Botany Commons^™

Seed Morphology Of The Genus Astragalus L. From North Asia, Tatiana Shemetova, Andrey Erst, Wei Wang, Kunli Xiang, Cem Vural, Zeki̇ Aytaç

Turkish Journal of Botany

Astragalus is one of the largest genera of angiosperms and a characteristic component of the steppes and mountains of North Asia. Here, we used scanning electron microscopy to investigate the seed morphology of 56 species of the genus from North Asia. In Astragalus , seed color varies from yellow-green, greenish brown, reddish brown to grayish brown. Seed shapes include reniform- globose, rombiform, and oblong-elliptical. Seed sizes vary from 1.25 x 0.88 mm to 4.94 x 3.29 mm. Anticlinal walls are straight, undulate, or slightly thickened, and the periclinal walls are aveolate, stellate, pectinate, or rugose. We recognized two main types …

Noccaea Ali-Atahanii (Brassicaceae): A New Species From Southern Anatolia, Yelda Güzel, Bariş Özüdoğru, Sami̇m Kayikçi, Kurtuluş Özgi̇şi̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

Noccaea ali-atahanii , a new Brassicaceae species from southern Anatolia, is described herein. It is mostly similar to N. aghrica , but can be readily distinguished by the presence of apical placentation and orbiculate fruit with wings extending almost evenly from the base to the apex. Its phylogenetic relationships within the genus are provided based on the nuclear-encoded ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region. Carpological and ecological features of N. ali-atahanii and related species are also discussed.

Boletus Himalayensis (Basidiomycota; Boletales), A New Porcini Species From Pakistan, Samina Sarwar, Sana Jabeen, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Bryn Dentinger, Abdul Nasir Khalid

Turkish Journal of Botany

Morphology and phylogenetic analyses using the ITS and LSU regions of nrDNA were carried out on bolete collections belonging to Boletus s. str., originating from the Himalayan region of Pakistan. The phylogenetic analysis outlined the existence of previously unknown species of this genus. It is described here as Boletus himalayensis . Illustrations of the macroscopic characters and the microscopic features of the new species are provided. The distinction of B. himalayensis from allied species is discussed.

Drivers Of Post-Fire Vascular Plant Regeneration In The Conifer-Dominated Boreal Forest Of Southern Northwest Territories, Alison White

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In recent years, climate warming has led to an increase in the severity and frequency of naturally occurring fires in boreal ecosystems globally. In 2014, an unprecedented 3.4 million hectares of boreal forest burned in the Northwest Territories (NWT). While much research has focused on post-fire succession of serotinous tree species such as Picea mariana (black spruce) and Pinus banksiana (jack pine), the understory community of vascular plants play an important role in ecosystem functioning but less is known about the response of this component of the system to changing fire regimes. Regeneration strategies such as the ability to resprout …

Flowering Phenology And Pollination Biology Of Ceropegia Thailandica Meve And Ceropegia Suddeei Kidyoo, Chayanin Kraithep

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The flowers of the genus Ceropegia have complex structures that involve in pollination mechanism. These structres gynostegium, pollinarium and corona. Moreover, the corolla tube which is inflated at base and the corolla lobes are connate only at tip forming a cage-like structure functions as a trap. When pollinators are attracted to flower, they could be temporarily trapped inside the flower. From previous studies, there are about 18 species in Thailand. Most Thai species have flowers characterized by a long narrow corolla lobe with distinct inflated basal portion. However, some species have a short corolla tube, such as C. thailandica Meve. …

Taxonomic Revision And Pollination Biology Of Orchid Genera Crepidium Blume And Dienia Lindl. (Malaxidinae, Orchidaceae) In Thailand, Anchalee Nuammee

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The terrestrial orchid Crepidium Blume and Dienia Lindl. in Thailand were enumerated by Gunnar Seidenfaden under Malaxis with key and drawings. Because of no species descriptions in publication, it is difficult to delimit species boundary. Moreover, recent discovery of new species results in unreliable assessment of species, therefore, the taxonomic revision of Crepidium and Dienia in Thailand should be carried out. The results indicated that the column and transversal callus on labellum are taxonomically important characters to delimit these two genera. In addition, morphological characters, i.e. stem and leaf morphology, labellum auricles, margins and number of teeth on distal margin …

