Life Sciences Commons^™

Winterkill And Biomass Of The Painted Turtle In A South Dakota Wetland, Steven G. Platt, Zannita Fast Horse, Warren Cross, Sylvio Mannel, Thomas R. Rainwater

The Prairie Naturalist

Winterkill occurs when drought conditions expose hibernating turtles to desiccation and lethaly cold temperatures. Winterkill is thought to represent a major source of mortality in northern populations of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), but few field observations are available. We herein reported on catastrophic winterkill among western painted turtle (C. pieta bellii) at Limestone Butte Lake (LBL) in western South Dakota during the winter of 2003-2004. Additionally, we used the carcasses of winterkilled turtles (n = 86) to estimate the standing crop biomass of the painted turtle at LBL (0.6 kg/ha). This was the only estimate …

Relative Crystallinity Of Plant Biomass: Studies On Assembly, Adaptation And Acclimation, Darby Harris, Seth Debolt

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Plant biomechanical design is central to cell shape, morphogenesis, reproductive performance and protection against environmental and mechanical stress. The cell wall forms the central load bearing support structure for plant design, yet a mechanistic understanding of its synthesis is incomplete. A key tool for studying the structure of cellulose polymorphs has been x-ray diffraction and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Relative crystallinity index (RCI) is based on the x-ray diffraction characteristics of two signature peaks and we used this technique to probe plant assembly, adaptation and acclimation. Confocal microscopy was used to visualize the dynamics of cellulose synthase in transgenic …

Slides: "Mitaku Oyasin" Means "We Are All Related", Bob Gough

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Bob Gough, NativeEnergy, Inc.

72 slides

Slides: Fuel Choice Determines Transmission, Doug Larson

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Doug Larson, Western Interstate Energy Board

26 slides

Development Of In Vitro Protocols To Enhance Secondary Metabolite Production From Turmeric (Curcuma Longa L.), Matthew Cousins

All Theses

Plant and organ culture can readily be applied to the field of medicinal plant and secondary metabolite production. Many studies that have been conducted attest to the utility of in vitro methods for preservation of genetic diversity, propagation of clonal individuals for use in commercial field planting, and production of metabolites directly from culture. Experiments have also shown that tissue culture is an important tool for enhancement of medicinal compound production utilizing various methods including elicitation. This thesis focuses on production of metabolites using an in vitro system. An overview in the form of a literature review is provided, which …

Short-Term And Long-Term Time Course Studies Of Turmeric (Curcuma Longa L.) Microrhizome Development In Vitro, Jeffrey Adelberg, Matthew M. Cousins

Publications

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) plantlets were cultured in MS (Murashige and Skoog Physiol Plant 15:473–497, 1962) liquid medium with 6% sucrose. Microrhizome development was observed in the presence of methyl jasmonate (MeJa) (0, 5 and 16 μM) and benzyladenine (BA) (0, 0.32 and 1 μM). Leaf, root, rhizome growth, and sugar use were measured weekly for 6 weeks in small vessels (180 ml) and four times in 23 weeks in larger vessels (2.5 l). MeJa reduced leaf, root, and rhizome biomass. BA had a positive effect on biomass accumulation. Microrhizome mass increased at a linear rate during 6 weeks …

Farm-Scale Production Cost Of Switchgrass For Biomass, Richard K. Perrin, Kenneth P. Vogel, Marty R. Schmer, Robert B. Mitchell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The economic potential of cellulosic biomass from switchgrass has heretofore been evaluated using estimates of farm costs based on extrapolation from experimental data and budget estimates. The objective of the project reported here was to estimate the cost of production that would be experienced by farmers on commercial production situations. Switchgrass was produced as a biomass crop on commercial-scale fields by ten contracting farmers located from northern North Dakota to southern Nebraska. Results showed a wide range of yields and costs across the five production years and ten sites, with an overall average cost of $65.86 Mg^-1 of biomass …

Decomposition Of Bt And Non-Bt Corn Hybrid Residues In The Field, David D. Tarkalson, Stephen D. Kachman, Johannes M. H. Knops, Janice E. Thies, Charles S. Wortmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Results of a previous laboratory study indicated that six transgenic crops expressing the Cry1Ab insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) decomposed at a slower rate than their respective non-Bt isolines. Consequently, litter decomposition rates, nitrogen cycling, and carbon pools may change in agricultural systems as the result of the widespread use of Bt crops. In this study, we assessed the decomposition rates and chemical composition of commonly grown hybrids of Bt and non-Bt isolines of corn (Zea mays L.) in the field. Leaves, stalks, and cobs from two Bt corn hybrids (Pioneer 34N44 Bt and NC+ 4990 Bt) and their …

A History Of Woodland Dynamics In The Owyhee’S: Encroachment, Stand Closure, Understory Dynamics, And Tree Biomass, Rick Miller, Jaime Ratchford, Dustin Johnson

Reports

Piñon and juniper woodlands in the cold desert of the Intermountain West occupy over 44.6 million acres (Miller and Tausch 2001). These woodlands are commonly associated with sagebrush communities forming a mosaic of shrub-steppe and woodland across the region. Numerous studies have documented the recent expansion (since the late 1800’s) of these woodlands that has resulted in the replacement of shrub-steppe communities. Recent debate has challenged the degree of expansion in terms of percent of new areas occupied by trees and the increase in total population of piñon and juniper since the late 1800’s. Various interest groups have become concerned …

Global Airs And Mopitt Co Measurements: Validation, Comparison, And Links To Biomass Burning Variations And Carbon Cycle, Leonid N. Yurganov, W. Wallace Mcmillan, Anatoly V. Dzhola, Evgeny I. Grechko, Nicholas B. Jones, Guido R. Van Der Werf

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

New results of CO global total column measurements using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the Aqua satellite in comparison with Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor aboard the Terra satellite are presented. Both data sets are validated using ground-based total column measurements in Russia and Australia. A quality parameter based on the Profile Percent A Priori values from the standard MOPITT product is introduced. AIRS data (version 4) for biomass burning events are in agreement or lower than both MOPITT and ground measurements, but CO bursts can be seen by AIRS in most cases. For the cases …