Botany Commons^™

Technological Bottlenecks And Innovative Developments For Rubber Tree Breeding In China, Yongshuai Sun, Weimin Tian, Deli Zhai, Yongping Yang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Superior varieties of rubber trees are crucial elements in achieving stable production and supply of natural rubber. In China, rubber tree planting areas are situated at the northern edga of the world’s tropical zone and thus belong to non-traditional rubber tree planting areas with climatic conditions inferior to the traditional ones in Southeast Asia. The planted rubber trees are frequently damaged by low temperatures and diseases. Therefore, an urgent need in natural rubber production is to develop varieties with highyield potential and strong stress-tolerance. The scarcity of such varieties is mainly ascribed to the highly heterozygous genome, a long juvenile …

A New Species From Türkiye, Centaurea Turhanii (Cardueae, Asteraceae), Tuna Uysal, Meryem Bozkurt, Ergi̇n Hamzaoğlu

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this article, a new cornflower, Centaurea turhanii Uysal & Hamzaoğlu (Asteraceae) from Türkiye was described and reported. Morphological, karyological, and molecular analyses were used to reveal the taxonomic status of the new species with the species thought to be related to taxa. A modified determination key was submitted and its ecology and phenology were given.

A Comprehensive Study On The Molecular Characterization Of Tomato Spotted Wilt Orthotospovirus Isolates And Resistance Genes In Pepper And Tomato, Qurat Ul Ain Sajid, Emi̇nur Elçi̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV, Orthotospovirus tomatomaculae) resistance genes (Tsw, Sw5) have been identified in pepper and tomato plants. The development of resistant cultivars is one of the popular management strategies for overcoming viral infections. However, the breakdown of resistance genes has been documented from many places where resistant cultivars have been developed. This has mainly been due to the emergence of resistance-breaking (RB) lines because of the consecutive use of these cultivars. The development of these isolates may cause great losses in both tomato and pepper plants in Türkiye. To investigate the incidence of TSWV, 150 symptomatic samples were …

A Phylogenetic Analysis And Delimitation Of Turanecio (Asteraceae: Senecioneae), Meryem Bozkurt, Tuna Uysal, Ergi̇n Hamzaoğlu

Turkish Journal of Botany

Recently, Turanecio Hamzaoğlu was described as a new genus for the scientific world. Turanecio has been distributed as far as Asia, Iran, Caucasus, and Iraq. A phylogenetic analysis based on nrDNA and cpDNA gene regions was performed to determine the position of the genus within the subtribe Adenostylinae. Results from Bayesian and parsimony analyses of the nuclear and chloroplast DNA regions of the subtribe Senecioninae concordantly indicated that it is monophyletic and belongs to the Quadridentate group, with 4-lobed disc flowers. Nuclear DNA data revealed that some of the researched taxa should be transferred to Turanecio and some taxonomical classifications …

Genetic Variation In White Poplar (Populus Alba L.) Populations As Characterized By Ssr Markers, Burcu Uzan Eken, Emrah Kirdök, Ercan Veli̇oğlu, Yelda Özden Çi̇ftçi̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

The white poplar (Populus alba L.), which is tolerant to abiotic and biotic stresses, is a tree species that is resilient against changing climatic and environmental conditions, which makes it a suitable candidate for afforestation efforts. However, due to prolonged human intervention associated with the increasing population, the genetic resources of this species are at risk of loss. Additionally, while this species generally reproduces sexually, reproduction clonally via its root suckers has become widespread in some areas. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of white poplar, which is increasingly experiencing genetic diversity loss. Herein, …

On The Border Of Extinction And Speciation, Polygala Seyfegoluensis (Polygalaceae), A New Species From Marshy Habitat, Central Türkiye: Under The Threat Of Climate Change, Water Retreat, And Subsequent Degradation, Ali̇ Aslan Dönmez, Zübeyde Uğurlu Aydin, İbrahi̇m Sirri Yüzbaşioğlu

Turkish Journal of Botany

Polygala seyfegoluensis Dönmez, Uğurlu & Yüzb. (Polygalaceae) is herein described and illustrated as a new species from Kırşehir Province around Seyfe Lake in Central Türkiye. This new species is similar to P. pruinosa and P. supina is distinctly characterized by its prostrate habit, nearly glabrous and smaller flower parts, and an unwinged capsule. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to show the placement of the new species within selected Polygala taxa using the trnL-F and rbcL markers. Based on the field observation, an evolutionary scenario is proposed for the new species under the driving forces of climate change, the shrinking of …

