Biochemistry Commons^™

Molecular Regulation Of The Salicylic Acid Hormone Pathway In Plants Under Changing Environmental Conditions, Christina A. M. Rossi, Eric J. R. Marchetta, Jong Hum Kim, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Salicylic acid (SA) is a central plant hormone mediating immunity, growth, and development. Recently, studies have highlighted the sensitivity of the SA pathway to changing climatic factors and the plant microbiome. Here we summarize organizing principles and themes in the regulation of SA biosynthesis, signaling, and metabolism by changing abiotic/biotic environments, focusing on molecular nodes governing SA pathway vulnerability or resilience. We especially highlight advances in the thermosensitive mechanisms underpinning SA-mediated immunity, including differential regulation of key transcription factors (e.g., CAMTAs, CBP60g, SARD1, bHLH059), selective protein–protein interactions of the SA receptor NPR1, and dynamic phase separation of the recently identified …

Alterations In C:N Ratio To Understand Plant Metabolic Pathways In Response To Pressure From Goat Grazing In The Invasive Species: Rhamnus Cathartica, Vivian Marchan

Ignite the Spark Outstanding Undergraduate Research and Scholarship

The high fecundity and high germination rates of Rhamus cathartica serves the species to out-compete regional plant native species. Its high abundance in deciduous forest ecosystems forces species that are unable to utilize R. cathartica as a food source to migrate to areas of lower density, further contributing to the decline in regional biodiversity. Bare soil conditions left as the result of the high concentration of Nitrogen in senesced leaves and leaf litter, cause further amplification of the migration of non-plant species to areas of lower R. cathartica density. Nitrogen is essential to primary and secondary metabolism, thus minimizing the …

Structural Files For The Etr1 Ethylene-Receptor Dimer Based On Computational Modeling, Beenish J. Azhar, Safdar Abbas, Sitwat Aman, Maria V. Yamburenko, Wei Chen, Lena Muller, Buket Uzun, David A. Jewell, Jian Dong, Samina N. Shakeel, Georg Groth, Brad M. Binder, Gevorg Grigoryan, G. Eric Schaller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Structural models for the ETR1 homodimer were generated with AlphaFold-Multimer. Coppers were modeled under two potential coordinations involving Cys65 and His69 of the ETR1 homodimer, one in which the two coppers are bound independently and do not share an interaction with each other, and another where they are closely bonded.

See the following publication for details: Azhar, B.J., Abbas, S., Aman, S., Yamburenko, M.V., Chen, W., Müller, L., Uzun, B., Jewell, D.A., Dong, J., Shakeel, S.N., Groth, G., Binder, B.M., Grigoryan, G., Schaller, G.E. (2023) Basis for high-affinity ethylene binding by the ethylene receptor ETR1 of Arabidopsis. Proc. Natl. Acad. …

Novel Mechanistic Insight Into Ciliary Regulation: Old Pathways Yield New Mechanisms, Larissa L. Dougherty

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Cilia are structures present on most eukaryotic cells which provide important signaling and motile components to cells from early development to fully differentiated and matured cells. Regulation of these structures is critical to proper functioning of the cell and is known to be tied to the cell cycle. Preparation for ciliary assembly following cell cycle exit and ciliary disassembly following cell cycle reentry requires components throughout the cell body and within the cilium to facilitate this process. Here I identify how the cell adapts to ensure modifications to cilia occur for assembly or disassembly using the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. …

Phytochemical Constituents, Haematological Activities And Gc-Ms Analysis Of Isolated Oil Of Rosary Pea (Abrus Precatorius) In Wistar Rat Fed With High Lipid Diet, Osaro Iyekowa, Opara V Ndubuisi

Tanzania Journal of Science

The study is aimed at investigating the phytochemical constituents and haematological activities of the isolated oil in Wistar rat fed with high lipid diet. Powdered leaves of Abrus precatorious were extracted and phytochemical screening was done according to prescribed standard methods, while vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) was adopted for oil isolation of the crude extract and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty adult Wistar rats were randomly arranged into six groups (A, B, C, D, E and F) and treated under certain conditions. Haematological analyses were performed according to standard procedures. Saponins, alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and glycosides were present. …

