Botany Commons^™

Pacvr: Plastome Assembly Coverage Visualization In R, Michael Gruenstaeudl, Nils Jenke

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Plastid genomes typically display a circular, quadripartite structure with two inverted repeat regions, which challenges automatic assembly procedures. The correct assembly of plastid genomes is a prerequisite for the validity of subsequent analyses on genome structure and evolution. The average coverage depth of a genome assembly is often used as an indicator of assembly quality. Visualizing coverage depth across a draft genome is a critical step, which allows users to inspect the quality of the assembly and, where applicable, identify regions of reduced assembly confidence. Despite the interplay between genome structure and assembly quality, no contemporary, user-friendly software tool can …

Trichome Micromorphology And Its Significance In The Systematics Of Convolvulus L. (Convolvulaceae), Elham Roudi, Hamed Khodayari, Valiollah Mozaffarian, Shahin Zarre

Turkish Journal of Botany

Trichomes of 35 species of the genus Convolovulus and one species of the genus Calystegia (C. sepium) were investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. The trichomes show a great variation, which provides valuable data for sections and species delimitation in Convolvulus. Trichomes of Convolvulus are nonglandular, simple, and basifixed or rarely asymmetrically medifixed. Characters of taxonomic interest were the degree of curviness (straight to spiral), orientation relative to the epidermal surface (appressed to erect), and presence of papillae on trichome surface. The trichomes are divided into two basic types: cylindrical and flattened ribbon-like. Our data provide the additional evidence …

Defensive Manoeuvres Of Nhx1 And Sos1 Co/Overexpression In Plant Salt Tolerance, Necla Pehli̇van Gedi̇k, Li Sun, Neelam Mishra

Turkish Journal of Botany

Excessive accumulation of salts is one of the most important factors affecting the production quality of plants. The difficulty to develop salt stress tolerant crops has prevented the security of the global food system. The classical crop breeding approach that uses random mutagenesis/recombination is time-consuming in the face of an ever-increasing human population and extreme weather pattern shifts. Today, technologies introducing foreign genetic material into plants have the best potential to assist in crop breeding improvement due to its high efficiency, accuracy, low risk of off-target effects, and minimal labour compared to classical methods. The notion of Na+/H+ antiporters in …

Molecular Cloning And Enzymatic Characteristics Of Chalcone Isomerase From Rheum Palmatum, Xiaowei Huo, Gang Zhang, Mengmeng Liu

Turkish Journal of Botany

Rheum palmatum has been widely developed in traditional Chinese medicine. One of the major active compounds in R. palmatum is flavonoids. Until now, few genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis have been isolated from this medicinal plant. In this study, a new chalcone isomerase gene (RpCHI) was cloned from an RNA-seq library of R. palmatum. The 714bp RpCHI cDNA was cloned and sequenced. The RpCHI recombinant protein was successfully overexpressed in a prokaryotic expression system and purified to homogeneity by a nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) prepacked column, and the enzymatic activity was investigated. The results have clarified that RpCHI was assembled into …

Relation Between Soil Salinity And Species Composition Of Halophytic Plant Communities: A Baseline Data Inventory For Wetland Monitoring, Kemal Tulühan Yilmaz, Erhan Akça, Hali̇l Çakan, Yüksel Ünlükaplan, Seli̇m Kapur

Turkish Journal of Botany

Our study sets forth the outcomes of an interdisciplinary project conducted in order to fill the information gap on the management of a wetland ecosystem, in the case of a protected area on the south-eastern coast of Turkey. The hypothesis of the study is that the pattern of species composition reflects soil salinity level and some species can act as relevant indicators. The study aimed to discover a relationship between soil salinity and vegetation composition and establish some indicators useful for monitoring. For this aim, the temporal and spatial changes of soil salinity were monitored and the distribution of coastal …

Effect Of Fungicide Pretreatment On Lipid Peroxidation, Antioxidant Enzyme Systems And Proline Accumulation In Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.) Leaves Under High Temperature Stress, Eli̇f Yüzbaşioğlu