Soil Carbon And Nitrogen After Eight Years Of Rotational Grazing In The Nebraska Sandhills Meadows, Gandura O. Abagandura, Martha Mamo, W. H. Schacht, Aaron Shropshire, Jerry Volesky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Grassland provides many ecosystem services; therefore, sustainable management practices of grassland are crucial for maintaining and enhancing its ecosystem health and resilience. Rotational grazing at a high stocking density (a.k.a., ultrahigh stocking density) is purported to sequester greater amounts of carbon (C) in grassland soils than rotational grazing at low stocking densities. This study was conducted in the Nebraska Sandhills meadows for eight years to evaluate how rotational grazing with different stocking densities can affect soil C and total nitrogen (TN) in bulk soils, soil organic matter fractions, and sequestration rate. The grazing management included a high stocking density with …

Genome-Wide Association And Genomic Prediction For Iron And Zinc Concentration And Iron Bioavailability In A Collection Of Yellow Dry Beans, Paulo Izquierdo, Rie Sadohara, Jason Wiesinger, Raymond Glahn, Carlos Urrea, Karen Cichy

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dry bean is a nutrient-dense food targeted in biofortification programs to increase seed iron and zinc levels. The underlying assumption of breeding for higher mineral content is that enhanced iron and zinc levels will deliver health benefits to the consumers of these biofortified foods. This study characterized a diversity panel of 275 genotypes comprising the Yellow Bean Collection (YBC) for seed Fe and Zn concentration, Fe bioavailability (FeBio), and seed yield across 2 years in two field locations. The genetic architecture of each trait was elucidated via genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the efficacy of genomic prediction (GP) was assessed. …

The Long-Term Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Floral Abundance And Bumble Bee Abundance In Mixed-Oak Forests Of Southeastern Ohio, Moses Shafer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Pollinators are declining due to climate change and habitat loss driven by agriculture and urbanization. In fire-adapted ecosystems, fire promotes the biodiversity of plants by creating space, reducing competition, and increasing light and nutrient availability. However, little is known regarding the effects of fire on floral abundance of plants used by Bombus. The overall goal of this project was to assess the long-term effects of fire on floral abundance and Bombus abundance. Our specific questions were: (1) How does fire frequency influence floral abundance?, (2) How does fire frequency influence floral abundance of species specifically utilized by bumble bees?, …

Nutritional Convergence In Plants Growing On Gypsum Soils In Two Distinct Climatic Regions, Clare T. Muller, Andreu Cera, Sara Palacio, Michael J. Moore, Pablo Tejero, Juan F. Mota, Rebecca E. Drenovsky

2024 Faculty Bibliography

Background and Aims

Soil endemics have long fascinated botanists owing to the insights they can provide about plant ecology and evolution. Often, these species have unique foliar nutrient composition patterns that reflect potential physiological adaptations to these harsh soil types. However, understanding global nutritional patterns to unique soil types can be complicated by the influence of recent and ancient evolutionary events. Our goal was to understand whether plant specialization to unique soils is a stronger determinant of nutrient composition of plants than climate or evolutionary constraints. Methods

We worked on gypsum soils. We analysed whole-plant nutrient composition (leaves, stems, coarse …

Environmental Biology Masters Capstone, Antonio Gonzalez-Pita

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Human wildlife interactions (HWI) pose a complex challenge for wildlife managers. Human encroachment into wildlife habitat and the growing number of outdoor recreationists are increasing the frequency of contact and conflict, especially in regions such as the Front Range of Colorado. Geographic information systems (GIS), which use a combination of remote sensing and environmental survey data, allow for predictive spatial analyses of where human wildlife interactions are likely to occur. I used publicly reported observations of moose to create spatial predictive maps in a species distribution model framework. Slope and elevation were shown to be the strongest predictors of HWI, …

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

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

No abstract provided.