Dynamics Of Redox-Driven Molecular Processes In Local And Systemic Plant Immunity, Philip Berg

Theses and Dissertations

The work here presents two main parts. In the first part, chapters 1 – 3 focus on dynamical systems modeling in plant immunity, whereas chapters 4 – 6 describe contributions to computational modeling and analysis of proteomics and genomics data. Chapter 1 investigates dynamical and biochemical patterns of reversibly oxidized cysteines (RevOxCys) during effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in Arabidopsis, examines the regulatory patterns associated with Arabidopsis thimet oligopeptidase 1 and 2’s (TOP1 and TOP2), roles in the RevOxCys events during ETI, and analyzes the redox phenotype of the top1top2 mutant. The second chapter investigates the peptidome dynamics during ETI …

Physicochemical Analysis Of Cold Brew And Hot Brew Peaberry Coffee, Evan T. Schwarzmann, Marlena P. Washington, Niny Z. Rao

College of Life Sciences Faculty Papers

Peaberry coffee is the result of a natural mutation of coffee beans, and they make up only about 5–7% of coffee crops. A typical coffee cherry contains two seeds that are developed against each other, resulting in the distinctive half-rounded shape of coffee beans. However, failing to fertilize both ovules of one of the seeds or failure in endosperm development can cause only one of the seeds to develop, resulting in smaller, denser beans with a more domed shape. Peaberry coffees are said to be sweeter, lighter, and more flavorful since the peaberry beans receive all nutrients from the coffee …

Anxiolytic Effects, Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Activities Of The Methanol Extract Of Jatropha Tanjorensis Leaf, Anthony E. Aiwonegbe, Uwaila Omoruyi, Osahon K. Ogbeide, Blessing O. Imoukhuede, Benjamin O. Gabrielsson

Tanzania Journal of Science

The methanol leaf extract of Jatropha tanjorensis was analyzed for its bioactive components, in-vitro antioxidant, antidepressant, anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory activities using established methods. The phytochemicals detected were saponins, tannins, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids and eugenols. The total phenolic content (TPC) was 36.48 mgGAE/g, while the total flavonoid content (TFC) was 145.92 mgQE/g of the extract. 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity gave an IC50 of 185.02 and 5.15 µg/mL for the extract and ascorbic acid (standard), respectively. The 50% lethal dose (LD50) was greater than 5000 mg/kg, while graded doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of the plant extract …

Classification Models For 2,4-D Formulations In Damaged Enlist Crops Through The Application Of Ftir Spectroscopy And Machine Learning Algorithms, Benjamin Blackburn

Theses and Dissertations

With new 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) tolerant crops, increases in off-target movement events are expected. New formulations may mitigate these events, but standard lab techniques are ineffective in identifying these 2,4-D formulations. Using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms, research was conducted to classify 2,4-D formulations in treated herbicide-tolerant soybeans and cotton and observe the influence of leaf treatment status and collection timing on classification accuracy. Pooled Classification models using k-nearest neighbor classified 2,4-D formulations with over 65% accuracy in cotton and soybean. Tissue collected 14 DAT and 21 DAT for cotton and soybean respectively produced higher accuracies than the …

The Importance Of Co2 Recapture In The Co2 Concentrating Mechanism Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Ashwani Rai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the CO₂ concentrating mechanism (CCM) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and to develop a quick method for estimating the activity of carbonic anhydrases (CAs). The first project demonstrates that there are two almost identical mitochondrial CAs in C. reinhardtii, CAH4 and CAH5, that help to maintain photosynthesis and minimize the leak of CO₂ generated by respiration and photorespiration. We used an RNAi approach to reduce the expression of CAH4 and CAH5 so that their physiological functions could be studied. RNAi mutants with low expression of CAH4 and CAH5 have impaired rates …

Increasing The Resilience Of Plant Immunity To A Warming Climate, Jong Hum Kim, Christian Castroverde, Shuai Huang, Chao Li, Richard Hilleary, Adam Seroka, Reza Sohrabi, Diana Medina-Yerena, Bethany Huot, Jie Wang, Sharon Marr, Mary Wildermuth, Tao Chen, John Macmicking, Sheng Yang He

