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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Systematics Of Carex Section Laxiflorae (Cyperaceae), Jenna Dorey Sep 2019

Systematics Of Carex Section Laxiflorae (Cyperaceae), Jenna Dorey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Carex, with more than 2100 species, is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in temperate regions of the world. Members of the family Cyperaceae are colloquially known as sedges, and members of the genus Carex are called “true sedges.” Carex occur on every continent except for Antarctica, they thrive in a panoply of habitats, and are ecologically important as a forage source for wildlife, carbon sequestration, prevention of soil erosion, and providing habitat for fresh water invertebrates. Despite their importance many sedges are still poorly known, such as the woodland sedges in Carex section Laxiflorae, which is …


Diversity And Evolution Of Seeds In Cuscuta (Dodders, Convolvulaceae): Morphology And Structure, Magdalena Olszewski Jan 2019

Diversity And Evolution Of Seeds In Cuscuta (Dodders, Convolvulaceae): Morphology And Structure, Magdalena Olszewski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cuscuta is a genus of nearly 200 obligate stem parasites with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution and considerable agricultural and ecological significance. Dodder seeds are considered “unspecialized”, with no morphological adaptations towards particular dispersal vectors; however, the seed coat anatomy has recently suggested an adaptation to endozoochory. This is the first attempt to provide a genus-wide overview of the diversity in morphology and anatomy of Cuscuta seeds, together with an assessment of the water gap and exploration of various form-function relationships. I surveyed 104 species belonging to all four Cuscuta subgenera. Seeds of the species of the first infrageneric dodder …