Turkish Journal of Botany

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of high temperature stress (HT) and to evaluate the protective role of fungicide pretreatment against HT stress in tomato leaves. The oxidative stress was triggered under HT stress through an increase in the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Also, it caused a decline in photosynthetic pigments and enhanced the proline in tomato. However, the activities of catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6), peroxidase (POX; EC 1.11.1.7), and glutathione S-transferase (GST; EC.2.5.1.18), as well as ascorbate-glutathione cycle enzymes (APX, EC 1.11.1.11, DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1, MDHAR EC 1.6.5.4, GR; EC …

Captive Ring-Necked Pheasant Response To Very High Experimental Doses Of Lead, Travis J. Runia, Alex J. Solem

The Prairie Naturalist

Ingestion of spent lead pellets is a well-documented source of lead exposure in free-ranging birds, although the consequence of lead ingestion varies widely among avian guilds. Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) appear to be less susceptible to lead poisoning than other game birds. Our objectives were to determine survival, liver lead accumulation, and body mass change of 129 captive-raised pheasants in response to being gavage-fed 5, 10, 20, or 40 lead pellets. All pheasants survived the 21-day experiment. Liver-lead levels were positively correlated with the number of lead pellets retained and negatively correlated with beginning body mass. Change in percent body …

Evaluation Of Four Larval Fish Sampling Methods In A Large Midwestern River, Nathan J. Lederman, Anthony R. Sindt, Douglas J. Dieterman, John D. Krenz, Shannon J. Fisher

The Prairie Naturalist

Understanding limitations of larval fish capture gears is critical for developing appropriate sampling protocols and interpreting catch data. We evaluated genera richness, genera diversity, assemblage similarities, abundance indices (i.e., density or catch per unit effort [CPUE]), and sample size requirements between a surface slednet and glow-stick light traps used in 2014 and 2015 and a benthic slednet and light-emitting diode light (LED) traps used in 2015 in the Minnesota River. The surface slednet captured the greatest number of larval fish genera (15) while the LED light trap captured the fewest (1). Similarities of assemblages sampled was highest between surface and …

Comparing Native Bee Communities On Reconstructed And Remnant Prairie In Missouri, Joseph Larose, Elisabeth B. Webb, Deborah Finke

The Prairie Naturalist

The tallgrass prairie of North America is an imperiled ecosystem that has been the subject of considerable restoration effort and research in the past two decades. While native prairie plant species are purposely introduced during restoration, prairie invertebrates, including native bees (Anthophila), are not and must colonize from surrounding remnants. Prairie restorations may not support the same bee communities as remnant prairies because of habitat differences and dispersal limitations. We sampled native bees on reconstructed and remnant prairies in Missouri in the summers of 2016 and 2017 and compared the communities by evaluating species richness, diversity, and community composition. We …

Greater Prairie-Chickens And Sharp-Tailed Grouse Have Similarly High Nest Survival In The Nebraska Sandhills, Larkin Powell, Walter Schacht, Julia P. Ewald, Kathryn R. Mccollum

The Prairie Naturalist

The ranges of two native galliform species overlap in the Nebraska Sandhills, the largest contiguous grassland in North America. We monitored nests of greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido) and sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in Cherry County, Nebraska, in 2015 and 2016. Our objectives were to 1) compare daily probability of nest survival between species, 2) evaluate vegetation structure at nests for potential effects on nest survival, 3) compare nest site topography between species, and 4) use a simple model of breeding season success to evaluate the potential for stable populations at our study sites. We captured and …

Leaf-Tip Morphology Does Not Support Species Status For The Seagrass Halodule Beaudettei In Florida, Usa, Michael E. Wheeler, Bradley T. Furman, Margaret O. Hall

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Improving On Modis Mcd64a1 Burned Area Estimates In Grassland Systems: A Case Study In Kansas Flint Hills Tall Grass Prairie, Rheinhardt Scholtz, Jayson Prentice, Yao Tang, Dirac Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Uncertainty in satellite-derived burned area estimates are especially high in grassland systems, which are some of the most frequently burned ecosystems in the world. In this study, we compare differences in predicted burned area estimates for a region with the highest fire activity in North America, the Flint Hills of Kansas, USA, using the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD64A1 burned area product and a customization of the MODIS MCD64A1 product using a major ground-truthing effort by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE-MODIS customization). Local-scale ground-truthing and the KDHE-MODIS product suggests MODIS burned area estimates under predicted fire …

Habitat Assessment Of Suitable Areas For Three Rare Plant Species (Layia Carnosa, Erysimum Menziesii, And Gilia Millefoliata) In The Barr Parcel On Friends Of The Dunes Property, Sophia Grubb, Almond Dodge, Jeremy Cashen

