Botany Commons^™

Warming Up: Climate Change Related Shifts Of Mycorrhizal Fungal Communities In High Latitude Ecosystems, Megan Rae Devan

Biology ETDs

This dissertation examines how climate change affects mycorrhizal fungal communities in boreal and arctic ecosystems. In chapter one, I revealed that increases in fire severity and related increases in deciduous tree dominance result in greater Ascomycota relative abundance (RA) and subsequent declines in Basidiomycota RA. In chapter two I analyzed the effects of post-fire mycorrhizal fungal communites on host growth. There were trends at the fungal genus level that were largely reflected at the guild level across all hosts; however, there were some fungal genera that had the opposite effect on different host species. In chapter three, I found host …

In Vitro Propagation Of A Critically Endangered African Violets (Saintpaulia Rupicola B.L. Burtt), Thomas W. Lowry Iii

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The in vitro propagation is a promising method for the production of plants in species that are endangered, commercially valuable, and/or otherwise difficult to propagate through traditional horticultural methods. Leaf and petiole explants of critically endangered African violets (Saintpaulia rupicola B.L. Burtt) were cultured on a chemically defined medium that was supplemented with six different concentrations of thidiazuron (TDZ). The concentrations were used for either an induction medium on which the explants remained throughout development, or an induction medium on which the explants remained for 10 days followed by a basal growth medium for the remainder of the 12 …

A Gradient Of Pollination Specialization In Three Species Of Bolivian Centropogon, Laura Lagomarsino, Nathan Muchhala

Biology Department Faculty Works

PremiseClosely related plant species with overlapping ranges often experience competition for pollination services. Such competition can select for divergence in floral traits that attract pollinators or determine pollen placement. While most species in Centropogon(Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) have flowers that suggest adaptation to bat or hummingbird pollination, actual pollinators are rarely documented, and a few species have a mix of traits from both pollination syndromes. We studied the pollination biology of a “mixed‐syndrome” species and its co‐occurring congeners to examine the relationship between floral traits and visitation patterns for Centropogon.Methods Fieldwork at two sites in Bolivian cloud forests involved filming floral visitors, …

Factors Influencing The Spatial Distribution Of Southern Rust In Corn, Justin Bailey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Southern rust caused by the fungus Puccinia polysora (Underwood) is the most economically important foliar disease in corn (Zea mays) (Linnaeus) (Cyperales: Poaceae)) for Arkansas. The objective of this work was to determine distribution of southern rust in corn and to determine factors that may control its distribution.

During the 2017 and 2018 season, seven corn fields in Arkansas were rated for southern rust. After disease confirmation, fields were marked with GPS sample point locations in a grid pattern across the entire field. Ratings for disease severity were taken below, at, and above the ear leaf at each point every …

Review Of Birds Of Prey Of The West: A Field Guide, By Brian K. Wheeler, Daniel Casey

The Prairie Naturalist

Birds of prey epitomize much of what attracts us to birding. Many are large and easy to observe, particularly in open landscapes. Their predatory nature and behavior give them an added aura of wildness; their migrations can be spectacular. And even veteran birders should enjoy the challenge of identifying the myriad of plumage variations shown by different ages, sexes, subspecies, and color morphs. With his newest effort, Birds of Prey of the West, Brian Wheeler has compiled a comprehensive and enhanced field guide with illustrations that stunningly capture that variation, combined with enough additional context to make it a valuable …

Understanding Neglect Of Plant Biology Education In Michigan Middle Schools, Kim Smith

All NMU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify historical trends of neglect in plant biology education, their continuation today in Michigan middle school classrooms, and to uncover reasons for this neglect. A content analysis of state and national science standards and an online survey of Michigan middle school life science teachers were conducted. Findings showed a trend of increasing references in national standards from animals or plants to general organisms, as well as a decrease in the overall number of specific references in the standards. The data also revealed that nearly half of the teachers surveyed spent less than ten …

Dna Barcoding Of Pratylenchus From Agroecosystems In The Northern Great Plains Of North America, Mehmet Ozbayrak

