Life Sciences Commons^™

Beta-Carbonic Anhydrase Gene Expression Levels Change Depending On The Drought Severity In Both The Leaves And Roots Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Sertan Çevi̇k, Oğuzhan Kurt, Ayşi̇n Güzel Değer, Ferit Kocaçinar, Rıza Bi̇nzet

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, it was aimed to determine the relationship between β carbonic anhydrase (βCA) gene expression levels and drought stress severity. For this purpose, the expression levels of six βCA genes in the roots and leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana were investigated under mild, moderate, and severe drought conditions. In addition, changes in the biomass, leaf water content, photosynthetic efficiency, CA enzyme activity, free proline content, and lipid peroxidation were also determined. The results showed that all of the β CA gene expression levels and CA enzyme activity increased in the leaf under mild drought conditions; however, the expression levels …

Beyond The Boom: Integrated Approaches To Managing Weeds And Brush, M. L. Treadwell, D. Burson

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

William Bray stated in his 1904 report, The Timber of the Edwards Plateau of Texas, "This struggle of the timberlands to capture the grasslands is an old warfare....it spreads like infection.” This trend is true today and especially pronounced in the Great Plains, where only 1/4 of the Great Plains’ original grasslands remains intact. Species like honey mesquite, honey locust, black locust, sumac, dogwood, post oak, winged elm, Siberian elm, salt cedar, huisache, Eastern redcedar, Ashe and redberry juniper, pricklypear, sericea lespedeza, and many other species represent alarming rates of spread and rapid establishment throughout Great Plains grasslands. Although, these …

Climate Interactions Drive Tree Physiology And Growth In A Northeastern Forest Ecotone, Alexandra M. Barry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is a threat to global forest ecosystems. In the northeastern United States, forest trees are facing rising temperatures and increasingly inconsistent moisture regimes. In addition to long-term changes in climate conditions, there is concern about the potential for more frequent and intense climate extremes, which can have severe and rapid negative effects on tree physiology and growth. Further, climate extremes may co-occur to produce a greater magnitude of effect than the sum of their parts, with a prominent example being hot droughts, which are increasing in occurrence and severity. The impact of these and other extreme climate interactions …

Effect Of Timing And Intensity Of Drought On Perennial Ryegrass Seed Yield, R. J. Martin, R. N. Gillespie, S. Maley

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Perennial ryegrass seed worth about $50 million is produced annually in Canterbury, New Zealand (Rowarth 1998). Ryegrass seed production in New Zealand is often affected by drought, reducing both seed number and seed size (Rolston et al., 1994). Irrigation management recommendations are not currently available for farmers growing ryegrass seed crops. To quantify the effect of water stress on perennial ryegrass seed yield, we carried out an experiment in a rainshelter where rainfall was excluded from experimental plots otherwise exposed to normal weather (Martin et al., 1990).

A Silvicultural Approach To Increase Drought Resistance And Resilience In Longleaf Pine, Kyle R. Dues

Theses and Dissertations

Droughts are a common disturbance experienced by forest systems across the southeastern United States and are expected to increase in frequency in the near future. Few empirical studies have evaluated the response of individual tree resistance and resilience following silvicultural treatment in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). This study evaluates the differences in drought responses between two forests during three different periods. The first period evaluated pretreatment (2000) conditions, while the second (2006), and third (2011) compared conditions after the implementation of five silvicultural treatments. The main findings are that, as additional basal area is removed, both individual tree …

Forage Monitoring Technology To Improve Risk Management Decision Making By Herders In The Gobi Region Of Mongolia, Jay Angerer, J. W. Stuth, D. Tsogoo, G. Tolleson, Dennis Sheehy, U. Gombosuren, Sean Granville-Ross

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

In the period from 1999 to 2002, Mongolia experienced a series of droughts and severe winters that lowered livestock numbers by approximately 30% countrywide. In the Gobi region, livestock mortality reached 50% with many households losing entire herds (Siurua & Swift 2002). In March 2004, a program was initiated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Global Livestock Collaborative Research and Support Program (GLCRSP). The goal of this program is to develop forage monitoring technologies that provide early warning of drought and winter disaster to improve livestock herder decision making in the Gobi region. The program …

An Evaluation Of Stress Tolerance In Restoration Plant Species In Response To Fire, Drought, And Invasive Plants Through The Lens Of Functional Traits, Adam M. Clifford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sagebrush communities in the Great Basin face many threats. Cheatgrass, a winter annual from Eurasia, has invaded these communities, increasing wildfire and lowering species diversity. Additionally, climate models project warmer and drier conditions throughout much of the Great Basin, likely increasing drought, cheatgrass invasion, and wildfire. Intact stands of native and introduced perennial grasses have been shown to limit invasion by cheatgrass and restore ecosystem functions. The objective of this research was to identify the functional traits and growth characteristics needed by restoration species to survive periods of drought and to evaluate varieties of commonly used restoration species for establishment, …