Taxonomic Revision Of The Fern Family Athyriaceae In Thailand, Puttamon Pongkai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The most up-to-date account of the Athyriaceae is in Flora of Thailand. This account includes seven genera, i.e. Athyrium, Anisocampium, Cornopteris, Deparia, Diplazium, Hypodematium and Kuniwatsukia. Previously, the taxonomic relationships among genera were ambiguous and not well understood. The existing keys and descriptions are uncertain and do not include some unknown taxa. This research aims to clarify the taxonomic status of this family and its genera based on morphological, anatomical, palynological and molecular data. The results indicated that the types and shapes of frond, scale types, sorus shapes, shapes of vascular bundle and ornamentation of spores are valuable characters for …

การแยกและการคัดเลือกราไมคอร์ไรซาเพื่อกระตุ้นการเจริญของต้นกล้ากล้วยไม้น้ำ Epipactis Flava Seidenf., ญาณิศา พันธุ์สังข์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

จากการศึกษาครั้งนี้ สามารถแยกราเอนโดไฟต์จากกล้วยไม้น้ำ Epipactis flava Seidenf. ซึ่งเสี่ยงต่อการสูญพันธุ์ ได้ทั้งหมด 50 ไอโซเลต เป็นราที่แยกได้จากราก 35 ไอโซเลต และจากโปรโตคอร์ม 15 ไอโซเลต ราที่แยกได้ทั้งหมดถูกนำมาตรวจสอบการกระตุ้นการงอกของเมล็ดกล้วยไม้น้ำ พบว่ามีรา 7 ไอโซเลต ได้แก่ MSR07 MSR24 MSR34 MSP01 MSP02 MSP04 และ MSP13 ที่สามารถกระตุ้นการงอกของเมล็ดกล้วยไม้น้ำบนอาหารเลี้ยงเชื้อ Oat Meal Agar (OMA) ได้ภายใน 30 วัน หลังหว่านเมล็ด การกระตุ้นการงอกของเมล็ดและการพัฒนาของโปรโตคอร์มด้วยราทั้ง 7 ไอโซเลตถูกทดสอบบนอาหารเลี้ยงเชื้อ OMA เป็นเวลา 4 เดือน หลังหว่านเมล็ด พบว่ามีรา 6 ไอโซเลตที่สามารถกระตุ้นการงอกของเมล็ดและส่งเสริมการพัฒนาของโปรโตคอร์มจนถึงระยะที่ 2 ยกเว้นราไอโซเลต MSP04 ที่ไม่ส่งเสริมการพัฒนาของโปรโตคอร์ม ค่าดัชนีของอัตราการงอก (Germination rate index, GRI) ของราทั้ง 7 ไอโซเลตมีค่าอยู่ระหว่าง 56.62-148.14 โดยไอโซเลต MSP13 ให้ค่า GRI สูงที่สุด (148.14) ซึ่งไม่แตกต่างอย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติกับค่า GRI ของราไอโซเลต MSP01 (139.41) ค่าดัชนีของอัตราการพัฒนาของโปรโตคอร์ม (developmental rate index, DRI) ของราทั้ง 7 ไอโซเลตมีค่าอยู่ระหว่าง 0-33.20 จากการศึกษาพบว่า ราไอโซเลต MSP01 ให้ค่า DRI สูงที่สุด (33.20) ขณะที่เมล็ดที่ไม่ได้เพาะเลี้ยงร่วมกับรา (ชุดควบคุม) มีค่า GRI และ DRI เท่ากับ 6.76 และ 0 ตามลำดับ จากลักษณะทางสัณฐานวิทยาและการวิเคราะห์ทางชีววิทยาโมเลกุลที่ตำแหน่ง …

Physiological Evaluation Of Cantaloupe Fruit Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Theerawat Ruenkam

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) is an important fruit for the economy of Thailand. The major problem is the non-uniformity of fruit quality. The objective of this research was to study the feasibility of using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the non-destructive evaluation of cantaloupe quality. Total of 130 ‘Sunlady’ cantaloupe samples were collected for NIR spectral data by 4 different instruments including FT-NIR (MPA) (800-2500 nm), FQA-NIRGUN (700-1100 nm), NIR spectrometer (model 1, 800-1200 nm) and NIR spectrometer (model 2, 650-1100 nm) and analyzed for quality values such as total soluble solids, firmness, total antioxidant capacity, ascorbic acid and glutathione …

