Bryology Commons^™

Variation In Response To Phosphorus Among Sweetpotato (Ipomoea Batatas L.) Cultivars, Jeffrey Cole Denis Gregorie

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Phosphorus (P) is essential for plant growth and is often a major limiting nutrient in agriculture. In sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas), studies on the role of P on storage root yield have been limited because of the lack of response and inconsistent results across cultivars and years. Growing evidence shows that current phosphate (Pi) fertilizer rates can be reduced while maintaining productivity. Newly published molecular evidence shows differential expression of phosphate starvation response genes among sweetpotato cultivars, further supporting the hypothesis of cultivar-specific Pi sensitivity. The research herein sought to characterize root system architecture and yield response to Pi …

Bryophyte Ecosystem Services: How Bryophytes Impact Ecosystem Processes And Their Use In Urban Systems, Keila Spangler

University Honors Theses

Bryophytes, which include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, are non-vascular plants that provide crucial ecosystem services in natural and urban systems. In natural systems, these services include carbon, water, and nutrient cycling and maintenance of community level biodiversity. In urban systems, bryophytes can be used as green roof substrate, as bioindicators to monitor pollution and air quality, for horticulture uses, and in medicine. Although bryophytes possess some qualities, such as reproduction by spores, that may give them an advantage compared to vascular plants as the climate warms, their response to climate change remains understudied. This paper will review the literature on …

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics Of Fungal Communities And Their Effects On Plants, Kel Cook

Biology ETDs

Fungi perform several critical functions in the environment. Spatiotemporal distributions of fungal communities will mediate when and where these functions happen and how they vary across the landscape. I first explored tropical tree canopy fungal community variation at small spatial scales and documented near total turnover of fungi across sub-meter distances and among adjacent substrates. The second chapter analyzed fungal turnover over the course of three years, where community stability was driven primarily by abundant fungi. In the third chapter, I tested effects of the environment, including host plant and habitat, on canopy fungal communities and found only small effects, …

Relative Competitive Abilities, Intersexual Overyielding, And Population Sex Ratio Changes In A Bryophyte, Zachary Stanley

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Unequal sex ratios are widespread in dioecious plants and understanding their cause is important to understanding fundamental aspects of their population dynamics, and yet what causes biased sex ratios in plants is still poorly understood. Competition experiments have been used in plants to predict the outcome of species interactions, but they have rarely been used to help explain sex ratio bias. This study used a response surface competition design to measure the relative competitive abilities of the sexes of the bryophyte Marchantia inflexa (a thallus liverwort of Marchantiaceae) to predict the outcome of competition before the onset of sexual reproductive …

Intraspecific Variation In Dehydration Tolerance: Insights From The Tropical Plant Marchantia Inflexa, Rose A. Marks

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Plants are threatened by global change, increasing variability in weather patterns, and associated abiotic stress. Consequently, there is an urgent need to enhance our ability to predict plant community dynamics, shifts in species distributions, and physiological responses to environmental challenges. By building a fundamental understanding of plant stress tolerance, it may be possibly to protect the ecological services, economic industries, and communities that depend on plants. Dehydration tolerance (DhT) is an important mechanism of water stress tolerance with promising translational applications. Here, I take advantage natural variation in DhT to gain a deeper insight into this complex trait. In addition, …

Sexual Dimorphism In The Moss Bryum Argenteum And Its Implications For Sex Ratio Bias, Jonathan David Moore Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In dioecious plants, selection due to sex function differences has produced sex-specific life histories, morphologies, and physiologies. In many dioecious seed plants, dimorphisms and population sex ratios have been plausibly linked, but similar links are not yet apparent in dioecious bryophytes. Population sex ratio bias is often expected to favor the sex with lower investment in sexual reproduction, especially in resource-poor environments. Unlike in seed plants, bryophyte males may have higher average reproductive investment than females, which typically have low offspring production rates due to sperm limitation. However, traits aside from reproductive investment such as shoot and leaf arrangement may …

Illustrations Of Fox Ridge State Park Mosses, Coles County, Illinois, Jamaliah Ahmad

Masters Theses

This thesis is a continuation of a study done by Dave A. Breen, B. S., M.S. in Botany (1985). Breen studied and collected the bryophytes of Fox Ridge State Park which is located aproximately 8 miles south of Charleston, Illinois in Coles County (Sec. 11, 12 and 13, T11N, R9E.). Breen found sixty eight species of mosses, one species new to Illinois and nine species new to Coles County. This additional illustrative work covers Breen's general taxonomic study. It is to be utilized in the identification of those mosses of the Fox Ridge State Park. Techniques used in illustrations were …

The Bryophytes Of Fox Ridge State Park, Coles County, Illinois, David A. Breen

Masters Theses

A survey of Fox Ridge State Park in Coles County, Illinois revealed a total of 72 bryophyte species. Of these 68 were mosses and 4 were liverworts. Habitat and frequency for each species were recorded. Voucher specimens for each species have been placed in the Stover Herbarium at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois.

