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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Lichens Of Iller Creek: A Checklist For The Iller Creek Unit, A Division Of Dishman Hills Conservation Area, Spokane Valley, Wa, Devin M. Mumey, Giovanna Bishop, Jessica L. Allen Sep 2023

Lichens Of Iller Creek: A Checklist For The Iller Creek Unit, A Division Of Dishman Hills Conservation Area, Spokane Valley, Wa, Devin M. Mumey, Giovanna Bishop, Jessica L. Allen

2023 Symposium

The field of biodiversity documentation encompasses a broad range of research including new species discovery and description, compilation of species present in a given area, and investigation of interspecies interaction. In an era of increasingly devastating and rapid environmental change, documenting biodiversity has become increasingly important. Anthropogenic effects on urban-adjacent natural areas are especially significant, as they can cause numerous, often drastic, responses in ecosystems. Our objective here was to document the lichen biodiversity in a large urban-adjacent protected area: the Iller Creek Unit of the Dishman Hills Conservation Area in Spokane Valley, Washington. This unit encompasses a diversity of …


Csi Botany: Dna Barcode “Fingerprints” Identify Cryptic Urban Flora, Luis R. Vega Jan 2023

Csi Botany: Dna Barcode “Fingerprints” Identify Cryptic Urban Flora, Luis R. Vega

Theses

As short genomic markers, DNA barcodes can play a role in conservation by identifying cryptic species and hybrids when morphological approaches fall short. Here we present our application of barcodes to the identities of two wetland taxa as part of an ongoing floristic inventory of Van Cortlandt Park (VCP), Bronx, NY. Previous barcode data by Marriott et al. (2018) identified the VCP lake water lily as the exotic Nymphaea alba, rather than the native N. odorata as historically described. In addition, cattails in the park were historically identified as the native Typha latifolia and the exotic T. angustifolia …


Macrolichen Inventory Of The Horse Mountain Botanical Area, Six Rivers National Forest, California, Usa, Sarah Norvell Conway Jan 2023

Macrolichen Inventory Of The Horse Mountain Botanical Area, Six Rivers National Forest, California, Usa, Sarah Norvell Conway

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Macrolichen diversity and community composition was determined for an area of high botanical interest in the Coast Ranges of Northern California – the Horse Mountain Botanical Area (HMBA) in Six Rivers National Forest. The Coast Ranges have been suggested to have high epiphytic macrolichen diversity, yet detailed site-specific macrolichen surveys are lacking for the area. Here we present comprehensive data on macrolichens of the HMBA integrated with environmental metadata at the landscape level. Twenty 0.4 ha sampling plots were positioned across the varying habitats of the HMBA and macrolichens were intensively sampled from all substrata. Out of 888 total collections, …


Phylogenomic Discordance Suggests Polytomies Along The Backbone Of The Large Genus Solanum, Edeline Gagnon, Rebeccca Hilgenhof, Andrés Orejuela, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Gaurav Sablok, Xavier Aubriot, Leandro Giacomin, Yuri Gouvêa, Thamyris Bragionis, João Renato Stehmann, Lynn Bohs, Steven Dodsworth, Christopher T. Martine, Péter Poczai, Sandra Knapp, Tiina Särkinen Feb 2022

Phylogenomic Discordance Suggests Polytomies Along The Backbone Of The Large Genus Solanum, Edeline Gagnon, Rebeccca Hilgenhof, Andrés Orejuela, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Gaurav Sablok, Xavier Aubriot, Leandro Giacomin, Yuri Gouvêa, Thamyris Bragionis, João Renato Stehmann, Lynn Bohs, Steven Dodsworth, Christopher T. Martine, Péter Poczai, Sandra Knapp, Tiina Särkinen

Faculty Journal Articles

Premise of the study

Evolutionary studies require solid phylogenetic frameworks, but increased volumes of phylogenomic data have revealed incongruent topologies among gene trees in many organisms both between and within genomes. Some of these incongruences indicate polytomies that may remain impossible to resolve. Here we investigate the degree of gene-tree discordance in Solanum, one of the largest flowering plant genera that includes the cultivated potato, tomato, and eggplant, as well as 24 minor crop plants.