Natural And Anthropogenic Drivers Of Tree Evolutionary Dynamics, Brandon M. Lind

Theses and Dissertations

Species of trees inhabit diverse and heterogeneous environments, and often play important ecological roles in such communities. As a result of their vast ecological breadth, trees have become adapted to various environmental pressures. In this dissertation I examine various environmental factors that drive evolutionary dynamics in threePinusspecies in California and Nevada, USA. In chapter two, I assess the role of management influence of thinning, fire, and their interaction on fine-scale gene flow within fire-suppressed populations of Pinus lambertiana, a historically dominant and ecologically important member of mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, California. Here, I find evidence …

Survey Of Trap Contents Of Four Species Of Bladderworts (Utricularia) From Harlow Lake In Marquette, Mi., Jenna Happach

Conspectus Borealis

No abstract provided.

Historical Change Of Seagrasses In The Mississippi And Chandeleur Sounds, Linh Thuy Pham

Dissertations

Seagrasses are important coastal resources facing numerous stressors, and losses have been documented from local to global assessments. Under the broad theme of habitat loss and fragmentation, a study of historical change in total area and landscape configuration of seagrasses in the Mississippi and Chandeleur Sounds was conducted. Mapping data was collated from a multitude of previous projects from 1940 to 2011.

Comparisons of seagrass area among various studies that used different mapping methods can result in overestimation of area change and misleading conclusions of change over time. The vegetated seagrass area (VSA) data were generalized to a common resolution …

A Swift Guide To Butterflies Of North America, Second Edition., Ann B. Swengel

The Prairie Naturalist

As soon as I got my hands on A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America, I immediately checked the species account for Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite). The prairie version of this species can be sufficiently different from the typically illustrated nominate subspecies such that it must be specifically explained as being distinct. This book passed my first test—describing details that were not only essential for identifying this fritillary species but also for realizing how similar its underside can be to our prairie specialty, the stunning Regal Fritillary (S. idalia).

Much of my research on butterflies occurs in grasslands. For …

Avian Diversity, Abundance, And Nest Success Among Managed Prairies And Agricultural Plots In Oklahoma And Texas, Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, Wayne E. Meyer

The Prairie Naturalist

Over the last 50 years, grassland birds experienced rapid declines due to habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural practices. Our objective was to document the diversity, abundance, and nest success of bird communities using managed prairie and agricultural plots at the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oklahoma and Hagerman NWR in northern Texas. From April 1 to July 15, 2013–2014, point count surveys, nest searches, nest monitoring, and vegetation sampling were conducted among three habitat treatments: managed prairie, unharvested wheat, and fallow agricultural plots. Species richness values for potential nesting species were higher in managed …

Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology In Southwest Nebraska, Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, Joseph J. Fontaine

The Prairie Naturalist

In 2012, Nebraska experienced one of the worst droughts since the 1930s, accompanied by abnormally high temperatures. We studied the impacts of the 2012 summer drought on female ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) body condition and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations (CORT). We hypothesized that drought conditions would reduce pheasant body condition, increase chronic stress resulting in elevated baseline CORT levels, and down-regulate pheasant stress response to acute stressors, resulting in reduced stress-induced CORT concentrations. In southwestern Nebraska, we captured female pheasants in 2012 (pre-drought) and 2013 (post-drought). Pheasants had poorer body condition after the drought. Although female CORT measures were …

Energy Sprawl Solutions, Nicola Koper

The Prairie Naturalist

Energy sprawl affects all the major conservation issues of our age, from habitat loss and fragmentation to anthropogenic noise and climate change. As such, minimizing and solving its associated problems should be a key focus for conservation biologists. Kiesecker and Naugle provide an impressive and compact book that focusses on solving environmental and social problems likely to result from a transition from non- renewable to far less efficient renewable energy sources.