Dynamics Of Long-Term Carbon Sequestration On Rangelands In The Western Usa, G. E. Schuman, L. J. Ingram, P. D. Stahl, G. F. Vance

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Rangelands in the USA occupy 161 million hectares of land. Worldwide, rangelands occupy about half of the land area and account for more than 1/3 of the world's terrestrial carbon (C) reserves. Because of their large land area, rangelands have the potential to sequester a significant amount of additional atmospheric C. Schuman et al. (2001) estimate that rangelands and marginal croplands restored to grasslands in the USA can sequester 64 million metric tonnes C/ha/yr if properly managed. The objective of this research was to evaluate the long-term effects of grazing on soil C storage in a northern mixed-grass prairie (NMP).

Long-Term (9-Year) Response Of Two Semiarid Grasslands To Prescribed Fire In The Southwestern Usa, R. L. Pendleton, B. K. Pendleton, C. S. White

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Historically, arid grasslands of SW USA experienced fire return intervals of 5-10 years. During the last 100 years, however, fire has been a rare event. Recent expansion of woody plants in arid grasslands has prompted managers to re-introduce fire as a tool to reduce abundance of woody plants and maintain perennial grass cover. The use of fire in desert grasslands poses unique challenges, however, due to extreme variability in rainfall patterns. Our research examines vegetation response to repeat fire in 2 desert grassland ecotones near Albuquerque, New Mexico (35.05^o N 106.60^o W).

Updating The Dual C And O Isotope—Gas-Exchange Model: A Concept To Understand Plant Responses To The Environment And Its Implications For Tree Rings, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, Marco M. Lehmann, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Olga V. Churakova (Sidorova), Cathleen Mirande-Ney, Galina Timoveeva, Rosmarie B. Weigt, Matthias Saurer

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The combined study of carbon (C) and oxygen (O) isotopes in plant organic matter has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding plant functional responses to environmental change. The approach relies on established relationships between leaf gas exchange and isotopic fractionation to derive a series of model scenarios that can be used to infer changes in photosynthetic assimilation and stomatal conductance driven by changes in environmental parameters (CO₂, water availability, air humidity, temperature, nutrients). We review the mechanistic basis for a conceptual model, in light of recently published research, and discuss where isotopic observations do not match our …

Physiological And Transcriptomic Responses Of Two Artemisia Californica Populations To Drought: Implications For Restoring Drought-Resilient Native Communities, Hagop S. Atamian Dr., Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As climate change brings drier and more variable rainfall patterns to many arid and semi-arid regions, land managers must re-assemble appropriate plant communities for these conditions. Transcriptome sequencing can elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to changing environmental conditions, potentially enhancing our ability to screen suitable genotypes and species for restoration. We examined physiological and morphological traits and transcriptome sequences of coastal and inland populations of California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), a critical shrub used to restore coastal sage scrub vegetation communities, grown under low and high rainfall environments. The populations are located approximately 36 km apart but …

Endophyte Effects On Antioxidants And Membrane Leakage In Tall Fescue During Drought, C. P. West, R. D. Carson, C. A. Guerber, B. De Los Reyes

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.)=Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire] infected (E+) by its fungal endophyte [(Neotyphodium coenphialum Morgan-Jones & Gams.) Glenn, Bacon & Hanlin] often shows greater persistence during summer drought than endophyte-free (E-) plants (Malinowski et al., 2005). Survival of the apical meristem and growing zone of vegetative tillers likely involves biochemical adaptations whose benefits to the host are enhanced by endophyte presence. Antioxidant enzymes may scavenge free radicals during heat and drought, and thereby reduce membrane damage. Their roles in endophyte-mediated drought tolerance in tall fescue have not been tested. Our objective was to …

Drought Susceptibility Index; A Preferred Criterion In Screening For Tolerance In Soybean, Muhammad Zeshan Zafer, Muhammad Hammad Nadeem Tahir, Muhammad Amir Bakhtavar, Essam Darwish, Mahmood Alam Khan, Zulqurnain Khan, Chahat Fatima, Ayesha Aftab, Shifa Ur Rahman, Shoaib Ur Rehman

