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A Genetic Analysis Of The Rare Endemic Astragalus Ripleyi Barneby, Juan Antonio Jaramillo-Chico

Master's Theses

Astragalus ripleyi Barneby is a rare endemic species found in the San Luis Valley of the southern portions of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico. Though not federally listed as endangered, the species is on the Bureau of Land Management’s Sensitive Species List, warranting protection and continued management. This study aims to provide information about the genetic health of the species to inform conservation efforts and provide updated management recommendations. A genetic health analysis was conducted investigating the levels of diversity present in the species, how genetic diversity is structured across the known range of the species and …

Hidden Diversity In A Clonal Endemic: Insights Into Clematis Socialis From A Population Genetics Perspective, Joanna M. Lapoint

Theses

Clematis socialis (Kral) is a rare, federally endangered perennial species restricted to a small number of fragmented populations in Alabama and Georgia. The species exhibits extensive clonality and limited sexual recruitment, characteristics that complicate expectations regarding genetic diversity and population connectivity. Despite its conservation significance, genome-wide assessments of population structure have been lacking. We used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to generate a genome-wide SNP dataset for 170 individuals sampled from six natural populations. Population structure and genetic differentiation were evaluated using Bayesian clustering, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), pairwise FST estimates, and network-based visualization. Analyses revealed strong genetic structuring among populations and …

The Virginia Academy Of Science: A Scholarly Forum Over Decades For Students Of A Plant Ecologist, Stewart Ware

Virginia Journal of Science

As a newcomer to Virginia in 1968, I learned that annual meetings of the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS) were regarded as an excellent place for students to have their first experience giving a talk about their research to fellow scientists, and a place for faculty to get to know other Virginia scientists in their fields. Over the next four decades William and Mary students (undergraduate and graduate) and I were presenters or co-authors of 42 talks or posters at VAS annual meetings, 29 of them based on studies of plant ecology across Virginia. Two were talks by colleagues with …

Vascular Plants Of The Caribou-Targhee National Forest And Curlew National Grassland In Southeastern Idaho, Western Wyoming, And Northern Utah, Michael Daines

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Due to a historical paucity of collections from and the absence of a comprehensive floristic treatment for parts of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Curlew National Grassland, an updated inventory for the area was needed. I present an annotated checklist of the vascular plants documented from the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Curlew National Grassland. A total of new 3189 voucher specimens were collected for this project in 2021 and 2022. To compile the annotated checklist, I consulted both newly collected specimens and specimen data from online botanical databases. A total of 1557 taxa (species, subspecies, varieties, and hybrids), 1423 species …

Discerning Friend From Foe: Systematic Revision Of Cuscuta L. Section Indecorae Using A Combined Ecological, Morphometric, And Phylogenetic Approach., Corey Burt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The genus Cuscuta (Dodder; Convolvulaceae) are obligate parasitic plants. In one clade known as section Indecorae, there are species which are considered pests that pose significant threats to agricultural crop production, while other species are rare or known only from historical records. Section Indecorae contains three species: C. coryli, C. warneri, and C. indecora (the latter with three infraspecific taxa: var. indecora, var. longisepala, and var. attenuata). The systematics of section Indecorae are not currently resolved. Cuscuta indecora has a long and complicated taxonomic history with many infraspecific varieties described, and …

Investigating The Effects Of Disturbance And Competition On Establishment, Growth, And Reproduction Of The Endangered Ripariosida Hermaphrodita, Daniel Engelking

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Virginia Mallow) is a perennial riparian plant with broad, maple-like leaves. It grows up to three meters high and is often found in large clonal patches, but sexually reproduces readily. While this plant may seem like a redoubtable competitor when growing in large colonies, it is declining across its range in North America. The only known occurrences in Canada are in southern Ontario. Prior to this study, no new populations had been recorded even though one of the known populations produces copious amounts of viable seed with potential to disperse. There are many hypotheses for its rarity, but …

Hysplit As An Environmental Impact Assessment Tool To Study The Data Discrepancies Between Olea Europaea Airborne Pollen Records And Its Phenology In Sw Spain, Alejandro Monroy-Colín, J. M. Maya-Manzano, Rafael Tormo-Molina, Raúl Pecero-Casimiro, María Ángeles Gonzalo-Garijo, Santiago Fernández-Rodríguez

Articles

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is a native evergreen tree in the Mediterranean region, being one of the most important causes of seasonal respiratory allergies in Mediterranean countries. This work aims to relate flowering phenology, source tree distribution, meteorology, and airborne pollen records for this species and to analyse the possible arrival of air masses from distant areas during days when differences between the phenological and pollen peaks. Aerobiological sampling was carried out in Badajoz (SW Spain) for 4 years (2016–2019) using a Hirst volumetric sampler. Trees were geolocalized in the city and surrounding areas. The pollination phenology of 15 …

