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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Bioprospecting For Improved Floral Fragrance In Wild Sunflower, Jason Anandappa
Bioprospecting For Improved Floral Fragrance In Wild Sunflower, Jason Anandappa
Honors Undergraduate Theses
The cultivation of crop sunflower or Helianthus annuus is a 20 billion USD industry globally. Crop wild relatives of H. annuus have a long history of being used to breed improved traits into cultivated varieties. Cultivated H. annuus is not known to have a pleasant aroma, and at times seed yield is limited by pollination services, particularly in the production of hybrid seed. Improved floral fragrance could improve pollinator attraction and would add value to ornamental sunflowers in the context of the cut-flower industry. If volatile organic compounds that together generate favorable scents are present in wild Helianthus species, they …
Genetic Control Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization In Helianthus Annuus, Katherine Stahlhut
Genetic Control Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization In Helianthus Annuus, Katherine Stahlhut
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Plant symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi provides many benefits for plants, including increased nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, and belowground pathogen resistance. In order to have a better understanding of the genetic architecture of mycorrhizal symbiosis, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) by phenotyping a diversity panel of cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus) for root colonization under inoculation with the AM fungus Rhizophagus intraradices. This mapping panel consists of 261 inbred lines that capture approximately 90% of the genetic diversity present in the cultivated sunflower germplasm. Using a mixed linear model approach with a high-density genetic map, we …
Role Of Polyploidy In Leaf Functional Trait Evolution Across Wild Helianthus, Anestacia S. Robinson
Role Of Polyploidy In Leaf Functional Trait Evolution Across Wild Helianthus, Anestacia S. Robinson
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Whole genome duplication, or polyploidy, is a common process in plants by which failures in meiosis or fertilization result in offspring with twice the number of chromosomes. This doubles the number of copies of every gene, an effect thought to generate new ‘raw material' upon which natural selection can act. Few studies exist examining the consequences of polyploidy for plant physiological traits. Doubling the number of gene copies may have unknown effects on leaf structure and function. In this study, I compare diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid species within the genus Helianthus (wild sunflowers). Forty different accessions of wild sunflowers were …
The Hyperaccumulation Of Zinc In Sunflowers And Its Effect On Disease Resistance, Rayner J. Seavey
The Hyperaccumulation Of Zinc In Sunflowers And Its Effect On Disease Resistance, Rayner J. Seavey
Honors Undergraduate Theses
Sunflowers are considered to be a part of a group of plants known as hyperaccumulators that share the ability to accumulate high amounts of heavy metals in the above ground organs, far in excess of the levels found in other species, often without suffering any phytotoxic effects. Quantifying the effects of zinc accumulation through the lens of the elemental defense hypothesis is essential for uncovering if there is a means to increase herbivore resistance in agricultural settings without the use of external interventions such as pesticides. A greenhouse study was conducted on four widely grown commercial cultivars of sunflower. Each …