Energy Sprawl Solutions summarizes numerous relevant peer-reviewed academic papers, and outlines management and planning implications of each one, ultimately resolving these into fairly clear prescriptive recommendations for moving forward. …

Unique Nesting Behavior By Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus Buccinator), Heather M. Johnson, Michael Forsberg, Letitia Reichart, Mark P. Vrtiska

The Prairie Naturalist

Nesting behavior by Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) has been well documented for most populations. Both sexes cooperate in nest construction, which takes 11–35 days to complete (Hansen et al. 1971, Cooper 1979). Nests generally range from 1.5–3.6 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters in height and are typically built on solid structures such as a muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) house or an island (Hansen et al. 1971, Cooper 1979). However, we discovered an atypical Trumpeter swan nest built of cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) located on Vaughn Lake, in Cherry County, Nebraska on 13 May 2016.

We monitored the atypical nest by …

The Considerations Given To Determining Authorship, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! Over the past year, I have been asked by prospective authors and colleagues whether The Prairie Naturalist has criteria for authorship. Given that this issue continues to arise, it is comforting to know that I am not the only one who struggles with considerations given to determining authorship. I checked the current submission guidelines and found nothing specific, which in turn motivated me to explore what other journals such as the Journal of Wildlife Management, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Ecology recommend to prospective authors (Merrill 2015). Much to my surprise, discussions of authorship …

One More Warbler: A Life With Birds., Laura Erickson

The Prairie Naturalist

Imagine going on a Victor Emanuel Nature Tour, seated in the van next to Victor Emanuel himself. Between birding stops, this man who has seen over 6,000 species as a world-renowned conservationist and innovator in ecotourism regales you with stories. He starts with his “spark bird”: when he was eight years old, he was taken with the beauty of a pair of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), and was hooked. Whenever people pile back into the van after a birding stop, he starts another story.

That’s how One More Warbler: A Life with Birds reads, as if Emanuel sat down with …

Field Discrimination Of Prairie Deer Mice And White-Footed Mice Using Morphological Characteristics, Jacob L. Berl, Kelton M. Verble, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, Robert K.S. Swihart

The Prairie Naturalist

Field discrimination of prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii) and white-footed mice (P. leucopus noveboracensis) can be difficult throughout much of the central United States where they co-occur. We live-trapped prairie deer mice and white-footed mice within forested and row-crop habitats in central Indiana and used multiplex PCR with species-specific primers to positively determine species identification. We collected a suite of commonly measured external morphological traits (body weight and lengths of ear, hindfoot, tail, and body) from each captured animal. Individuals were assigned to species based on analysis of DNA; discriminant function analysis was used to …

Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests 2017, R. D. Bond, J. A. Still, D. G. Dombek

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Soybean variety and strain performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and/or marketing seed within the State, and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for soybean producers.

Notes: Range Extension Of The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) In North Dakota, Lisa L. Walsh, Robert Seabloom, Cody W. Thompson

The Prairie Naturalist

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is broadly distributed across North America from Costa Rica in the south to southern Ontario in the north and from the southern Great Plains in the west to the eastern United States. The Virginia opossum also was introduced multiple times to thePacific Coast beginning in the late 1800s and has established populations in that region. This species is a habitat generalist known to frequent wetland and hardwood habitats but also can be found in grasslands, along forest edges, and in agricultural and suburban settings throughout its range. However, the Virginia opossum is adapted …

The Prairie Naturalist: The Journal Of The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

TABLE OF CONTENTS

45 EDITOR’S NOTE

RESEARCH ARTICLES

48 Avian Diversity, Abundance, and Nest Success among Managed Prairies and Agricultural Plots in Oklahoma and Texas Phillip J. Leonard, Douglas R. Wood, and Wayne E. Meyer

57 Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology in Southwest Nebraska Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwen C. Bachman, and Joseph J. Fontaine

66 Field Discrimination of Prairie Deer Mice and White-footed Mice using Morphological Characteristics Jacob L. Berl, Kelton M. Verble, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, and Robert K. Swihart

NOTES

72 Range Extension of the Virgina Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in North Dakota Lisa L. Walsh

76 Prairie Falcon …

Book Reviews: Raptors Of Mexico And Central America. William S. Clark And N. John Schmitt., Jack Jack Eitniear