Methods

A densely sampled species-level phylogeny of Solanum is built using unpublished and publicly available Sanger sequences comprising 60% of all accepted species (742 spp.) …


A Flora Of Coyote Ridge And Flat, Inyo County, California, Martin Purdy Jan 2022

A Flora Of Coyote Ridge And Flat, Inyo County, California, Martin Purdy

CGU Theses & Dissertations

California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range contains a disproportionate share of the state’s plant diversity and is one of the most floristically diverse regions of its size in the United States. The high Sierra Nevada, in particular, has been identified as an important center of species richness and endemism within California. Anthropogenic climate warming is expected to disproportionately affect mountain ecosystems, and models have predicted serious habitat contraction and extirpation for many alpine plant taxa. A specimen-based inventory of the vascular and non-vascular plants of Coyote Ridge and Flat was conducted to establish baseline data for one such sensitive alpine and …


Limacella Subtropicana (Amanitaceae, Agaricales), A New Species From Pakistan Based On Morphological And Molecular Phylogenetic Evidences, Aiman Izhar, Abdul Rehman Niazi, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Haq Nawaz, Hira Bashir, Abdul Nasir Khalid Jan 2022

Limacella Subtropicana (Amanitaceae, Agaricales), A New Species From Pakistan Based On Morphological And Molecular Phylogenetic Evidences, Aiman Izhar, Abdul Rehman Niazi, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Haq Nawaz, Hira Bashir, Abdul Nasir Khalid

Turkish Journal of Botany

Basidiomata of a hitherto undescribed Limacella species were collected from the grasslands of Punjab, Pakistan. We describe it as Limacella subtropicana, which is characterized by its viscid, white to creamy pileus, white to the creamy stipe, changing to brown when bruised, subglobose basidiospores measuring 4.0?6.3 × 3.7?5.5 ?m, an ixotrichodermal pileipellis with subcylindric to clavate terminal elements and the common presence of clamp connections in all tissues. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses of ITS sequences and LSU sequences of nrDNA confirmed its placement in the genus Limacella. A comprehensive description and a comparison of the new taxon with other …


Shackletonia Backorii - A New Species Of Lichenised Fungus From James Ross Island (Antarctic Peninsula), Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Mi̇that Güllü, Ekrem Bölükbaşi, Merve Kahraman Yi̇ği̇t Jan 2022

Shackletonia Backorii - A New Species Of Lichenised Fungus From James Ross Island (Antarctic Peninsula), Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Mi̇that Güllü, Ekrem Bölükbaşi, Merve Kahraman Yi̇ği̇t

Turkish Journal of Botany

The new lichen species Shackletonia backorii Halıcı, Güllü & Kahraman is described from James Ross Island, which is located in the North-East Antarctic Peninsula region. The new species is morphologically most similar to S. insignis (Søchting & Øvstedal) Søchting, Frödén & Arup, which was described from Livingstone Island (North-West Antarctic Peninsula region). These two species have a similar bluish grey to blackish thallus with a microfruticose and coralloid structure and red brown or almost black zeorine apothecia, but S. backorii has rhomboid ascospores and grows on soil whereas S. insignis has ellipsoid ascospores and occurs in sheltered crevices of rocks. …


Lepidopteran Granivory Reduces Seed Counts In A Rare Species Of Riparian Scour Prairies, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine Jan 2021

Lepidopteran Granivory Reduces Seed Counts In A Rare Species Of Riparian Scour Prairies, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

In Pennsylvania Baptisia australis var. australis is found along only four waterways: the Allegheny River, Youghiogheny River, Clarion River, and Red Bank Creek. Because of its limited distribution and small number of extant populations, the species is considered state-threatened in Pennsylvania. In addition, the riparian prairie habitat that Pennsylvania Baptisia australis var. australis is restricted to is also in decline and considered vulnerable. Because of these conservation concerns, insights into the natural history of the taxon in the state is valuable and will inform conservation efforts. Field surveys and fruit collections along the Allegheny River and herbarium collections were used …


Toniniopsis Bartakii - A New Species Of Lichenised Fungus From James Ross Island(Antarctic Peninsula), Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Merve Kahraman, Sonja Kistenich, Einar Timdal Jan 2021

Toniniopsis Bartakii - A New Species Of Lichenised Fungus From James Ross Island(Antarctic Peninsula), Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Merve Kahraman, Sonja Kistenich, Einar Timdal

Turkish Journal of Botany

The new lichen species Toniniopsis bartakii is described from James Ross Island, the North-East Antarctic Peninsula region. It is phylogenetically most closely related to T. bagliettoana but differs mainly in forming a more developed, squamulose thallus. It is morphologically more similar to T. coelestina but differs mainly in the pigmentation in the proper exciple. An identification key to the known species of Toniniopsis is also provided