As a result of this survey Astomum muhlenbergionum (Sw.) Grout. is a new addition to the list of Illinois bryophytes. In addition ten species are new reports for Coles County, Illinois. These are the mosses Amblystegium fluviatle (Hedw.) BSG, Brachythecium digastrum C. M. & Kindb. ex. Macoun …

A Key To The Hepaticae Of Coles And Clark Counties, Illinois, Michael J. Klopmeyer

Masters Theses

This study represents a taxonomic survey of the hepaticae of east-central Illinois. The counties included in this study were Coles and Clark, located in the east-central portion of the state, near the Indiana stateline. Of the areas included in this study, two are in Clark county, Rocky Branch and Rocky Hollow, and one in Coles county, Rock's Park.

The influence of the Wisconsin glacier, and its terminal moraine located in southern Coles county, greatly influenced the topography and ultimately the specific habitats for the hepaticae. The majority of the liverworts encountered in these counties are found in the numerous sandstone …

Bryophytes Of Rocky Branch Nature Preserve, Clark County, Illinois, David C. Burnette

Masters Theses

An extensive field survey of the Rocky Branch Nature Preserve in Clark County, Illinois, revealed a total of 52 bryophyte species. Of these, 38 were mosses and 14 were liverworts. Descriptions, habitats and distribution comments, plus a map showing the county distributions for each species in Illinois are included.

As a result of this survey, the liverwort Nardia lescurii (Aust.) Underw. is a new addition to the bryoflora of Illinois. There were also several other bryophytes found that were previously unreported for Clark County or the Rocky Branch Nature Preserve. These include Rhynchostegium pulchellum (Hedw.) Robins var. pulchellum, Isopterygium …

Moss Sensitivity To Sulfur Dioxide, John W. Wilcut

Masters Theses

Extensive research regarding the effects of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) on vascular and nonvascular plants has been reported. Sulfur dioxide has been shown to interrupt normal metabolism, to interrupt normal reproduction, and to alter the plant's morphology.

One hypothesis regarding the lack of bryophytes in urban areas is that the life cycle is being interrupted. It has been shown that moss protonemata are sensitive to SO₂ concentrations in urban areas. Several authors noted that sexual reproduction is blocked among many species which do occur in urban environments. Observations on protonemal sensitivity are probably more important than the observations …

The Effects Of Sulphur Dioxide On Selected Hepatics, Steven L. Gatchel

Masters Theses

Extensive studies have been reported on the air pollutant sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and its effects on vascular and nonvascular plants. It has been shown to interrupt normal physiology, metabolism, reproduction, and alter the plant’s morphology.

Of the cryptogams, lichens have been extensively used as biological indicators of air pollution. More recently, bryophytes have been shown to be as sensitive to contaminates as lichens, and may exhibit responses to the pollutant similar to those of vascular and nonvascular plants. The threshold sensitivity of these cryptogams is about 0.5 ppm over a 12 hour period. However no study to date …

Oil-Bodies Of Selected Leafy Liverworts Of East-Central Illinois, Steven Monroe Martin

Masters Theses

Oil-bodies are distinct and varied structures found only in the Hepaticae and with particular frequency in the Jungermanniales. Untill relatively recently the oil-body has been virtually ignored by liverwort morphologists and taxonomists.

This study includes descriptions and photomicrographs of the oil-bodies of 23 species and 14 genera in 9 familes of leafy liverworts of east-central Illinois. Diagnostic characteristics recorded for each species include the number of oil-bodies per cell, size range of the oil-bodies, color, shape, texture and arrangement of the oil-bodies within the cell. It was found that the familes Lepidoziaceae, Calypogeiaceae, Jungermanniaceae, Scapaniaceae, Porellaceae and Frullaniaceae are composed …

Saxicolous Bryophytes Of Coles And Clark Counties, Terri M. Simon

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Peristome Teeth Of Selected Genera Of Acrocarpous Musci Of East Central Illinois, Roger Mcbroom

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Bryoecology Of Montgomery County, Illinois, Elbert A. Traylor

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Jungermanniales Of Coles And Clark Counties Of Illinois, Charles T. Schiller

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Corticolous Mosses Of East-Central Illinois, Daniel J. Royse

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Bryophytes Of Turkey Run State Park, Indiana, Michael A. Ellis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Bryophytes Of Shelby County, Linda L. Spessard

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Studies Of The Capsule Wall Of Selected Musci From Coles County, William Milton Zales

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.