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Full-Text Articles in Other Plant Sciences

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Contributing To The Invasion Success Of Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests., Kimberly Koenig May 2023

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Contributing To The Invasion Success Of Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests., Kimberly Koenig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forest managers face multiple challenges in maintaining woodland systems, including climate change, habitat destruction and fragmentation, and the invasion of novel species. Invaders can change microclimates, alter nutrient cycling and understory habitat, and outcompete native species, leading to native species population declines and reduction in species richness. To effectively combat plant invasions it is necessary to first understand factors contributing to invasive species spread, including the complex interactions between invaders and native biota. This dissertation investigates the abiotic conditions and biotic interactions associated with invasion success of the non-native grass Microstegium vimineum, which is a species of great concern …


Quantifying The Relationship Between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi And A Native And Invasive Thistle, Nicole Baker, Lucia Vera, Ian Rosales Apr 2023

Quantifying The Relationship Between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi And A Native And Invasive Thistle, Nicole Baker, Lucia Vera, Ian Rosales

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associate with 80% of vascular plant roots and are an important part of nutrient exchange. Our research quantified the relationship between (AMF) and native Pasture Thistle (Cirsium discolor) and invasive Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense). We hypothesized that Pasture Thistle would have a stronger relationship with AMF than Canada Thistle because of the degraded mutualism hypothesis, which states that invasive species have reduced relationships with AMF. For our experiment, we grew inoculated and non-inoculated plants at 10 different levels of soil phosphorus concentrations. Pasture Thistle and Canada Thistle were both facultatively dependent upon …


Historical Climate-Influenced Shifts In Flower Shape And Production Of A Common Annual Plant, Orange Jewelweed (Impatiens Capensis), Amber M. Stanley Apr 2023

Historical Climate-Influenced Shifts In Flower Shape And Production Of A Common Annual Plant, Orange Jewelweed (Impatiens Capensis), Amber M. Stanley

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Climate change is a major human-mediated stressor that has been altering temperature patterns across the globe since the Industrial Revolution. In the Eastern United States, it has been projected that the average annual temperature will increase by 3-5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. Such environmental changes have the potential to disrupt key interactions between species. For example, the vast majority (ca. 90%) of flowering plants rely on animal pollinators to transfer pollen between individuals to reproduce. Higher temperatures cause many plant species to flower up to 3-4 weeks earlier in the year, but pollinator activity has not shifted with …


Where The Wild Mushrooms Are: Species And Secondary Metabolite Diversity In Fungal Species On The Saint Mary’S College Campus, Lex K. Gilman Apr 2023

Where The Wild Mushrooms Are: Species And Secondary Metabolite Diversity In Fungal Species On The Saint Mary’S College Campus, Lex K. Gilman

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Secondary metabolites in fungi have three main ecological functions: protection against predation, communication with other mushrooms, and assistance in pathogenic interactions. These compounds have also led to the common use of mushrooms as food and in traditional Chinese or other medicinal applications. However, there are currently few good resources for identifying mushroom species in North-Central Indiana. In addition, limited research exists on secondary metabolites in mushrooms. The objective of this research was to create a preliminary database of mushroom species at Saint Mary’s College and conduct preliminary research on the secondary metabolites of these local species. Fungal specimens were identified …


Development Of A Lectin-Fc Fusion Protein With Antiviral And Anti-Cancer Activity., Matthew William Dent May 2019

Development Of A Lectin-Fc Fusion Protein With Antiviral And Anti-Cancer Activity., Matthew William Dent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the development of a novel lectin-Fc fusion protein and its antiviral and anti-cancer activity. The molecule, Avaren-Fc (AvFc), is a fusion of a variant of the actinomycete lectin actinohivin (Avaren) and the Fc region of human IgG1, and is selective for the terminal α1,2-mannose residues found at the ends of high-mannose-type glycans that can be found on the surface of certain heavily glycosylated viruses and cancer cells. Here, AvFc was found to be able to neutralize simian immunodeficiency virus as well as Hepatitis C virus with nanomolar IC50 values. Furthermore, AvFc recognizes a number of cell …


Plant Community Responses To Invasive Shrub And Vine Removal In An Urban Park Woodland., Eric Richard Moore Dec 2015

Plant Community Responses To Invasive Shrub And Vine Removal In An Urban Park Woodland., Eric Richard Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Counter to what some people think, urban areas can be biodiversity hotspots. Maintaining this biodiversity can be challenging, since exotic shrubs and vines block sunlight and threaten native plant regeneration. Since 2007, the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy (LOPC) has spent $2 million on invasive plant management in Cherokee Park. Before the project began, long-term transects were established by the LOPC to collect baseline presence/absence data on 11 invasive plant species. In 2014, I revisited these transects and documented presence/absence data on the entire plant community. I found that four species (garlic mustard, winter creeper, Japanese honeysuckle, and English ivy) have …