Biology Faculty Publications

Extreme weather conditions associated with climate change affect many aspects of plant and animal life, including the response to infectious diseases. Production of salicylic acid (SA), a central plant defence hormone, is particularly vulnerable to suppression by short periods of hot weather above the normal plant growth temperature range via an unknown mechanism. Here we show that suppression of SA production in Arabidopsis thaliana at 28 °C is independent of PHYTOCHROME B (phyB) and EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3), which regulate thermo-responsive plant growth and development. Instead, we found that formation of GUANYLATE BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 3 (GBPL3) defence-activated biomolecular condensates (GDACs) …

Investigation Of The Binding Domain Interfaces Of The C-Terminus Of The Albino3 Insertase And The 43kda Chloroplast Signal Recognition Particle Subunit Via Single Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer, Amanda Tomanek

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fluorescent labeling is a technique used for visualizing functional groups contained in biomolecules by fluorescence imaging. This technique was used in this project to analyze post-translational targeting of light-harvesting chlorophyll-binding proteins (LHCP), which are the core complexes that harvest sunlight to drive photosynthetic electron transfer. This protein is synthesized in the cytosol and post-translationally targeted to the stroma of chloroplasts. CpSRP43 is a signal recognition particle (SRP) subunit unique to chloroplasts, which has been shown to interact with the stroma-soluble C-terminus of the thylakoid-bound Albino3 insertase (Alb3-Cterm). In the chloroplast stroma, targeting to thylakoids is performed via the cpSRP pathway …

Floating Treatment Wetlands For Brackish Waters: Plant Selection And Nutrient Uptake Potential., Andrea Landaverde

All Theses

Brackish water bodies in coastal regions provide critical ecosystem services that support human and environmental health. Anthropogenic activities such as agricultural and industrial activities, construction, urban settlements, and tourism contribute to increased inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in brackish coastal ecosystems. Excess nutrients can lead to impaired water quality and affect marine organisms. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a vegetated-base technology used to remove contaminants from water column, that has been mainly studied and applied in freshwater systems. Application of FTWs in brackish systems requires further investigation, as high salinity in brackish waters could result in toxicity to …

Evaluating Alternative Ebullition Models For Predicting Peatland Methane Emission And Its Pathways Via Data–Model Fusion, Shuang Ma, Lifen Jiang, Rachel M. Wilson, Jeff P. Chanton, Scott Bridgham, Shuli Niu, Colleen M. Iversen, Avni Malhotra, Jiang Jiang, Xingjie Lu, Jason Keller, Xiaofeng Xu, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Paul J. Hanson, Yiqi Luo

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the dynamics of peatland methane (CH₄) emissions and quantifying sources of uncertainty in estimating peatland CH₄ emissions are critical for mitigating climate change. The relative contributions of CH₄ emission pathways through ebullition, plant-mediated transport, and diffusion, together with their different transport rates and vulnerability to oxidation, determine the quantity of CH₄ to be oxidized before leaving the soil. Notwithstanding their importance, the relative contributions of the emission pathways are highly uncertain. In particular, the ebullition process is more uncertain and can lead to large uncertainties in modeled CH₄ emissions. To improve model simulations …

Salicylic Acid And N-Hydroxypipecolic Acid At The Fulcrum Of The Plant Immunity-Growth Equilibrium, Alyssa Shields, Vanessa Shivnauth, Christian Danve M. Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP) are two central plant immune signals involved in both resistance at local sites of pathogen infection (basal resistance) and at distal uninfected sites after primary infection (systemic acquired resistance). Major discoveries and advances have led to deeper understanding of their biosynthesis and signaling during plant defense responses. In addition to their well-defined roles in immunity, recent research is emerging on their direct mechanistic impacts on plant growth and development. In this review, we will first provide an overview of how SA and NHP regulate local and systemic immune responses in plants. We …

The Impact Of Plant Secondary Metabolites On Auxin And Cytokinin Signaling, Timothy E. Shull

