Biology Commons^™

Interaction Of Shading And Cytokinins In The Sun-Shade Foliar Adaptation Mechanism, Oleg S. Gross

Honors College

Plants, being sessile, address environmental changes and resource constraints by means of developmental plasticity. For example, plants maximize photosynthesis driven carbohydrate production by undergoing physiological and structural changes in response to their environmental conditions. This plasticity to light environment has several potential regulatory pathways that may include light intensity and light spectral quality. Hypotheses advanced to associate foliar plasticity to light intensity include sensing products of photosynthesis and regulation by the phytohormone cytokinin. In this study, we examined the interacting roles of the cytokinin 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and light intensity in the regulation foliar plasticity. Exogenous application of BAP was used …

Effects Of Buckthorn (Rhamnus Cathartica And Rhamnus Frangula) On Native Flora Functional Traits, Alexandra Perry

Honors College

Invasive plant species are currently a threat to native species and communities,

and two major challenges facing scientists today are trying to figure out how to deal with the invasive plants and trying to pinpoint their effects on the native communities. While some methods of removal have been effective, it is still unclear how the invasive plants affect the natives. Two species of the shrub buckthorn are invasive in the United States and both are causing problems in the state of Maine. I studied the native plants in areas with and without buckthorn to determine the effects of buckthorn on …