New Additions To Turkish Mycota From Ankara, Balıkesir, And Kütahya Provinces, Deni̇z Altuntaş, Fuat Bozok, Hatira Taşkin, Şanli Kabaktepe, Hakan Alli, Ilgaz Akata Jan 2021

New Additions To Turkish Mycota From Ankara, Balıkesir, And Kütahya Provinces, Deni̇z Altuntaş, Fuat Bozok, Hatira Taşkin, Şanli Kabaktepe, Hakan Alli, Ilgaz Akata

Turkish Journal of Botany

The current research was conducted on the fungal materials collected from Ankara, Balıkesir, and Kütahya provinces between 2015 and 2019. As a result of the field and laboratory studies, Conocybe dentatomarginata, Entoloma lampropus, Lactarius lilacinus, Otidea nannfeldtii and Sarcopeziza sicula are reported for the first time from Turkey based on macro- and micromorphological studies and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA-based molecular phylogeny. Descriptions of new records are provided together with photos showing their macro and micro-morphology.


A Preliminary Checklist Of Lichens From Kamiak Butte County Park, Washington State, Emma Sell, Amanda Chandler Jan 2020

A Preliminary Checklist Of Lichens From Kamiak Butte County Park, Washington State, Emma Sell, Amanda Chandler

2020 Symposium Posters

The semiarid Palouse ecoregion of North America was once dominated by temperate prairies and connects areas of southeast Washington, north-central Idaho, and northeast Oregon. Transformation of nearly all habitats comprising this ecosystem into agricultural lands has drastically reduced extant native grasslands to small, highly fragmented pieces. These land conversion practices, coupled with the subsequent takeover of invasive plant species, have placed the Palouse ecoregion among the most critically endangered ecosystems in the United States, with < 1% of land remaining that is suitable to host native species. The enormous loss of biodiversity across the Palouse has prompted a need for further study regarding a wide variety of organisms. In particular, lichen diversity of the Palouse ecoregion has never been formally characterized, and there are overall very few detailed studies of lichens throughout eastern Washington. To improve knowledge of Palouse lichen diversity, we first reviewed collection data from historical herbarium specimens via the Consortium of North American Lichen Herbaria (CNALH) database. We then collected lichen voucher specimens from Kamiak Butte County Park (KBCP), one of the largest contiguous natural areas within the Palouse ecoregion as its relatively steep, rocky slopes make it ill-suited for agricultural conversion. KBCP consists of 298 acres of mixed Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) forest and native grassland that rises above the surrounding farmland, as well as an east-west ridgeline …


Temperate Eurasian Origins Of Hawaiian Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae) Plus Description Of A New Species Endemic To Moloka‘I, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, J Branson, S R. Long, W Garnett, Christopher T. Martine Jan 2020

Temperate Eurasian Origins Of Hawaiian Chenopodium (Amaranthaceae) Plus Description Of A New Species Endemic To Moloka‘I, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, J Branson, S R. Long, W Garnett, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Chenopodium taxa of Hawai‘i are tetraploids distinguished from other members of the circumglobally distributed genus by minute morphological characters. Because of these reasons, the geographic origin of Hawaiian Chenopodium has remained unclear. Across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Chenopodium taxa are morphologically variable and grow in highly disparate xeric habitats, especially in terms of precipitation, temperature, wind, salt spray, and solar irradiation. Habitats include dry subalpine shrublands, sandy beach strand of atolls in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, dry forests, and precipitously tall sea cliffs of northwestern Moloka‘i. From the Moloka‘i sea cliffs, which are battered by high energy winds, salt spray, and …


A Taxonomic Revision Of The Genus Burmeistera (Campanulaceae) In Ecuador, Brock Mashburn May 2019

A Taxonomic Revision Of The Genus Burmeistera (Campanulaceae) In Ecuador, Brock Mashburn

Theses

The genus Burmeistera (Campanulaceae) consists of approximately 120 species of herbaceous trailing shrubs, found mostly in cloud forests from Guatemala to Peru. Taxonomic work is difficult for the genus because of its relatively recent diversification (5–12 mya) and the morphological lability of its species. The last monograph for the genus was completed in 1943, followed periodically by country-level treatments. For Ecuador, the most recent treatment of Burmeistera was nearly 40 years ago, in Stig Jeppesen’s 1981 treatment in the Flora of Ecuador. Jeppesen’s treatment recognized 32 species and subspecies. Since then, nine new species have been described and hundreds of …