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Secondary metabolites are a broad class of specialized compounds that mediate plant-environment interactions and mitigate stress. It is increasingly clear that many phenylalanine-derived secondary metabolites are nearly indispensable for plant survival and that plants adjust their growth according to their secondary metabolic outputs. Consequently, many phenylalanine-derived secondary metabolites have influence over hormone activity. For instance, multiple phenylpropanoid intermediates and catecholamines alter the sensitivity of plants to the central hormone auxin, which in concert with cytokinin directs most aspects of plant growth and development. This dissertation reviews previous research on the influence of phenylpropanoid intermediates and catecholamines on plants, with a …

Effects Of Copper Oxide (Cuo) And Zinc Oxide (Zno) Nano And Bulk Forms To Soil Fungal Community [Research Note], Jonathan Jaime Guerrero, Teresita Dalisay, Nolissa Organo, Ireneo Pangga

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

The effects of copper oxide (CuO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) in bulk and nano forms on soil fungal community was determined. Lipa clay loam soil collected from the University of the Philippines Los Baños were placed in polypropylene bags and amended with 300 mg/L of CuO or ZnO in either forms. Colony-forming units (CFU) as well as average well color development (AWCD), functional richness and stress index were determined on day 1, 8 and 15 via indirect viable plate count method and community – level physiological profiling (CLPP). Fungal isolates from the same soil samples were likewise identified and tested …

Three Lc-Ms Plant Metabolomics Studies Of Hop (Humulus) Species: Wild H. Neomexicanus, Drought Stress, And Agricultural Terroir, Taylan Morcol

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The hop plant (Humulus L., Cannabaceae) is a dioecious, perennial, twining vine with a long history of human use. Nowadays, hop plants are generally grown for their inflorescences (“cones”), which are used in brewing for their phytochemical metabolites. Many of these metabolites are involved in plant stress response and communication. Genetics and environment are two major factors that affect plant metabolism. In three separate metabolomics studies, this project examined the effects of both genetic and environmental factors on hop phytochemistry.

In the first study, 23 hop genotypes were grown in two different locations in the Pacific Northwest region of …

Nutritional Composition, Sensory Profile And Consumer Acceptability Of Wheat-Jackfruit Seed Composite Buns, Sarah S Ngwere, Richard J Mongi

Tanzania Journal of Science

Jackfruit seeds flour is very rich in nutrients and may be incorporated into wheat flour to develop nutrient dense baked products. Consumption of these products may improve the nutrition status of the people, hence fulfill sustainable development goal number two. In this study, nutritional composition, sensory profile, and consumer acceptability of wheat-jackfruit seeds composite buns (Mandazi) were investigated. Jackfruit seeds flour (JSF) was developed and incorporated into wheat flour (WF) at 10, 20, and 30% to produce composite flour used for bun preparation. Flours and buns were subjected to proximate, mineral, and sensory analyses with WF serving as a control …

Computational Prediction Of Mutagenesis In Glycine Max Rubisco Activase Monomer For Increased Thermal Stability, Catherine B. Emanuel, Hamza Haq '21, Vasanth Ramesh '21, Jaden Wang '21, Angela Ahrendt, Sarah Stainbrook

Student Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Salicylic Acid Response To Simulated Herbivory In Geographically Distinct T. Heterophylla And H. Discolor Populations, Amy E. Castle

Honors Projects

It is commonly known that plants may produce salicylic acid as a chemical defense response to wounding, although the phenomenon has usually been observed with regard to insect herbivory. Stem and leaf tissue of two species, Tsuga heterophylla and Holodiscus discolor, which are often eaten by deer, were extracted in methanol and analyzed by HPLC to quantify salicylic acid concentration in experimentally wounded or control samples. No salicylic acid response was detectable in T. heterophylla, suggesting it is a less useful candidate species for future study. Some but not all H. discolorsamples had a measurable salicylic acid …

Lighting The Way: Recent Insights Into The Structure And Regulation Of Phototropin Blue Light Receptors, Jaynee E. Hart, Kevin H. Gardner

