Plant Sciences Commons^™

Section Abstracts: Botany

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Botany Section for the 87th Annual Virginia Academy of Science Meeting, May 27-29, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Graminicolous Fungi Of Virginia: Fungi In Collections 2004-2007, Curtis W. Roane

Virginia Journal of Science

Fungus-grass associations recognized in Virginia from 2004 to 2007 are recorded. Many associations are new to the United States (U), eastern United States (EU) and Virginia (V); other associations extend the known distribution of those previously discovered. These reports contribute further to knowledge of the mycoflora of Virginia.

Ecology And Molecular Phylogenetics Of Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) In Southern Africa, Jay Francis Bolin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Hydnoraceae are a clade of root holoparasitic angiosperms that contain two small genera, Hydnora and Prosopanche. This study, focused on Hydnora, presents novel data regarding the pollination biology, germination ecology, parasite-host nutritional relationships, and the molecular systematics of this group. Experimental addition of the primary pollinator, Dermestes maculatus to Hydnora africana chamber flowers demonstrated beetle imprisonment during the carpellate stage. Changes in the inner surfaces of the androecial chamber allowed beetle escape after pollen release. Most beetles escaped, dusted with viable pollen, three days after pollen release. To investigate germination ecology, aqueous root extracts of host and …

Floral Thermogenesis Of Three Species Of Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) In Africa, Roger S. Seymour, Erika Maass, Jay F. Bolin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Aims: Floral thermogenesis occurs in at least 12 families of ancient seed plants. Some species show very high rates of respiration through the alternative pathway, and some are thermoregulatory, with increasing respiration at decreasing ambient temperature. This study assesses the intensity and regulation of respiration in three species of African Hydnora that represent the Hydnoraceae, an unusual family of holoparasitic plants from arid environments.

Methods: Long-term respirometry (CO₂ production) and thermometry were carried out on intact flowers of H. africana, H. abyssinica and H. esculenta in the field, and short-term measurements were made on floral parts …

Phylogeny, Adaptive Radiation, And Historical Biogeography In Bromeliaceae: Insights From An Eight-Locus Plastid Phylogeny, Thomas J. Givnish, Michael H. J. Barfuss, Benjamin Van Ee, Ricarda Riina, Katharina Schulte, Ralf Horres, Philip A. Gonsiska, Rachel S. Jabaily, Darren M. Crayn, J. Andrew Smith

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Premise: Bromeliaceae form a large, ecologically diverse family of angiosperms native to the New World. We use a bromeliad phylogeny based on eight plastid regions to analyze relationships within the family, test a new, eight-subfamily classification, infer the chronology of bromeliad evolution and invasion of different regions, and provide the basis for future analyses of trait evolution and rates of diversification.

Methods: We employed maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian approaches to analyze 9341 aligned bases for four outgroups and 90 bromeliad species representing 46 of 58 described genera. We calibrate the resulting phylogeny against time using penalized likelihood applied …