene Mutation And Light Intensity On Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Carolanne Bekus Apr 2018

Evaluating Effects Of Gene Mutation And Light Intensity On Arabidopsis Thaliana Development, Carolanne Bekus

Student Scholar Showcase

The completion of sequencing Arabidopsis thaliana’s genome has led to the next crucial challenge of determining gene function in these plants. A. thaliana is a model organism often compared to commercial crops. The discovery of gene function within these plants will aid in giving insight on how gene function can affect commercial crop production. Presented here is an analysis comparing wild-type Columbia (Col-O), to single gene mutants when knocking-out transcriptional factors VPI/ABI3-like 1 (val1) and basic region/leucine zipper motif (bZIP). These single gene mutations may affect several traits that in turn can result in morphological changes and/or …


The Development Of A Gc/Ms Protocol For The Analysis Of Polysaccharides In Echinacea Purpurea, Michaela Knapp Apr 2007

The Development Of A Gc/Ms Protocol For The Analysis Of Polysaccharides In Echinacea Purpurea, Michaela Knapp

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Echinacea purpurea is an herbal supplement used to reduce symptoms of common colds and flu-like illnesses. As of right now, it is not well understood what chemical components in the plant are immunologically active. The four main potentially immunologically active chemical components in E. purpurea are caffeic acid derivatives, alkamides, polyacetylenes, and polysaccharides. In this investigation, a protocol was developed in an attempt to identify polysaccharides present in Puritan’s Pride E. purpurea (aerial) “non-irradiated” herbal supplement First, an estimate of the crude total polysaccharide content in Puritan’s Pride and in a ChromaDex certified botanical standard (E. purpurea -powdered root) was …