Plant Community Development Of Isle Royale's Moose-Spruce Savannas, Michael C. Rotter

All NMU Master's Theses

On Isle Royale National Park, heavy moose browsing over the past 100 years has suppressed the regeneration of many tree species, gradually resulting in a shift towards more open forests and savannas. By 1996, 16% of the forests at the southwest end of Isle Royale had become savanna and another 20% were starting to break-up. The changes in understory vegetation brought about by savanna formation have received little attention, even though the future of moose and wolf populations on Isle Royale are tied to these vegetation changes. This study examined the vegetation of savannas ranging in age (date since formation) …

Tracking Environmental Trends In The Great Bay Estuarine System: An Examination Of Water Quality And Nuisance Macroalgal Blooms, Jeremy C. Nettleton

Doctoral Dissertations

Monitoring macroalgae populations is an effective means of detecting long term water quality changes in estuarine systems. To investigate the environmental status of New Hampshire's Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, this study assessed the abundance/distribution of macrophytes, particularly Gracilaria and Ulva species, relative to eutrophication patterns; compared historical (1970s-1990s) and current algal biomass/cover at several sites; and compared Ulva and Gracilaria tissue N/P content to ambient and historical levels. Nitrogen and phosphorus testing revealed that the estuarine system has become eutrophic, and Ulva and Gracilaria biomass/cover have increased significantly. The percent cover of Ulva species, at seasonal maxima, was …

Arctic Alaskan Shrub Growth, Distribution, And Relationships To Landscape Processes And Climate During The 20th Century, Ken D. Tape

Biological Sciences

The primary change underway in the tundra of Arctic Alaska is the increase in air temperature and expansion of deciduous shrubs since 1980. I explored relationships between shrub expansion and relevant ecosystem properties such as climate, soil characteristics, erosion, and herbivory. Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa (Siberian alder) shrubs located along streams, rock outcrops, or other features with active disturbance regimes showed a positive correlation between growth ring widths and March through July air temperature. Climate-growth relationships were much weaker for alder in adjacent tussock tundra. Additionally, tussock tundra sites had different vegetation composition, shallower thaw, lower mean annual ground temperature, …

Demographic Response Of American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius L.) To Climate Change, Sara Souther

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ecological response to recent climate change has been documented for a multitude of species worldwide. Climate models predict further increases in temperature, as much as 8 times the degree of warming that has already occurred. Given observations of species response to contemporary climate change and the unprecedented degree of warming expected over the next century, climate change will no doubt determine future ecosystem composition and affect global species diversity. In order to prevent loss of biodiversity, it is necessary to understand and accurately project species' response to climate, and to identify species that are vulnerable to climate change driven extinctions. …

Post-­Fire Alterations In Mechanical Strength Of Leaves In Heteromeles Arbutifolia, Andrew Hair, Madeline Dilascia, Nick Novella, Taylor Wurdeman

Featured Research

Wildfires in the Santa Monica mountains in Southern California burn down a decent percentage of the local vegetation. However, some plants like Heteromeles Arbutifolia, are considered to be resprouters because they return a mere two years after being burnt down. It is hypothesized that the artificially browsed resprout leaves will have a lower tensile strength than both the young and adult leaves because they use a lower amount of carbohydrates per unit-leaf-area. Data showed that although there was a slight different between the young leaves and the adult leaves of the Heteromeles, there was no statistically significant difference between the …

An Investigation Of Genetic Variation Within Northwest Atlantic Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) With Specific Phylogeographic Analysis Of The Common, Rocky Intertidal Species, Porphyra Umbilicalis, Brian William Teasdale

Doctoral Dissertations

To investigate the phylogeography of the rocky intertidal red alga, Porphyra umbilicalis Kutzing, a restriction fragment polymorphism assay (RFLP) of the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit ( rbcL) was developed to accurately distinguish P. umbilicalis from the other morphologically similar species in the North Atlantic. Initial screening of ∼800 Porphyra specimens resulted in the additional discovery of a cryptic Porphyra taxon.

The presence and variability of group-I introns of the ribosomal small subunit (SSU) were screened in North Atlantic species of Porphyra in order to assess whether they could be biogeographically informative. In an initial screening for the helix 50 …

Censusing And Modeling The Dynamics Of A Population Of Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis L.) Using Remote Sensing, W. Robert Lamar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A population of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.) was censused from the ground using traditional field methods and from the air using large scale, high-resolution, aerial imagery in the early spring of 1997, 1998 and 1999. A manual crown survey map of the population, prepared from aerial imagery, was compared to a traditional field census. Over 60% of the individuals measured on the ground were not detected in the aerial census. Tree size, crown density and crown position all played roles in determining a crown's visibility from the air. Nearly all large, upper canopy hemlocks were visible in the aerial …

Aquilegia, Vol. 27 No. 2, March-June 2003: Newsletter Of The Colorado Native Plant Society, Alice Guthrie, Laurel E. Potts, Michael J. Roll, Stephen J. Wallner

Aquilegia - Colorado Native Plant Society

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting Plant Community Composition And Dynamics In The Ossipee Pine Barrens, New Hampshire, Lauren Fredrick Howard

Doctoral Dissertations

Forty-one 0.25 ha sites were sampled in the Ossipee Pine Barrens to identify and describe tree community types and investigate factors controlling forest composition and dynamics. Every site had three site-time assemblages (STA's) representing past, present, and future trees. Past (1952) vegetation was calculated based on reverse growth estimates of current stems and stumps. Future (2052) vegetation was predicted by current sapling (<10 cm dbh and ≥1 m tall) relative densities.