Publications and Research

The phototropins (phots) are light-activated kinases that are critical for plant physiology and the many diverse optogenetic tools that they have inspired. Phototropins combine two bluelight- sensing Light–Oxygen–Voltage (LOV) domains (LOV1 and LOV2) and a C-terminal serine/threonine kinase domain, using the LOV domains to control the catalytic activity of the kinase. While much is known about the structure and photochemistry of the light-perceiving LOV domains, particularly in how activation of the LOV2 domain triggers the unfolding of alpha helices that communicate the light signal to the kinase domain, many questions about phot structure and mechanism remain. Recent studies have made …

Effects Of Drying, Packaging Conditions And Storage Time On Proximate Composition Of Chia Seeds (Salvia Hispanica), Ashura Katunzi-Kilewela, Leonard Rweyemamu, Oscar Kibazohi, Lilian Kaale

Tanzania Journal of Science

The effects of drying, packaging conditions and storage time on proximate composition of chia seeds were investigated. Chia seeds were dried at 63 °C for 30 min (low-temperature long time–LTLT) and at 75 °C for 30 s (high-temperature short time-HTST) using dry oven, air/vacuum-packed and stored for ten weeks. The effect of heat processing (drying) on chia seeds had significant difference (p < 0.05) in ash, fiber and fat contents while there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in moisture and protein contents. Except for fiber content, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in moisture, ash, fat and protein of chia seeds dried at LTLT and HTST before storage. During storage time, there was …

Sterol Biosynthesis In Four Green Algae: A Bioinformatic Analysis Of The Ergosterol Versus Phytosterol Decision Point, Adam Voshall, Nakeirah T.M. Christie, Suzanne L. Rose, Maya Khasin, James L. Van Etten, Jennifer E. Markham, Wayne R. Riekhof, Kenneth Nickerson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Animals and fungi produce cholesterol and ergosterol, respectively, while plants produce the phytosterols stigmasterol, campesterol, and bsitosterol in various combinations. The recent sequencing of many algal genomes allows the detailed reconstruction of the sterol metabolic pathways. Here, we characterized sterol synthesis in two sequenced Chlorella spp., the free-living C. sorokiniana, and symbiotic C. variabilis NC64A. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was included as an internal control and Coccomyxa subellipsoidea as a plant-like outlier. We found that ergosterol was the major sterol produced by Chlorella spp. and C. reinhardtii, while C. subellipsoidea produced the three phytosterols found in plants. In silico analysis …

Preliminary Phytochemical Screening, Proximate Analysis, Antioxidant And Antibacterial Activities Of An Algal Species Of Hydrodictyon Reticulatum, Mubashrah Munir, Arshad Mahmood Khan, Rahmatullah Qureshi, Sidra Murtaza, Mehmooda Munazir

Journal of Bioresource Management

The freshwater algae grow in a wide range of aquatic habitats across the globe and are rich in secondary metabolites. The present study was designed to conduct the phytochemical screening, proximate analysis, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of water net (Hydrodictyon reticulatum), an algal weed from Pakistan. The pure and dried algal mass was crushed into a fine powder and four solvent-based extracts were used for phytochemical screening. The results of preliminary qualitative screening indicated the presence of flavonoids, phenols, quinones, steroids, resins, anthraquinones, glycosides, lignin, proteins, saponins, tannins, reducing sugars, alkaloids, terpenoids, fats, and oils, whereas the quantification …

Dissecting The Regulatory Network Of Sphingolipid Biosynthesis In Plants, Ariadna Gonzalez-Solis

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sphingolipids are a diverse group of lipids recognized as important components of cellular membranes and regulators of processes during development and in response to environmental stresses. Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) catalyzes the first step in sphingolipid biosynthesis and is a primary regulatory point for homeostasis. ORM proteins have been identified as negative regulators of SPT activity, however the mechanistic details of the regulation are only beginning to be understood. In this work, we show that ORM1 and ORM2 are essential for life cycle completion in Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, the study of a structural ORM1 variant provided information about a transmembrane …