Tricholoma (Fr.) Staude In The Aegean Region Of Turkey, İsmai̇l Şen, Hakan Alli Jan 2019

Tricholoma (Fr.) Staude In The Aegean Region Of Turkey, İsmai̇l Şen, Hakan Alli

Turkish Journal of Botany

The Tricholoma biodiversity of the Aegean region of Turkey has been determined and reported in this study. As a consequence of field and laboratory studies, 31 Tricholoma species have been identified, and five of them (T. filamentosum, T. frondosae, T. quercetorum, T. rufenum, and T. sudum) have been reported for the first time from Turkey. The identification key of the determined taxa is given with this study.


Assessing Impacts Of Climate Change On Campanula Yaltirikii H.Duman (Campanulaceae), A Critically Endangered Endemic Species In Turkey, Canan Dülgeroğlu, Ahmet Aksoy Jan 2019

Assessing Impacts Of Climate Change On Campanula Yaltirikii H.Duman (Campanulaceae), A Critically Endangered Endemic Species In Turkey, Canan Dülgeroğlu, Ahmet Aksoy

Turkish Journal of Botany

Ecological niche models (ENMs) provide information to assess the effects of environmental and climatic conditions on species distribution. The purpose of this study was to predict the impact of climate change on a critically endangered species, Campanula yaltirikii H.Duman. It is a local endemic chasmophyte from Mt Çığlıkara (Antalya, Turkey), restricted to cracks in calcareous rocks and threatened by goat overgrazing. Current and future ENMs of C. yaltirikii were predicted with a maximum entropy (Maxent) algorithm. The MIROC5 (Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate) climate change scenario for the year 2070 was used for projecting the future ENM of the …


New Additions To Turkish Pezizales From The Eastern Black Sea Region, Yasi̇n Uzun, Abdullah Kaya Jan 2019

New Additions To Turkish Pezizales From The Eastern Black Sea Region, Yasi̇n Uzun, Abdullah Kaya

Turkish Journal of Botany

Ten members of the order Pezizales J.Schröt., namely Pachyella clypeata (Schwein.) Le Gal, Terfezia cistophila Ant. Rodr., Bordallo, Kaounas & A.Morte (Pezizaceae), Genea hispidula Berk. ex Tul. & C.Tul., Lamprospora campylopodis W.D.Buckley, Lamprospora tuberculatella Seaver, Octospora grimmiae Dennis & Itzerott, Octospora lilacina (Seaver) Svr?ek & Kubi?ka, Pulvinula convexella (P.Karst.) Pfister, Ramsbottomia crechqueraultii (P.Crouan & H.Crouan) Benkert & T.Schumach., and Trichophaea gregaria (Rehm) Boud. (Pyronemataceae), are recorded for the first time from Turkey. Brief descriptions and photographs of the taxa are provided.


Epiphytic Diatoms As Bioindicators Of Trophic Status Of Lake Modrac(Bosnia And Herzegovina), Jasmina Kamberovi?, Vedran Stuhli, Zorana Luki?, Mirela Habibovic, Emina Me?Iki? Jan 2019

Epiphytic Diatoms As Bioindicators Of Trophic Status Of Lake Modrac(Bosnia And Herzegovina), Jasmina Kamberovi?, Vedran Stuhli, Zorana Luki?, Mirela Habibovic, Emina Me?Iki?

Turkish Journal of Botany

Biodiversity of diatoms and applicability of diatom indices in biomonitoring based on littoral epiphytic samples of Lake Modrac were investigated. Diatoms were taken mostly from Phragmites australis stems in 2017, during which physical and chemical parameters of the water were measured. A total of 85 diatom taxa were identified. Gomphonema (13 spp.), Navicula (11 spp.), and Nitzschia (8 spp.) were the most abundant genera. Obtained values of trophic indices (TID, TvD, and TDIL) pointed to meso- to eutrophic status for most localities, while values of the IBD, EPI, ?D, and IPS indices indicated good ecological status, except for localities at …


A New Subspecies Of Saxifraga Artvinensis V.A.Matthews (Saxifragaceae) From Northeastern Anatolia, Sali̇h Terzi̇oğlu, Kami̇l Çoşkunçelebi̇, Murat Erdem Güzel Jan 2019