Cluster analysis produced three community types from 121 STA's: pitch pine, mixed pine-hardwoods, and red maple. Pitch pine communities comprised 63% of sites in 1952, but declined since. Mixed pine-hardwoods peaked at 58% in 2002, but were …

Aquilegia, Vol. 26 No. 3, May-June 2002: Newsletter Of The Colorado Native Plant Society, Leo P. Bruederle, John Giordanengo, Gwen Kittel, Jill Handwerk, Alice Guthrie, Gay Austin, Dick Moseley

Aquilegia - Colorado Native Plant Society

No abstract provided.

Abstracts Of Papers, 79th Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science, May 22-25, 2001, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of papers that were presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 22-25, 2001, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Aquilegia, Vol. 25 No. 5, July-August 2001: Newsletter Of The Colorado Native Plant Society, Tina Jones, Rob Udall, Myrna P. Steinkamp, Tamara Naumann, Sally White, Bobbie Henig, Janet Wingate

Aquilegia - Colorado Native Plant Society

No abstract provided.

Aquilegia, Vol. 24 No. 2, March-April 2000: Newsletter Of The Colorado Native Plant Society, Leo P. Bruederle, Bill Jennings, Denise Culver, Alice Guthrie, Caryl Shields, Carolyn Crawford, Gary Bentrup, Barbara Bash

Aquilegia - Colorado Native Plant Society

No abstract provided.

Aquilegia, Vol. 18 No. 2, March-April 1994: Newsletter Of The Colorado Native Plant Society, Myrna P. Steinkamp, Tom Ranker, Janet Hughes, Mark Gershman, Kris Meiring, Anna Maria Arft, Tamara Naumann, Jim Borland, Ann Cooper, Janet L. Wingate, Carolyn Crawford

Aquilegia - Colorado Native Plant Society

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Metals On Growth And Nitrogenase Activity Of The Soil Cyanobacterium, Nostoc Commune Vaucher., Charles Lyle Pederson

Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of this study was to provide basic data regarding the influence of metals on a free-living terrestrial cyanobacterium, and to demonstrate the utility of laboratory studies for assigning biological significance to field observations on soil-algal ecology.Because Nostoc commune Vaucher is a subaerial inhabitant of soils, it did not respond favorably to traditional liquid culture techniques. Therefore, a filter-culture technique was developed whereby N. commune was grown as a surface film on membrane filters superimposed on an inorganic nutrient agar. Filter-cultures were established by inoculating sterile cellulose acetate membrane filters with a layer of N. commune. Growth rates, …

Timpanogos Flora, Kelly W. Allred

Theses and Dissertations

A comprehensive floristic study of Mt. Timpanogos, Utah County, Utah, was undertaken. The Mt. Timpanogos area is a much used facility in recreation, biology, watershed development, livestock management, and education. It is also representative of a major segment of the overall flora of Utah. This study adds to the ever-increading knowledge of the flora of Utah, and provides a means of identifying the flora of this region, which is basic to any future management.

An Ecological Study Of Fucus Spiralis Linnaeus, Richard Albert Niemeck

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Physiological Ecology Of Four Species Of Polysiphonia, Richard A. Fralick

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Lichen Genus Ramalina In The Gulf South Region Of The United States., Raymond Eugene Jones

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

An Autecological Study Of The Marine Red Alga Gigartina Stellata (Stackhouse) Batters, Richard L. Burns

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Some Factors Affecting The Concentration And Properties Of Carrageenan In Chondrus Crispus, Stackhouse, Stephen William Fuller

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Ecological Study Of The Flora Of East St. Charles Parish, Louisiana., Glen Norman Montz

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

A Taxonomic And Ecological Survey Of The Algae Of Lilly Lake, Ann C. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

A taxonomic and ecological survey of the algae of Lilly Lake in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, was carried on from June 1967 to November 1967. The lake is a typical acid bog lake with an average pH range of 4.5 to 6.9. Extremes of pH in the alkaline range were present due to additional factors. Algae identified included 96 genera and 208 species. These were found in many different types of microenvironmental niches. The main factors which limited the algae to definite areas of the lake were pH, water temperature, light available, and type of substrate. The predominant algal genera …