Botany Commons^™

The Ethnobotany Of Pistacia Eurycarpa Yalt. In Iraqi-Kurdistan: Its Uses, Chemical Composition, And Anti-Biotic Activity Of Its Resin, Peter W. Schafran

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Pistacia eurycarpa Yalt. is a wild relative of pistachio (P. vera L.} that grows in the Zagros Mountains. For the Kurds who inhabit these mountains the tree has practical and cultural applications. All parts of this tree have a use, for structural materials, food, and medicine. While weII known in this region, the ethnobotany of P. eurycarpa is unknown in the outside world. I spent May and June of 2011 - 2013 in Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq, collecting information on this tree. In this time period I was able to witness the harvest of unripe fruits. Information about the tree …

A Preliminary Study Of The Role Of Nickel In Enhancing Flowering Of The Nickel Hyperaccumulating Plant Alyssum Inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae), R. Ghasemi, Z. Zare Chavoshi, R.S. Boyd, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Alyssum inflatum is a native of serpentine soils and is able to hyperaccumulate nickel (Ni), but the importance of Ni to reproduction in the species is unknown. We investigated if reproductive fitness is enhanced by Ni in the growth medium, and included a treatment involving a relatively high level of Mg to provide a comparison with elevated levels of another metal. Seedlings were grown in a modified Hoagland solution culture in an inert medium of Perlite and were treated with Ni (100 μM), a high concentration of Mg (5 mM), or under control conditions (solution culture without Ni or the …

Vascular Plants Of Big Lagoon County Park Humboldt County, California, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

A Global Analysis Of The Impacts Of Urbanization On Bird And Plant Diversity Reveals Key Anthropogenic Drivers, Myla F.J. Aronson, Frank A. La Sorte, Charles H. Nilon, Madhusudan Katti, Mark A. Goddard, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Paige S. Warren, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce Clarkson, Cynnamon Dobbs, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcus Hedblom, Stefan Klotz, Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Ingolf Kühn, Ian Macgregor-Fors, Mark Mcdonnell, Ulla Mörtberg, Petr Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Jessica Sushinsky, Peter Werner, Marten Winter

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Urbanization contributes to the loss of the world's biodiversity and the homogenization of its biota. However, comparative studies of urban biodiversity leading to robust generalities of the status and drivers of biodiversity in cities at the global scale are lacking. Here, we compiled the largest global dataset to date of two diverse taxa in cities: birds (54 cities) and plants (110 cities). We found that the majority of urban bird and plant species are native in the world's cities. Few plants and birds are cosmopolitan, the most common beingColumba livia and Poa annua. The density of bird and …

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2013, Fred Bourland, A. B. Beach, C. Kennedy, L. Martin

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. These annual evaluations will then facilitate the inclusion of new, improved genetic material in Arkansas cotton production.

First Report Of Curvularia Inaequalis And Bipolaris Spicifera Causing Leaf Blight Of Buffalograss In Nebraska, B. S. Amaradasa, K. Amundsen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

During the summer of 2011, foliar blight was observed on buffalograss (Buchloë dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.) lawns in Lincoln and Waverly, Nebraska. Disease symptoms were common when buffalograss was growing above 30°C and in drought conditions. Disease symptoms began as dark brown oblong leaf spots, followed by leaf tip dieback and eventual blighting of entire tillers. Leaf infections would progress into patches of thinning turf. Diseased leaf pieces were rinsed in distilled water and placed on 1.5% water agar. Two mitosporic fungal species having conidial morphology of Curvularia and Bipolaris were isolated. Colonies of Curvularia isolates grown on ¼× PDA …

Two Honeysuckles: A Tale Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

There are about 180 species of Lonicera (honeysuckles) widely distributed in the north temperate zone. These are mostly shrubby plants, but in Virginia, we have two species that are woody vines (lianas). These two lianous honeysuckles should be familiar to all Virginia Native Plant Society members. One is this year’s VNPS Wildflower of the Year, Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle), and the other is Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), widely and deservedly reviled as one of our most aggressive invasive exotic species. Together, these two plants make an odd pair, a sort of botanical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. What is it, …

Regulation Of Growth And Stress Tolerance In Tomato Plants By Expression Of A Dominant-Negative Version Of Erecta Gene From Arabidopsis Thaliana, Hector Ernesto Villagarcia