Berry Phenolic And Volatile Extracts Inhibit Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Secretion In Lps-Stimulated Raw264.7 Cells Through Suppression Of Nf-Κb Signaling Pathway, Inah Gu, Cindi Brownmiller, Nathan Blaine Stebbins, Andy Mauromostakos, Luke Howard, Sun-Ok Lee

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Berries are a rich source of phytochemicals, especially phenolics well known for protective activity against many chronic diseases. Berries also contain a complex mixture of volatile compounds that are responsible for the unique aromas of berries. However, there is very limited information on the composition and potential health benefits of berry volatiles. In this study, we isolated phenolic and volatile fractions from six common berries and characterized them by HPLC/HPLC-MS and GC/GC-MS, respectively. Berry phenolic and volatile fractions were evaluated for an anti-inflammatory effect using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells by measuring levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the nuclear factor-kappa …

Acute Toxicity, Antidiarrhoeal And Antioxidant Activities Of Methanolic Leaf Extract Of Baphia Macrocalyx In Mice, Regina Malekela, Jacob Mwakalinga, Rosta Antony, Flora Stephano

Tanzania Journal of Science

The aim of the current study was to assess the acute toxicity, antidiarrhoeal and antioxidant potentials of methanolic leaf extract of Baphia macrocalyx (BM) in mice. Acute toxicity test of BM extract was performed based on OECD guideline 423. Results revealed that the extract did not produce any changes in general behaviour, body weight or mortality of the tested mice even at the highest oral administered dose (2000 mg/kg body weight). The antidiarrhoeal effect was examined using castor oil induced diarrhoea test. Results showed that BM extract delayed the onset of diarrhoea, decreased frequency of defaecation and reduced the severity …

Comparative In Vitro Antioxidant Activities Of Aqueous Extracts Of Garcinia Kola And Buchholzia Coriacea Seeds, Abdulkadir Abubakar, Moshood Olorunkemi, Musa Busari, Rabiat Hamzah, Tawakaltu Abdulrasheed-Adeleke

Tanzania Journal of Science

Comparative in vitro antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts of Garcinia kola and Buchholzia coriacea seeds were carried out using 2, 2-diphenyl 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activities, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and inhibition of lipid peroxidation assays. Total phenolics, alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids constituents of the samples were also determined. G. kola seeds contained higher concentrations of secondary metabolites compared to B. coriacea seeds except flavonoids. Both G. kola and B. coriacea exhibited minimum percentage inhibition when compared with the gallic acid. However, B. coriacea exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher percentage DPPH scarvenging activities (44.66%) when compared with G. kola (43.62%) at maximum concentration of 100 µg/mL. G. kola on the other hand, showed higher percentage inhibition of lipid peroxidation when compared with B. coriacea at all tested concentrations. Percentage FRAP by B. coriacea was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than G. kola at 100 µg/mL (46.65%, and 38.35%, respectively) and 50 µg/mL (38.75%, and 46.05%, respectively), while lower percentage FRAP of the G. kola than B. coriacea were recorded at 25 µg/mL (24.26% and 38.24%, respectively) and 12.5 µg/mL (34.41% and 37.41%, respectively). Therefore, Garcinia kola and B. coriacea showed appreciable antioxidant activities at varying concentrations and this may be due to the presence of various phenolic compounds in both samples Keywords:    Buchholzia coriacea; Garcinia kola; Antioxidant; DPPH free radicals; Secondary metabolites.

Leaf Traits Can Be Used To Predict Rates Of Litter Decomposition, Marc Rosenfield, Jennifer L. Funk, Jason K. Keller, Catrina Clausen, Kimberlee Cyphers

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Strong relationships exist between litter chemistry traits and rates of litter decomposition. However, leaf traits are more commonly found in online trait databases than litter traits and fewer studies have examined how well leaf traits predict litter decomposition rates. Furthermore, while bulk leaf nitrogen (N) content is known to regulate litter decomposition, few studies have explored the importance of N biochemistry fractions, such as protein and amino acid concentration. Here, we decomposed green leaves and naturally senesced leaf litter of nine species representing a wide range of leaf functional traits. We evaluated the ability of traits associated with leaf and …