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Native rare plants are an important component of ecosystems. It is critical to preserve these species because it facilitates growth of native plants. Ecological restoration provides the necessary conditions to encourage native plant growth. Gilia millefoliata, Erysimum menziesii, and Layia carnosa are three rare plants found on the Friends of the Dunes property in Arcata, CA. In this assessment, we surveyed these three rare plants and came up with a management plan for the Barr Parcel on the Friends of the Dunes property. Friends of the Dunes recently acquired the Barr Parcel and are waiting for restoration permits …

A Comparison Of Media To Determine Optimal Growth In Aquaponics, Rachel L. Fogle, Andrea Nagy, Allison Bernard, Jordan Brown, Samantha Delvalle-Trinh, James Shuler

Harrisburg University Presidential Research Grants

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Rock Climbing On Lichen And Bryophyte Cliff Communities In The Arid West, Giovanna M. Bishop

2020 Symposium Posters

Lichens and bryophytes make up the majority of the diversity and cover in cliff systems around the world. Recently, with the rapid rise of rock climbing, there are concerns rock climbers are negatively impacting cliff communities. My study will compare climbed and unclimbed granite cliffs to better understand the impacts of rock climbing on lichen and bryophyte diversity and cover in eastern Washington. The objectives of this study are to assess the impacts of rock climbing on lichen and bryophyte cliff community diversity and cover and improve route development and cliff management practices for lichens and bryophytes. This study will …

Letter From The Dean, Deacue Fields

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

No abstract provided.

Reverse Genetic Analysis Of Ehd1 For An Association Between Flowering Time And Seed Dormancy In Rice (Oryza Sativa L.), Yeter Karakoc

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to understand the evolutionary mechanism of seed dormancy and flowering time and to provide basic knowledge for the manipulation of germination features in crop breeding. Flowering time and seed dormancy are two adaptive traits for flowering plants. Seed dormancy (SD) helps regulate the timing of germination to promote the survival of seed-bearing plants in adverse environments. Cereal crops and weedy/wild relatives, such as Asian cultivated rice and weedy rice (Oryza sativa L.), have weak and strong seed dormancy, respectively. Thus, weedy and cultivated rice has been used as a model system to investigate mechanisms of seed dormancy …

Wild Geranium, Geranium Maculatum, 2020 Virginia Wildflower Of The Year, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

Geranium maculatum was named by Linnaeus in his monumental Species Plantarum, published in1753. Geranium has long served as the type genus of Geraniaceae. The genus and family name are derived from the Greek word geranos, crane, in reference to the elongate fruiting styles common throughout the family. English common names like Cranesbill and Storksbill for relatives of Wild Geranium similarly refer to their elongate fruiting-stage styles. The species portion of the binomial, maculatum, means spotted, perhaps a reference to slight irregularities in petal pigmentation sometimes observed in this species.

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary: An Exploration Of Changing The Discourse On Conservation, Arielle Ben-Hur

Pitzer Senior Theses

In 2015, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council submitted a National Marine Sanctuary Nomination to establish the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary– a means by which to ensure the protection of one of the most culturally and biologically diverse coastlines in the world. On October 5, 2015, John Armor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) responded to the nomination, adding it to the inventory of areas NOAA may consider in the future for national marine sanctuary designation.

In my thesis, I explore how the nomination of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary acts as a platform from which Traditional …

The Origin And Evolution Of Flower Characters In Angiosperms With A Case Study On The Genetic Basis Of Zygomorphic Corolla Development In Bee And Hummingbird Pollinated Species Of Schizanthus (Solanaceae), Ghadeer Bukhari

Theses and Dissertations

This Ph.D. dissertation investigates two main projects separated into two chapters, one for each. The first chapter explores the evolution of flowering plants (angiosperms), a macro-scale study. The second project is on a micro-scale that focus on exploring the genes that regulate the similarities and the differences of flower morphology reflecting their different pollination syndromes in two species of Schizanthus (Solanaceae), i.e., S. pinnatus, a bee-pollinated flower, and S. grahamii, a hummingbird- pollinated flower.

In the first chapter, I used floral diagrams to study the origin and the evolution of floral traits in angiosperms, a new set of morphological data …