Botany Commons^™

"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 …

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: …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Transcriptomic And Physiological Characterization Of The Fefe Mutant Of Melon (Cucumis Melo) Reveals New Aspects Of Iron-Copper Crosstalk, Brian M. Waters, Samuel A. Mcinturf, Keenan Amundsen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) homeostasis are tightly linked across biology. In previous work, Fe deficiency interacted with Cu-regulated genes and stimulated Cu accumulation. The C940-fe (fefe) Fe-uptake mutant of melon (Cucumis melo) was characterized, and the fefe mutant was used to test whether Cu deficiency could stimulate Fe uptake. Wild-type and fefe mutant transcriptomes were determined by RNA-seq under Fe and Cu deficiency. FeFe-regulated genes included core Fe uptake, metal homeostasis, and transcription factor genes. Numerous genes were regulated by both Fe and Cu. The fefe mutant was rescued by high Fe or by …

Nelsonioideae (Lamiales: Acanthaceae): Revision Of Genera And Catalog Of Species, Thomas F. Daniel, Lucinda A. Mcdade

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

A taxonomic account of Acanthaceae subfamily Nelsonioideae based on morphological and phylogenetic data treats five genera with 172 species: Anisosepalum (3), Elytraria (21), Nelsonia (2), Saintpauliopsis (1), and Staurogyne (145). Two other currently recognized genera, Gynocraterium and Ophiorrhiziphyllon, are included within Staurogyne, and the new combinations, Staurogyne guianensis and S. macrobotrya, are proposed. Probable apomorphic and other diagnostic macro- and micromorphological characters are discussed relative to the subfamily and genera. Characters of the inflorescence, androecium (especially pollen), and seed show important phylogenetic and diagnostic signal. A key to genera, generic descriptions and discussions, illustrations, and distribution maps …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

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

No abstract provided.

Rechecking Of The Genus Scleroderma (Gasteromycetes) From Macedonia Using Barcoding Approach, Katerina Rusevska, Mitko Karadelev, Cherdchai Phosri, Margarita Dueñas, Roy Watling, María Paz Martín

Turkish Journal of Botany

In order to verify some doubtful collections of Scleroderma Pers. species from Macedonia, 54 specimens were revised using morphological and molecular analyses. The 12 internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS nrDNA) sequences obtained in this study were compared with previously published sequences included in public databases. According to the barcoding sequences, some Macedonian Scleroderma specimens were confirmed to belong to 4 species: S. areolatum Ehrenb., S. bovista Fr., S. meridionale Demoulin & Malençon, and S. verrucosum (Vaill.) Pers.

Molecular Cloning And Characterization In Eukaryotic Expression Systems Of A Sugarcane Cysteine Protease Inhibitor Gene Involved In Drought Tolerance, Nisachon Jangpromma, Akira Saito, Tomohiro Araki, Prasit Jaisil, Patcharin Songsri, Sakda Daduang, Yuya Kawaguchi, Apisak Dhiravisit, Sompong Thammasirirak

Turkish Journal of Botany

Cystatin responses in sugarcane plants under drought stress have not previously been reported. To test the hypothesis that sugar cane cystatin can function as an osmotic stress tolerance gene, transgenic Pichia pastoris (GS115) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (A2279) strains with the ability to express sugarcane cystatin were constructed. The osmotic stress tolerance of the transgenic yeasts was then evaluated, and it was found that the transgenic Pichia pastoris (GS115) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (A2279) had increased growth and increased osmotic stress tolerance. To gain a greater understanding of the responses of sugarcane cystatin to drought, 1 drought-susceptible and 3 drought-tolerant sugarcane cultivars …

Reseda Malatyana (Resedaceae), A New Chasmophytic Species From Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, Hasan Yildirim, Serdar Gökhan Şenol

Turkish Journal of Botany

Reseda malatyana Yıldırım & Şenol (Resedaceae) is illustrated and described as a new species to science, endemic to eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Reseda malatyana is related to Reseda armena Boiss. It differs from Reseda armena by the following characters: densely smaller, unbranched at the upper part, papillate-hispidulous stems; dark green, thicker, and densely papillate-hispidulous leaves; bigger petals; smaller pedicels; relatively smaller with sinus seeds; oblate-spheroidal, tricolporate, and rugulate pollen grains. R. malatyana is a perennial species that colonizes on marlstone rocky cliffs, known from a single locality in Levent Canyon, located in Malatya Province. It is an obligated chasmophytic species. In …

2014 Virginia Wildflower Of The Year: Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera Sempervirens, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

The flashy red flowers of coral honeysuckle beckon hummingbirds to their sweet nectar. Coral honeysuckle is a twining woody vine, usually climbing on other vegetation but sometimes trailing along the ground; older stems have papery-brown exfoliating bark.