Journal of Bioresource Management

Soybean (Glycine max L.) yield and yield related traits are constrained by drought. Adaptation of soybean to changing environment could be improved by exploitation and introgression of diverse germplasm in breeding program. In present study, the response to drought conditions, especially at flowering stage, was evaluated to determine the potential soybean germplasm for future soybean breeding programs in Pakistan. Field experiment was conducted under two water regimes i.e. well-water and water-limited, to assess the effect of drought in seed yield and yield related traits. Although, drought led to overall reduction of ~15 % in thousand seed weight but still …

Timing And Magnitude Of Drought Impacts On Carbon Uptake Across A Grassland Biome, Andrew Felton, Gregory R. Goldsmith

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Although drought is known to negatively impact grassland functioning, the timing and magnitude of these impacts within a growing season remains unresolved. Previous small-scale assessments indicate grasslands may only respond to drought during narrow periods within a year; however, large-scale assessments are now needed to uncover the general patterns and determinants of this timing. We combined remote sensing datasets of gross primary productivity and weather to assess the timing and magnitude of grassland responses to drought at 5 km² temporal resolution across two expansive ecoregions of the western US Great Plains biome: the C₄-dominated shortgrass steppe and …

Developing Improved Water Catchment Systems To Benefit Rangeland Restoration, Ethan Ostraff, Kevin Steele, Ezekiel Jensesn, Matthew Madsen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

1st place open house

Restoring damaged and disturbed lands can be difficult and expensive with increasing drought and changing climatic conditions. Wicking boxes or other irrigation forms can improve restoration efforts' success. These technologies provide a consistent water supply, which often enhances seedling growth and survival in dry conditions. However, current water catchment technologies are limited and often difficult to use. Factors such as production costs, size, and labor needed to install these devices typically make current water catchment technologies inefficient for large-scale use.

Pearl Millet Response To Drought: A Review, Nikee Shrestha, Hao Hu, Kumar Shrestha, Andrew N. Doust

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The C4 grass pearl millet is one of the most drought tolerant cereals and is primarily grown in marginal areas where annual rainfall is low and intermittent. It was domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa, and several studies have found that it uses a combination of morphological and physiological traits to successfully resist drought. This review explores the short term and long-term responses of pearl millet that enables it to either tolerate, avoid, escape, or recover from drought stress. The response to short term drought reveals fine tuning of osmotic adjustment, stomatal conductance, and ROS scavenging ability, along with ABA and ethylene …

Pearl Millet Response To Drought: A Review, Nikee Shrestha, Hao Hu, Kumar Shrestha, Andrew N. Doust

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The C4 grass pearl millet is one of the most drought tolerant cereals and is primarily grown in marginal areas where annual rainfall is low and intermittent. It was domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa, and several studies have found that it uses a combination of morphological and physiological traits to successfully resist drought. This review explores the short term and long-term responses of pearl millet that enables it to either tolerate, avoid, escape, or recover from drought stress. The response to short term drought reveals fine tuning of osmotic adjustment, stomatal conductance, and ROS scavenging ability, along with ABA and ethylene …

Responses Of Extreme Discharge To Changes In Surface-Air And Dewpoint Temperatures In Utah: Seasonality And Mechanisms, Timothy E. Wright, Jacob Stuivenvolt-Allen, Grace Affram, Nahid A. Hasan, Cody Ratterman, Wei Zhang

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The changes in stream discharge extremes due to temperature and seasonality are key metrics in assessing the effects of climate change on the hydrological cycle. While scaling is commonly applied to temperature and precipitation due to the physical connections between temperature and moisture (i.e., Clausius–Clapeyron), the scaling rate of stream discharge extremes to air and dewpoint temperatures has not been evaluated. To address this challenge, we assess the scaling rates between stream discharge and air temperature and between stream discharge and dewpoint temperature in Utah using a well-designed statistical framework. While there are deviations from the Clausius–Clapeyron (CC) relationship in …

Invasive Annual Grasses—Reenvisioning Approaches In A Changing Climate, David Archer, David Toledo, Dana M. Blumenthal, Justin Derner, Usda Ars Burns, Oregon, Kirk Davies, Erik Hamerlynck, Roger Sheley, Pat Clark, Fred Pierson, Charlie Clements, Beth Newingham, Brian Rector, John Gaskin, Carissa L. Wonkka, Kevin Jensen, Tom Monaco, Lance T. Vermeire, Stephen L. Young

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

For nearly a century, invasive annual grasses have increasingly impacted terrestrial ecosystems across the western United States. Weather variability associated with climate change and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are making even more difficult the challenges of managing invasive annual grasses. As part of a special issue on climate change impacts on soil and water conservation, the topic of invasive annual grasses is being addressed by scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service to emphasize the need for additional research and future studies that build on current knowledge and account for (extreme) changes in abiotic and biotic conditions. Much research …