Stream Restoration Effectiveness In Mullins Creek In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Amadeo Scott, Shannon Speir

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

Lotic waterways are vital for habitat, food, water, and flood protection, but urbanization poses a major threat to their integrity. Runoff from urban surfaces leads to pollution, flashiness, loss of biodiversity, and other symptoms, also known as Urban Stream Syndrome (USS). Streams can be restored in order to combat USS, but most restorations are not monitored, so their long-term effectiveness is unknown. This study quantitatively evaluated a decade-old stream restoration in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to assess its effectiveness in combating USS and achieving set restoration goals, and to gain insights for future restoration projects. Restoration goals included decreasing erosion and sedimentation, …

Evaluating Efficiency And Accuracy Of Three Texture Analysis Methods For Blackberry Fruit, Rhys M. Brock, Carmen Johns, Katelyn Lust-Moore, Margaret Worthington

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

A major objective of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA) Fruit Breeding program is to improve the texture of blackberry (Rubus subgenus Rubus Watson). Blackberry varieties with improved fruit firmness transport and store well and may maintain superior quality under challenging postharvest conditions than softer varieties. Increased firmness may also make cultivars less susceptible to red drupelet reversion (RDR), a postharvest disorder of blackberries in which fully black drupelets revert to red after harvest. This research project aims to assess the efficiency and accuracy of three methods applied in evaluating blackberry firmness. The study compares instrumental analysis …

A Vascular Flora Of The Southern Inyo Mountains, Inyo County, California, Maria J. Jesus

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The Inyo Mountains in Inyo County, California, are an arid mountain range located between the eastern Sierra Nevada and Death Valley National Park. The study site is ca. 433 km² (167 sq mi), ranging in elevation from 549 to 2955 m (1800 to 9694 ft), and comprises the southern extent of the Inyo Mountains where the Great Basin Desert and Mojave Desert bioregions meet. This area had been poorly represented by botanical collections despite an abundance of distinctive biogeographic features and high diversity in rare and endemic plant species. The objectives of this study were to complete a specimen-based, …

Documenting Plant Biodiversity At The Emu-Owned Parsons Center For Arts And Sciences, Emily Edwards

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

We present the first vascular plant species checklist for the Eastern Michigan-University-owned property called the Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences. A voucher for each plant species has been deposited in the Eastern Michigan College herbarium and collection data is digitized in the Consortium of Midwest Herbaria. A minimum of three images per species are also available on iNaturalist . The Consortium and iNaturalist databases are publicly available and provide georeferenced locations for each plant. One hundred seventy-one plant species (in 137 genera and 61 families) were documented and identified, representing about 15% of plant species and 41% of families …

Featured Faculty Mentor/Student Team, Austin Jones, Ashley Dowling, Baylie Day

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

No abstract provided.

Building Detailed And Accurate Whole-Plant Concepts: A Morphometrics-Informed Reconstruction Of A Zosterophyll From The Lower Devonian Of Wyoming, Samar R. El-Abdallah

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The fragmentary state of plant fossils and the modular organization of plants make whole-plant reconstructions of fossil species desirable and feasible. Such reconstructions are key for integrating fossil species in systematic studies. The ca. 410 Ma Beartooth Butte Formation of Wyoming (USA) hosts the only rich Early Devonian plant assemblages in western North America, which fills a major gap in the phytogeography of this interval. I construct a whole-plant concept for a new zosterophyll from the Beartooth Butte Formation based on a detailed morphometric study. More than 600 fragments of the new zosterophyll were observed and 200 of those were …

Whatever Happened To The Snapdragon Family?, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

The short answer is DNA sequencing and phylogenetic systematics.

Phylogenetic Relationships Of A North American Radiation Of Clematis (Ranunculaceae), Jesse Harris, Thomas H. Murphy, Erin A. Manzitto-Tripp, Nicolás Medina, Zach Irick, L. Dwayne Estes, Stacey D. Smith

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

Clematis L. is one of many plant genera that contributes prominently to the species richness and endemism of the southeastern United States. Here we examined phylogenetic relationships among species in Clematis sect. Viorna, commonly known as leatherflowers, which are distributed primarily in the southeastern United States. We used data from restriction site-associated ddRADseq to reconstruct a best estimate phylogeny of this group. Our analyses revealed that the North American members of sect. Viorna form a well-supported clade, and several of the traditionally recognized infrasectional taxa were resolved as monophyletic. Although characters employed in classification including habit and inflorescence position …