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pratylenchus species are among the most common plant parasitic nematodes in the Great Plains Region. The objectives of this study were to barcode Pratylenchus specimens for species identification in the Great Plains region using mitochondrial CO1 DNA barcode. In order to (1) determine species boundaries, (2) assess the host associations of barcoded Pratylenchus, (3) to determine the distribution patterns across the Great Plains Region and, (4) to evaluate the species status of P. scribneri and P. hexincisus by a multivariate morphological analysis of haplotype groups identified by DNA barcoding. Soil samples, primarily associated with eight major crops, were collected …

Convergent Evolution And Species Boundaries In Lomatium Species (Apiaceae), Michael Ottenlips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Speciation is a complex and ongoing process caused by a variety of forces; this has in part led to a proliferation of species concepts ranging from arbitrary similarity-based concepts such as the morphological species concept to ancestry-based concepts that incorporate the complex nature of gene inheritance. Ancestry-based concepts rely on homologous characters, either molecular or morphological, that share a common origin in order to draw inferences about evolutionary histories and help understand species boundaries. Convergence in morphology and paralogous loci in molecular datasets can cause confusion in understanding if characters are functionally homologous. Other challenges in inferring species boundaries and …

Checklist Of The Vascular Flora, Restoration Plans, And Educational Interpretive Signs For A Remnant Prairie At The Lakewood Memorial Cemetery, Hinds County, Mississippi, Olivia Shelton

Honors Theses

A floristic survey was conducted on the eastern margin of the Lakewood Memorial Park Cemetery, located between Jackson and Clinton, Mississippi, near the western edge of the Jackson Prairie ecoregion. From soil map data and preliminary observations of the landform and flora, the eastern part of the cemetery was hypothesized to be remnant prairie now mostly covered by exotic grasses (pasture) and woodland. Plant specimens were collected, identified, and preserved in the herbarium of The University of Southern Mississippi (USMS). The survey yielded 119 species of vascular plants, of which 98 (82%) were native and 21 (18%) were non-native. Indicative …

Vascular Plant Families And Genera Endemic To The Conterminous United States, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Review Of Carnivores Of The World, Second Edition, By Luke Hunter, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer

The Prairie Naturalist

Cracking open this fully revised field guide invites a new appreciation for the diversity of carnivores (members of the order Carnivora) in the world. Dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover just how little we know about so many of them. This second edition of the Carnivores of the World features 250 mammalian species—from a species so tiny it can squeeze through a wedding ring to one weighing thousands of times more, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Each detailed species account includes an illustration of the species (and sometimes varying forms or subspecies), information on morphological and identifying features, distribution …

Use Of Annual Forage Mixtures In Crop/Livestock Production Systems In Nebraska, Nathan Paul Pflueger

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Success of integrating annual forages into crop and livestock systems throughout Nebraska may be variable depending on field location, field/forage crop management, and precipitation. There are many different warm- and cool-season annual forage species available for integrating crop and livestock systems at different times of the year. Mixtures of cereal species, such as oats (Avena sativa)) and spring peas (Pisum sativum)), are often used to optimize forage quantity and forage quality. Our two-year, three location study across Nebraska’s precipitation gradient suggested that forage quantity and quality may vary by location due to different precipitation amounts received …

Establishment Of Perennial Legumes With An Annual Warm-Season Grass As A Companion Crop, Martina N. La Vallie

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The yields of perennial forage legumes are often hindered during the establishment year due to slow germination rates and weed competition. This study was conducted to determine if sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor var. sudanese) is a compatible annual companion crop for increased forage production, weed suppression, and legume establishment. In 2016, sorghum-sudangrass was paired with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. ‘Ranger’), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), Illinois bundleflower [Desmanthus illinoensis (Michx.) MacMill. ex B.L. Rob. & Fernald], purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea Vent.), red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), and roundhead lespedeza (Lespedeza capitata Michx.). We studied effects of a …

Checklist Of The Families And Genera Of Vascular Plants Of California, James P. Smith Jr, John O. Sawyer Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Control Of Ppo-Resistant Palmer Amaranth And Salvage Options In Herbicide-Resistant Cotton, Wyatt D. Coffman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Palmer amaranth has been the most limiting weed in cotton production in the state of Arkansas for many years. Recently, resistance of Palmer amaranth to the protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting site of action has been discovered at various locations across the cotton-producing region of the state. Cotton varieties have been developed with resistance to synthetic auxin (WSSA Group 4) herbicides. However, research to date has shown PPO-resistant Palmer amaranth to be more difficult to control with herbicides that target alternative sites of action. Herbicide efficacy is also known to vary with weed size, varying spray parameters, and environmental conditions. Preliminary research …