Genome‑Wide Investigation Of Snrk2 Gene Family In Two Jute Species: Corchorus Olitorius And Corchorus Capsularis, Borhan Ahmed, Fakhrul Hasan, Anika Tabassum, Rasel Ahmed, Rajnee Hassan, Ruhul Amin, Mobashwer Alam

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background Sucrose non-fermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2), a plant-specific serine/threonine kinase family, is associated with metabolic responses, including abscisic acid signaling under biotic and abiotic stresses. So far, no information on a genome-wide investigation and stress-mediated expression profiling of jute SnRK2 is available. Recent whole-genome sequencing of two Corchorus species prompted to identify and characterize this SnRK2 gene family.

Result We identified seven SnRK2 genes of each of Corchorus olitorius (Co) and C. capsularis (Cc) genomes, with similar physico-molecular properties and sub-group patterns of other models and related crops. In both species, the SnRK2 …

Assessment Of Drought Stress Responsive Genes Expression Profiles And Proline Accumulation In A Diverse Set Of Grapevine Rootstocks, Canan Yüksel Özmen, Funda Yilmaz Baydu, Mohammad Hasanzadeh, Mert Öktem, Günseli̇ Babaoğlu, Umut Ki̇bar, Saber Delpasand Khabbazi, Kemal Kazan, Ali̇ Ergül

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

In order to study plant responses to drought stress, it is important to have markers for such responses. This issue has been a challenge for decades and numerous traits have been used for this purpose. In the current study, the influence of drought stress on proline biosynthesis, leaf water potential, and also gene expression levels of 10 genes probably involved in drought stress response regulation pathways were investigated. Also, all experiments were performed in both root and leaf tissues of studied rootstocks to investigate the response of plant tissues which is more suitable for the assessment of possible markers. As …

Determination Of Cadmium And/Or Drought Stress Effects On Some Plant Phytohormone Contents And Hormone Gene Expressions In Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L), Melek Eki̇nci̇, Ertan Yildirim, Güleray Ağar, Esra Arslan Yüksel, Murat Aydin, Selda Örs, Razi̇ye Kul

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Plants can sometimes be under the influence of more than one stress factor. In this case, combined stress factors can cause different responses in plants. In this study, the phytohormonal activity and hormone gene expressions of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were investigated in different drought levels and soils with different levels of cadmium accumulation. Plants were grown at 4 different cadmium (Cd) levels (Cd: 0, Cd1: 100, Cd2: 150, and Cd3: 200 mg kg$^{-1}$) and 3 irrigation levels (D0: 100%, D1: 75%, and D2: 50% of field capacity). Abscisic acid (ABA), indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), salicylic acid …

Genome-Wide Investigation Of Snrk2 Gene Family In Two Jute Species: Corchorus Olitorius And Corchorus Capsularis, Borhan Ahmed, Fakhrul Hasan, Anika Tabassum, Rasel Ahmed, Rajnee Hassan, Ruhul Amin, Mobashwer Alam

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background Sucrose non-fermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2), a plant-specifc serine/threonine kinase family, is associated with metabolic responses, including abscisic acid signaling under biotic and abiotic stresses. So far, no information on a genome-wide investigation and stress-mediated expression profling of jute SnRK2 is available. Recent whole-genome sequencing of two Corchorus species prompted to identify and characterize this SnRK2 gene family.

Result We identifed seven SnRK2 genes of each of Corchorus olitorius (Co) and C. capsularis (Cc) genomes, with similar physico-molecular properties and sub-group patterns of other models and related crops. In both species, the SnRK2 gene …

Variation In Soil-Mediated Drought Response Traits Between Sympatric Species Of Mimulus, Anna Reitman

Scripps Senior Theses

The ‘time limitation hypothesis’ is an evolutionary theory regarding evolution in angiosperms. The theory attributes ephemeral drought stress to transitions from a perennial to annual life history and an animal- to self-pollinating mating style. The most influential edaphic parameter on water availability is soil texture (i.e. grain size) due to its controls on porosity. Adhesion weakens with coarseness allowing for expedited rates of water loss via evaporation and percolation. The potential implications of coarse soil textures on major transitions in angiosperms due to drought mediation as the ‘time-limitation hypothesis’ proposes has yet to be thoroughly examined. Here, we grew two …

Evolution Of The Southwest Drought Learning Network: Collective Response To Exceptional Drought, E. Elias, B. Fuchs, J. Lisonbee, T. Bernadt, V. Martinez, T. Haigh

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.