The Prairie Naturalist

Whether a raptor is cryptically perched in the shadows or is viewed only as a silhouette soaring in the clouds below the glaring midday sun, raptor identification can be challenging. If you are observing raptors in the North Temperate Zone, several guides (e.g., Clark and Wheeler 2001 Dunne et al.2012) will aid you with such identifications, but few resources exist for visitors south of this zone. So, if you are interested in identifying the 69 species of diurnal raptors found in Mexico and Central America, the recently released Raptors of Mexico and Central America by William S. Clark and N. …

The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

The Great Plains Natural Science Society, formerly the North Dakota Natural Science Society, was founded in 1967 and seeks to promote interest in and understanding of natural history in the Great Plains, to encourage the conservation of natural resources, and to provide communication among individuals, institutions, and organizations of like interests. The GPNSS actively promotes the study of natural history of the Great Plains region, including geology, plants, birds, mammals, fish, insects, and other forms of life. Together with local, state, and national conservation organizations, the GPNSS fosters natural resource conservation and preservation of outstanding natural areas. The GPNSS publishes …

Prairie Falcon Depredation Attempts On A Greater Prairie-Chicken Lek In South-Central Nebraska, Andrew J. Caven, Joshua D. Wiese, William R. Wallauer

The Prairie Naturalist

Little information exists concerning Prairie falcons’ (Falco mexicanus; PRFA) seasonal movements, habitat use, and diet outside of the breeding season; this is especially true in the eastern portion of its wintering and migratory range (Steenhof 1998, Sharpe et al. 2001, Steenhof et al. 2005). Prairie falcons prey on ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.), prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), wood rats (Neotoma spp.), and other rodents during the breeding season (Bond 1936, 1942, MacLaren et al. 1988, Steenhof 1998, Steenhof et al. 1999, Johnsgard 2013). They utilize avian prey regionally as well, including western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta …

Substantial Contribution Of Genetic Variation In The Expression Of Transcription Factors To Phenotypic Variation Revealed By Erd-Gwas, Hung-Ying Lin, Qiang Liu, Xiao Li, Jinliang Yang, Sanzhen Liu, Yinlian Huang, Michael J. Scanlon, Dan Nettleton, Patrick S. Schnable

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: There are significant limitations in existing methods for the genome-wide identification of genes whose expression patterns affect traits.

Results: The transcriptomes of five tissues from 27 genetically diverse maize inbred lines were deeply sequenced to identify genes exhibiting high and low levels of expression variation across tissues or genotypes. Transcription factors are enriched among genes with the most variation in expression across tissues, as well as among genes with higher-than-median levels of variation in expression across genotypes. In contrast, transcription factors are depleted among genes whose expression is either highly stable or highly variable across genotypes. We developed a …

Estimation Of Irrigation Requirements For Drip-Irrigated Maize In A Sub-Humid Climate, Liu Yang, Hai-Shun Yang, Jiu-Sheng Li, Yan-Feng Li, Hai-Jun Yan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Drip-irrigation is increasingly applied in maize (Zea mays L.) production in sub-humid region. It is critical to quantify irrigation requirements during different growth stages under diverse climatic conditions. In this study, the Hybrid-Maize model was calibrated and applied in a sub-humid Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China to estimate irrigation requirements for drip irrigated maize during different crop physiological development stages and under diverse agro-climatic conditions. Using dimensionless scales, the whole growing season of maize was divided into diverse development stages from planting to maturity. Drip-irrigation dates and irrigation amounts in each irrigation event were simulated and summarized in 30-year simulation …

Plant Population Prediction Via Leslie Matrices, Daniel Hrozencik, Lina Niu

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Identifying Ecologically Relevant Scales Of Habitat Selection: Diel Habitat Selection In Elk, Caleb P. Roberts, James W. Cain Iii, Robert D. Cox

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although organisms make resource selection decisions at multiple spatiotemporal scales, not all scales are ecologically relevant to any given organism. Ecological patterns and rhythms such as behavioral and climatic patterns may provide a consistent method for identifying ecologically relevant scales of habitat selection. Using elk (Cervus canadensis) as an example species, we sought to test the ability of behavioral patterns to empirically partition diel scales for modeling habitat selection. We used model selection to partition diel scales by shifts in dominant behavior and then used resource selection probability functions to model elk habitat selection hierarchically at diel scales within seasons. …