A New Subspecies Of Saxifraga Artvinensis V.A.Matthews (Saxifragaceae) From Northeastern Anatolia, Sali̇h Terzi̇oğlu, Kami̇l Çoşkunçelebi̇, Murat Erdem Güzel

Turkish Journal of Botany

Saxifraga artvinensis V.A.Matthews, which is endemic to Turkey, was discovered on Tiryal Mountain (A8 Artvin, northeastern Turkey). Approximately 175 km from its type locality, a new population of the species was discovered, in the Picea orientalis forest in the Altındere Valley National Park, in A7 Trabzon (northeastern Turkey). A comparison with the known population of S. artvinensis confirmed that this new population represented a new taxon and is described as S. artvinensis subsp. meryemii Terzioğlu & Coşkunç. An identification key and comparison with closely related taxa, based on both morphological and molecular properties, are also provided. The studied samples, belonging …


New Contributions To The Turkish Ascomycota, Abdullah Kaya, Yasi̇n Uzun Jan 2018

New Contributions To The Turkish Ascomycota, Abdullah Kaya, Yasi̇n Uzun

Turkish Journal of Botany

Nine discomycete and one sordariomycete (Ascomycota) species are reported for the first time from Turkey. The genera Coccomyces, Kompsoscypha, Pseudopithyella, Strobiloscypha, and Lasiosphaeris have not been reported before in the country. Anthracobia, Plicaria, Sclerotinia, and Pithya species are new records added to the previous knowledge. Macro- and micromorphological descriptions and illustrations for each new taxon are provided.


Morphological, Chemical, And Genetic Diversity Of Gypsophila L. (Caryophyllaceae) Species And Their Potential Use In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Barbara Kolodziej, Sylwia Okon, Aleksandra Nucia, Tomasz Ociepa, Katarzyna Luchowska, Danuta Sugier, Reneta Gevrenova, Max Henry Jan 2018

Morphological, Chemical, And Genetic Diversity Of Gypsophila L. (Caryophyllaceae) Species And Their Potential Use In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Barbara Kolodziej, Sylwia Okon, Aleksandra Nucia, Tomasz Ociepa, Katarzyna Luchowska, Danuta Sugier, Reneta Gevrenova, Max Henry

Turkish Journal of Botany

The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological, chemical, and genetic similarity of species belonging to the genus Gypsophila L. The analysis included 7 Gypsophila species with potential use in the pharmaceutical industry for saponin production. In order to assess the variation of the morphological traits, a number of morphological characteristics have been determined (including the number of lateral roots, diameter and total root length, average plant height, number of shoots and their diameter, number of branches on the shoot, length and width of leaves, and fresh and air-dried weight of aerial and underground parts of plants), while …


New Species And New Records Of Lichenized Ascomycota From Tropicaldeciduous Forests Of The Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India, Sumesh Dudani, Sanjeeva Nayaka, Komal Ingle, Siljo Joseph Jan 2018

New Species And New Records Of Lichenized Ascomycota From Tropicaldeciduous Forests Of The Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India, Sumesh Dudani, Sanjeeva Nayaka, Komal Ingle, Siljo Joseph

Turkish Journal of Botany

Stirtonia ghattensis Sumesh N. Dudani, Nayaka, Komal K. Ingle & S. Joseph sp. nov. having UV+ white thallus, 4-6-spored asci, and 5(-7)-septate ascospores and lacking lichen substances is described as new to science. Pertusaria mesotropa Müll. Arg. is reported for the first time from India. Bacidia subannexa (Nyl.) Zahlbr., Graphis caesiella Vain., G. handelii Zahlbr., Hemithecium scariosum Makhija & Adaw., and Pertusaria coccodes (Ach.) Nyl. are new records for Western Ghats. Arthothelium aphanocarpum (Nyl.) Zahlbr., which had a restricted distribution in the Andaman Islands, is collected from the mainland of India for the first time. An updated world key for …


New Additions To The Turkish Pezizales, Yasi̇n Uzun, Semi̇ha Yakar, İbrahi̇m Hali̇l Karacan, Abdullah Kaya Jan 2018

New Additions To The Turkish Pezizales, Yasi̇n Uzun, Semi̇ha Yakar, İbrahi̇m Hali̇l Karacan, Abdullah Kaya