Theses and Dissertations

Receptor kinases are the main group of signal recognition structures in plants. The large number and diversity of these receptors suggest that they perform major roles in a complex regulatory network of growth, development, and physiological responses. The ERECTA gene is a leucine-rich, receptor-like kinase that affects plant growth rates, stomatal patterning, transpiration efficiency, bacterial pathogen resistance, inflorescence and floral organ morphology, and leaf polarity. The ability to manipulate the ERECTA pathway in members of the Solanaceae family can reveal fundamental mechanisms including regulation of fruit and tuber development. This knowledge may enable changes in plant architecture and growth rates …

2matrix: A Utility For Indel Coding And Phylogenetic Matrix Concatenation, Nelson R. Salinas, Damon P. Little

Publications and Research

Premise of the study: Phylogenetic analysis of DNA and amino acid sequences requires the creation of files formatted specifically for each analysis package. Programs currently available cannot simultaneously code inferred insertion/deletion (indel) events in sequence alignments and concatenate data sets.

Methods and Results: A novel Perl script, 2matrix, was created to concatenate matrices of non-molecular characters and/or aligned sequences and to code indels. 2matrix outputs a variety of formats compatible with popular phylogenetic programs.

Conclusions: 2matrix efficiently codes indels and concatenates matrices of sequences and non-molecular data. It is available for free download under a GPL (General Public License) open …

Traversing Swanton Road, 14th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Developmental Changes And H+-Atpase Co-Localization In Nepenthes Alata Peristomal Nectary Glands, Alison Carini

Biology Honors Papers

Nepenthes alata is an east-Asian species of tropical carnivorous plant more commonly known as a pitcher plant. The pitcher is a modified epiascidiate leaf used to passively capture insects as nutritious supplements to its diet. In this study, the ultrastructure of different age stages of peristomal extrafloral nectary glands were surveyed, selected ages were immunolabeled for H+-ATPases. All nectary cells had numerous mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, plastids, and vacuoles in a dense cytoplasm consistent with an active secretory system. The larger class of immature pitchers (approx. 4 cm in diameter, lid closed) had budding structures affecting the plasma membrane …

"Over The River And Through The Woods": An Analysis Of Understory And Canopy Plant Diversity In Urban Riparian Forests, Carlisle R. Evans Peck

Urban Forest Project

As population growth explodes and urban areas expand, studying the ecology of urban areas has become increasingly important. Urban development has been shown to drastically alter native habitats and to severely degrade biodiversity. However, urban landscapes also hold the potential to harbor and support valuable biodiversity especially if managed correctly. We studied the understory herbaceous plant and overstory tree canopy diversity of eight forested ravines in the small cities of Rock Island and Moline IL surrounded by a range of urban development intensity. The goal of the project was to determine whether or not the composition of the plant communities …

Plants Of The Humboldt State University Campus, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Smith Falls State Park Forest Enhancement Project For Aspen, Mike Groenewold

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

A 76-mile stretch of the middle Niobrara River, which includes Smith Falls State Park, is designated as a National Scenic River. This reach of the river is referred to as the biological crossroads of the Midwest as the river’s deeply incised valley is the intersection of a diverse mix of plant communities including several forest and prairie types. The mix of forests supports a rich diversity of species including rare plants such as glacial relict aspen and paper birch.

In recent decades eastern red cedar and ponderosa pine densities have increased substantially in the middle Niobrara River due to fire …

The Effect Of Pin Reduction In Populus: The Search For The Missing Phenotype, Samuel Norcross

Biology Honors Papers

The plant hormone auxin is involved in virtually every aspect of plant growth and development. Because of its vital role in plant physiology, it is transported through controlled mechanisms. The PIN family of efflux carrier proteins are highly involved in this transport, shuttling molecules of auxin from cell to cell. This PIN-driven transport of auxin guides the differentiation of plant vasculature. In this study, I used a clonally-propagated line of the woody plant species Populus tremula x alba that had been genetically altered to induce an RNAi response against genes coding for the PIN proteins. These plants were shown to …

Synthesis And Future Directions: What Have Harsh Environments Taught Us About Ecology, Evolution, Conservation And Restoration, Nishanta Rajakaruna, R. S. Boyd, T. B. Harris