Phylogeny Of The Australian Solanum Dioicum Group Using Seven Nuclear Genes: Testing Symon’S Fruit And Seed Dispersal Hypotheses., Christopher T. Martine, Ingrid E. Jordon-Thaden, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Jason T. Cantley, Daniel S. Hayes, Morgan D. Roche, Emma S. Frawley, Ian S. Gilman, David C. Tank

Faculty Journal Articles

The dioecious and andromonoecious Solanum taxa (the “S. dioicum group”) of the Australian Monsoon Tropics have been the subject of phylogenetic and taxonomic study for decades, yet much of their basic biology is still unknown. This is especially true for plant-animal interactions, including the influence of fruit form and calyx morphology on seed dispersal. We combine field/greenhouse observations and specimen-based study with phylogenetic analysis of seven nuclear regions obtained via a microfluidic PCR-based enrichment strategy and high-throughput sequencing, and present the first species-tree hypothesis for the S. dioicum group. Our results suggest that epizoochorous trample burr seed …

Report: Native Seed Stakeholder Meeting 2019, Laura E. Fischer Walter

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

The purpose of this meeting was to convene stakeholders – to bring together knowledgeable people invested in the native seed industry to work out solutions to pressing problems. This fits the mission of the TPC through our interest in supporting high quality restoration projects that “save all the cogs and wheels” by capturing and propagating the species and genetic diversity of remnant prairies.

Today in Iowa, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is the biggest program using native plant materials, followed by the Department of Transportation. Early in its history, CRP plantings were not seen as an opportunity for ecological restoration. …

Flowering, Drought, And Disease Tolerance, And Landscape Performance Of Landscape Rose Grown Under Low-Input Conditions In North Central Texas, Derald A. Harp, Gaye Hammond, David C. Zlesak, Greg Church, Mark Chamblee, Steve George

Faculty Publications

Landscaping today involves the struggle to balance aesthetically pleasing plants while minimizing the impact on the environment, reducing water usage, decreasing fertilizer use, and eliminating or significantly reducing pesticide usage. Roses (Rosa sp.), although seen as challenging plants, remain the most popular flowering shrub in the United States. The identification of new cultivars that combine beauty, pest and disease resistance, and drought tolerance are important to Texas landscapes. Sixty roses were assessed over a 3-year period to determine flowering, drought tolerance, disease resistance, and overall landscape performance in minimal-input gardens in north central Texas. Atypical weather during the study …

Primitive Palms: A Density Study On The Impacts Of Harvesting Natural Materials For Construction Purposes On Sumak Allpa Of The Amazon Rainforest, Zachary Bull

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In an effort to better understand how rural construction techniques affect a surrounding environment, this study combines a density test of the natural building materials used in the construction of a school on Sumak Allpa island of the Orellana Province in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. The focus of the study measures the density of the bamboo species Guadua angustifolia and the Panama hat plant Carludovica palmata on the island while noting a comprehensive compilation of the techniques and materials used in the building process. Using a mix of plots and transects, a comparison of harvested material to remaining material …

Mixed Responses To Woody Encroachment In Icelandic Herbaceous Plant Morphology And Phenology, Cait Battle-Mcdonald

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Climate change and afforestation efforts are promoting tree growth into traditionally treeless locations in Iceland. This study examined this woody encroachment’s effect on the phenology and morophology of eight plants (Agrostis aequivalvis, Equisetum pratense, Equisetum arvense, Alchemilla alpina, Ranunculus acris, Lupinus nootkatensis, Anthriscus sylvestris, and Taraxacum sp.) in Kjarnaskógur forest, Akureyri, Iceland. An initial transplantation experiment testing trees’ effect on A. aequivalvis, E. pratense, R. acris, and A. sylvestris failed due to plant death. A subsequent observational study examined trees’ effect on E. pratense, A. alpina, R. acris, L. nootkatensis, A. sylvestris, and Taraxacum by observing morphological characteristics (leaf size, …