Turkish Journal of Botany

Twelve members of the order Pezizales are recorded for the first time from Turkey: Ascobolus carbonarius P.Karst.; A. crenulatus P.Karst.; A. foliicola Berk. & Broome; A. immersus Pers.; Saccobolus glaber (Pers.) Lambotte; Thecotheus holmskioldii (E.C.Hansen) Eckblad (Ascobolaceae Boud. ex Sacc.); Lasiobolus cuniculi Velen. (Ascodesmidaceae J.Schröt.); Barssia hellenica Kaounas, Agnello, P.Alvarado & Slavova (Helvellaceae Fr.); Marcelleina atroviolacea Brumm.; M. rickii (Rehm) Graddon (Pezizaceae Dumort.); Cheilymenia pulcherrima (P.Crouan & H.Crouan) Boud.; and Sepultariella semi-immersa (P.Karst.) Van Vooren, U.Lindem. & Healy (Pyronemataceae Corda). Three of them, S. glaber (Pers.) Lambotte; B. hellenica Kaounas, Agnello, P.Alvarado & Slavova; and S. semi-immersa (P.Karst.) Svrcek, are …


Notes On The Genus Frondaria (Orchidaceae) With Description Of New Species, Dariusz Szlachetko, Marta Kolanowska, Max Rykaczewski Jan 2018

Notes On The Genus Frondaria (Orchidaceae) With Description Of New Species, Dariusz Szlachetko, Marta Kolanowska, Max Rykaczewski

Turkish Journal of Botany

The specific diversity of Neotropical orchid genus Frondaria is evaluated based on morphological data. Frondaria was considered a monospecific taxon for years; however, our recent studies on Andean orchids indicated that it is actually much more variable. Within Colombian material, we found a species which does not fit the morphological description of F. caulescens and described it here as a new species named F. colombiana . The novelty is characterized by inflorescence being three times as long as the ramicaul, the tridentate leaf apex with middle tooth as long as lateral ones, papillate apices of sepals, and oblong-ligulate lip middle …


Systematics And Biogeography Of The Cortinarius Violaceus Group And Sequestrate Evolution In Cortinarius (Agaricales), Emma Harrower Dec 2017

Systematics And Biogeography Of The Cortinarius Violaceus Group And Sequestrate Evolution In Cortinarius (Agaricales), Emma Harrower

Doctoral Dissertations

Phylogenetics is a powerful tool used for illuminating the diversity of life on Earth, their evolution and their ecology. I created a multi-gene phylogenetic tree of Cortinarius section Cortinarius and uncovered five previously overlooked species, increasing the number of species in the section from seven to twelve. All members of the clade possess both cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia and possess a pigment known as (R)-39,49-dihydroxybphenylalanine. Ancestral state reconstruction estimated that the ancestral host was most likely an angiosperm, switching hosts when encountering novel host species in new lands, and only C. violaceus associating with the Pinaceae in North America. Biogeographic analysis …


Lichen Conservation In Eastern North America: Population Genomics, Climate Change, And Translocations, Jessica Allen Jun 2017

Lichen Conservation In Eastern North America: Population Genomics, Climate Change, And Translocations, Jessica Allen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Conservation biology is a scientific discipline that draws on methods from diverse fields to address specific conservation concerns and inform conservation actions. This field is overwhelmingly focused on charismatic animals and vascular plants, often ignoring other diverse and ecologically important groups. This trend is slowly changing in some ways; for example, increasing number of fungal species are being added to the IUCN Red-List. However, a strong taxonomic bias still exists. Here I contribute four research chapters to further the conservation of lichens, one group of frequently overlooked organisms. I address specific conservation concerns in eastern North America using modern methods. …


An On-Campus Botanical Tour To Promote Student Satisfaction And Learning In A University Level Biodiversity Or General Biology Course, Harish H. Ratnayaka Jan 2017

An On-Campus Botanical Tour To Promote Student Satisfaction And Learning In A University Level Biodiversity Or General Biology Course, Harish H. Ratnayaka

Faculty and Staff Publications

Outdoor, hands-on and experiential learning, as opposed to instruction-based learning in classroom, increases student satisfaction and motivation leading to a deeper understanding of the subject. However, the use of outdoor exercises in undergraduate biology courses is declining due to a variety of constraints. Thus, the goal of this paper is to describe a convenient, no-cost and flexible exercise using an on-campus botanical tour for strengthening specific knowledge areas of major plant groups. Its assessment on conduct and coverage, and student-perceived and actual knowledge gain is also described. Data presented derived from traditional biology undergraduates in sophomore year over nine fall …