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Additional Lichen Records And Mineralogical Data From Metal-Contaminated Sites In Maine, Ian D. Medeiros, Alan M. Fryday, N. Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Geochemistry and mineralogy of rocks play important roles in the occurrence of individual lichen species and assembly of lichen communities. Whereas lichens of metal-enriched settings have been a focus of study for many decades, only a few such lichen inventories exist for North America. We reexamined the lichen biota of Pine Hill, a serpentine outcrop on Little Deer Isle, Maine and Callahan Mine, a copper-and zinc-enriched Superfund site in Brooksville, Maine by conducting additional field surveys and reexamining unidentified taxa from previous collections. To better characterize the substrates upon which the lichens were found, we conducted elemental analyses via x-ray …

The Origin And Biosynthesis Of The Benzenoid Moiety Of Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) In Arabidopsis, Anna Block, Joshua R. Widhalm, Abdelhak Fatihi, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Yashitola Wamboldt, Christian Elowsky, Sally Ann Mackenzie, Edgar B. Cahoon, Clint Chapple, Natalia Dudareva, Gilles J. C. Basset

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

It is not known how plants make the benzenoid ring of ubiquinone, a vital respiratory cofactor. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana uses for that purpose two separate biosynthetic branches stemming from phenylalanine and tyrosine. Gene network modeling and characterization of T-DNA mutants indicated that acyl-activating enzyme encoded by At4g19010 contributes to the biosynthesis of ubiquinone specifically from phenylalanine. CoA ligase assays verified that At4g19010 prefers para-coumarate, ferulate, and caffeate as substrates. Feeding experiments demonstrated that the at4g19010 knockout cannot use para-coumarate for ubiquinone biosynthesis and that the supply of 4-hydroxybenzoate, the side-chain shortened version of para-coumarate, can bypass this …

Botanists In The Canyonlands Of The Colorado Plateau – 1950–1983 & Prior, Stanley L. Welsh, Glen Moore

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of botanical investigations in southeastern Utah, but is not so-restricted geographically. It grew out of the discovery of decades-old manuscripts on the flora of what became Canyonlands National Park in 1964, but from those typescript copies the coverage grew outward geographically and backward in time to the earliest inhabitants of what is today known as the Four Corners Region of the American Southwest. Reviewed is the account of utilization of the region and its natural resources by aboriginal inhabitants who were familiar with all of it. That early, and to an extent, continuous occupation …

Hanging Gardens Of The Colorado: Jewels In The Crown—Canyonlands Versus Zion Canyon, Stanley L. Welsh

Books by Faculty of the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Abstract

Descriptions and types of Utah’s hanging gardens. This work includes a comparison of hanging gardens in Canyonlands versus Zion Canyon, as well as the plant and animal assemblages found there. Five types of gardens and alcoves are defined and the different types found in both national parks are described. Maps of hanging garden locations and extensive photographs of the flora and fauna are provided.

Table of Contents (abridged)

Prolog

Canyonlands Gardens

Geomorphology

Types of Gardens and Alcoves

Zion Canyon Gardens

Terrace-type Gardens

Plant Communities

Stream Courses

Geographic Affinities of Hanging Gardens

Restricted or Unusual Plants

Plant Succession

Appendix I: …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 15 2014, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Bacon's Swamp- Ghost Of A Central Indiana Natural Area Past, Rebecca W. Dolan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Bacon’s Swamp was identified in the 1920s as a ca. 12 ha glacial kettle lake bog system at the southernmost limits of these habitats in Indiana. Located just 9.6 km from the center of Indianapolis, the site was all but destroyed in the mid-20th century by urban expansion. Prior to habitat conversion at the site, Bacon’s Swamp was a frequent location for Butler University ecology class field trips and student research projects. Herbarium specimens and published inventory records allow for analysis of the historical vegetation of Bacon’s Swamp using modern techniques. Floristic Quality Assessment applied to these historical records reveals …

The Complete Plastid Genome Sequence Of Iris Gatesii (Section Oncocyclus), A Bearded Species From Southeastern Turkey, Carol A. Wilson

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Iris gatesii is a rare bearded species in subgenus Iris section Oncocyclus that occurs in steppe communities of southeastern Turkey. This species is not commonly cultivated, but related species in section Iris are economically important horticultural plants. The complete plastid genome is reported for I. gatesii based on data generated using the Illumina HiSeq platform and is compared to genomes of 16 species selected from across the monocotyledons. This Iris genome is the only known plastid genome available for order Asparagales that is not from Orchidaceae. The I. gatesii plastid genome, unlike orchid genomes, has little gene loss and rearrangement …

The Revision Of The Section Alopecuroidei Of The Genus Astragalus (Fabaceae) In Turkey, Hasan Akan, Zeki̇ Aytaç