Political Ecology Of Medicinal Plant Use In Rural Nepal: Globalization, Environmental Degradation, And Cultural Transformation, Emily Dovydaitis Jan 2017

Political Ecology Of Medicinal Plant Use In Rural Nepal: Globalization, Environmental Degradation, And Cultural Transformation, Emily Dovydaitis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Prior to the advent of biomedicine, rural communities in Nepal relied on phytochemically active compounds in medicinal plants as their primary source of medicine; however, ethnobotanical practices have shifted over time due to economic, environmental, and sociocultural stimuli. Findings from 2016 fieldwork conducted in Dumrikharka, Nepal and Tutung, Nepal are compared to existing literature to describe the political ecology of medicinal plants in rural Nepal.

Anthropogenic climate change threatens individual plant species and ecosystem biodiversity. Globalized markets unabated by weak conservation programs place increasing demands on medicinal plants. As indigenous plants become overharvested and more difficult to access, Nepalis incorporate …


Diversity And Evolution Of Fruits In Cuscuta (Dodders; Convolvulaceae), Anna Ho Jan 2017

Diversity And Evolution Of Fruits In Cuscuta (Dodders; Convolvulaceae), Anna Ho

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cuscuta (dodder) is a genus of roughly 200 species of obligate stem parasites with sub-cosmopolitan distribution. The fruit, generally regarded as a capsule, has a thin pericarp containing one to four seeds and opening at the base (circumscissile dehiscence; DE), or remaining closed (indehiscent; IN). IN has evolved multiple times in Cuscuta from DE, and is most common in the North American clades of subgenus Grammica. In addition, some species produce fruits that open irregularly. Characteristics pertaining to the fruits of Cuscuta are important as their seeds contribute most to their distribution and prevalence across the globe, and their reduced …


New Or Additional Cladoniicolous Fungi For Turkey, Mustafa Kocakaya, Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Raquel Pino Bodas Jan 2016

New Or Additional Cladoniicolous Fungi For Turkey, Mustafa Kocakaya, Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Raquel Pino Bodas

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study reports twelve species of cladoniicolous fungi from Turkey. Nine of these taxa, i.e. Abrothallus cladoniae R.Sant. And D.Hawksw., Epicladonia stenospora (Harm.) D.Hawksw., Lichenosticta alcicornaria (Linds.) D.Hawksw., Lichenoconium aeruginosum Diederich, M.Brand, van den Boom and Lawrey, Phoma foliaceiphila Diederich, Kocourk. And Etayo, Scutula cladoniicola Alstrup and D.Hawksw., Sphaerellothecium cladoniicola E.S. Hansen and Alstrup, Syzygospora bachmannii Diederich and M.S.Christ., and Taeniolella beschiana Diederich, are new records for Turkey. A key to these 12 species of lichenicolous fungi on Cladonia species is provided.


Haematococcus: A Successful Air-Dispersed Colonist In Ephemeral Waters Is Rarely Found In Phytoplankton Communities, Savvas Genitsaris, Natasa Stefanidou, Matina Katsiapi, Elisabeth Vardaka, Konstantinos Ar. Kormas, Ulrich Sommer, Maria Moustaka-Gouni Jan 2016

Haematococcus: A Successful Air-Dispersed Colonist In Ephemeral Waters Is Rarely Found In Phytoplankton Communities, Savvas Genitsaris, Natasa Stefanidou, Matina Katsiapi, Elisabeth Vardaka, Konstantinos Ar. Kormas, Ulrich Sommer, Maria Moustaka-Gouni

Turkish Journal of Botany

In a literature search, the presence of Haematococcus in phytoplankton communities and its biogeography were investigated. Haematococcus, although showing a wide biogeographical distribution, has been rarely found in phytoplankton communities. Simultaneously, the colonization potential of air-dispersed Haematococcus in ephemeral waters and its interactions with coexisting phytoplankton taxa were examined by microscopy and molecular methods. Haematococcus was a successful colonist, appearing among the first taxa in the experimental containers. According to principal component analysis, Haematococcus growth rate was negatively correlated with the abundance and species richness of the other autotrophs. Furthermore, a negative correlation between Haematococcus and Chlamydomonas and a positive …