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this research, the morphological, anatomical, palynological, and cytological characteristics of the section Alopecuroidei DC. species belonging to genus Astragalus L. in Turkey were studied. As a result of this study, the members of the Alopecuroidei section represented by 22 taxa were evaluated under 24 taxa. While 3 taxa were reduced to synonyms, 4 new taxa have been added to the literature. Those are Astragalus aytatchii Akan & Civelek, A. ovabaghensis Akan & Aytaç, A. bahcesarayensis Akan, Fırat & Ekici, and A. ekicii H.Duman & Akan. In addition, it was determined that A. edmondi (Kuntze) Sheld. and A. maximus Willd. …

Tomato Fruit Quality As Influenced By Salinity And Nitric Oxide, Hala Ezzat Mohamed Ali, Ghada Saber Mohamed Ismail

Turkish Journal of Botany

The impact of salinity (measured by adding 100 mM of NaCl to the nutrient solution) and spraying with sodium nitroprusside (10 µM of SNP, NO source) on fruit quality of tomato (Super Strain B) plants grown under field conditions was studied. Irrigation with salinised nutrient solution alone resulted in a significant suppression in fruit fresh and dry biomass, length, diameter, and volume as well as \beta-carotene and lycopene contents. This decrease was accompanied by a significant increase in Na accumulation, total alkaloids, and antioxidants, including total phenolics and flavonoids, and reduced ascorbic acid (ASA) content. Similar to total phenolics and …

Morphology And Genetic Affinities Of A Novel Chattonella Isolate (Raphidophyceae) Isolated From Iran’S South Coast (Oman Sea), Gilan Attaran Fariman, Christopher John Stanley Bolch

Turkish Journal of Botany

The morphology and genetic affinity of a novel raphidophyte belonging to the genus Chattonella Biecheler is described for the first time from the Oman Sea along the south-east coast of Iran. While morphologically very similar to Chattonella subsalsa Biecheler, the Iranian isolates contain a distinct red eyespot. A comparison of LSU-rDNA and rDNA-ITS show that the Iranian isolate is genetically distinct from other Chattonella subsalsa strains isolated from across a wide global range and indicates that the Iranian isolates represent a distinct species related to Chattonella subsalsa.

Micropropagation Of Erodium Sibthorpianum Subsp. Sibthorpianum, An Endemic Threatened Species Of Uludağ Mountain (Bursa-Turkey), Betül Akin, İsmai̇l Kocaçalişkan, Gürcan Güleryüz

Turkish Journal of Botany

Uludağ Mountain is one of the Important Plant Areas of Turkey. Its native plant species are threatened by various human and environmental factors. In this study, 2 different micropropagation techniques, with Murashige Skoog (MS) and modified MS (ModMS) media, were used for Erodium sibthorpianum Boiss. subsp. sibthorpianum. Mineral composition was developed according to the plant requirements. Shoot tips were cultured on these media. Seedlings, obtained from in vitro germinated seeds, were used as explant sources in micropropagation studies. The highest percentage of shoot induction (11.33 shoots/explant) was determined in 1 ppm 6-benzyl amino purine and plant growth regulator-free MS medium …

Testing The Utility Of Matk And Its Dna Regions For Discrimination Of Allium Species, Meryem İpek, Ahmet İpek, Philipp W. Simon

Turkish Journal of Botany

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Allium L. has been mainly based on the nucleotide sequences of the ITS region. In 2009, matK and rbcL were accepted as a 2-locus DNA barcode to classify plant species by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life Plant Working Group. The matK region was chosen as a DNA barcode because of its effective species discrimination power, high quality sequence recovery, and easy experimental procedures. Integration of matK sequences into Allium phylogeny could improve phylogenetic reconstruction of this genus. This study was carried out to test the utility of nucleotide sequences of matK for …

Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis Of Unsaturated Fatty Acids In A Recombinant Inbred Population Of Soybean, Xianzhi Wang, Guo-Liang Jiang, Marci Green, Roy A. Scott, D. L. Hyten, P. B. Cregan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is an important oilseed crop which produces about 30 %of the world’s edible vegetable oil. The quality of soybean oil is determined by its fatty acid composition. Soybean oil high in oleic and low in linolenic fatty acids is desirable for human consumption and other uses. The objectives of this study were to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for unsaturated fatty acids and to evaluate the genetic effects of single QTL and QTL combinations in soybean. A population of recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross of SD02-4-59 X A02-381100 was evaluated for fatty …