Plant Biology Commons^™

Sustainability Of Sown Pastures In The Tropics And Subtropics, Jose M. Toledo, Daniel Formoso

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Sown pastures in the tropics and subtropics are important components of production systems. Their role in and contribution to land productivity and economic development are well understood; however, their roles in sustainability and environmental protection are rather misunderstood and little known. The main constraints to sustainability of sown pastures fall into two categories: physical, biological and technical constraints include soil and climatic limitations, lack of adaptation of plants to physical and biotic stress and the limitations of farmers or ranchers to apply technology; socioeconomic factors include political instability, poorness of society and the market forces for land, inputs and products. …

Stability In Rangelands: Ecology And Economics, B H. Walker

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Examples of changes in rangelands are presented relating to changes in livestock number, plant species. composition and soil changes (associated with changes in production), The mechanisms Involved are described, using examples, under the headings: event-driven change, threshold effects, non-linear and hysteresis effects, effects of spatial variation, significance of temporal variation, and interactive effects. The implications for management are presented in the form of a proposed optimal control model which maximises a complex function of welfnre based on long-term net economic benefit, in which stocking rate effects on the state of the rangeland feed back on to economic return.

Dataset Supporting "Functional Trait Responses Of Alternanthera Philoxeroides To Increasing Salinity: Stress Tolerance, Avoidance And Escape Strategies Support Invasiveness With Sea Level Rise, Brenda J. Grewell*, Blanca Gallego-Tévar, Jesús M. Castillo, Caryn J. Futrell, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Nathan E. Harms, Paul D. Pratt

Alligator Weed Salinity Exp for NeoBiota

No abstract provided.

Bigger Meristem, Higher Yield? The Roles Of Rel2 And Relk In Maize Meristem Function And Yield Enhancement, Janlo M. Robil, Thu M. Tran

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stachys Matthewsii: Photo Essay Of A Rare Plant, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

On the morning of June 14, 2021, while collecting bryophytes in Goochland County with my student, Mikayla Quinn, we stumbled upon a previously unknown population of stachys matthewsii, Yadkin's Hedge Nettle.

What’S In A Name? Anapodophyllon? Podophyllum? It’S Still Mayapple, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Spatial Analysis Of American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata) Distribution And Ecology In Kentucky’S Federal Lands, Jacob Raymond Pease

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic factors have been the cause of the decline of tree species across the globe. From unsustainable logging and development to disease and improper management, threats to forests have taken their toll. The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once an integral basal tree species in Appalachian forests, but chestnut blight drove the species to functional extinction by the mid-1900s. The recent creation of genetically modified chestnuts gives hope for future restoration of the species throughout its historical range. Despite blight resistance, effective restoration will require optimal site selection for finding and planting chestnuts, which will maximize limited resources. …

Bioremediation In The Chesapeake Bay: Anthropogenic Ocean Acidification Mitigation In An Interactive Multi-Trophic Ecosystem, Cree Taylor

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Zostera marina is a species of marine macrophyte that has been largely prioritized in past submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) restoration initiatives within the Chesapeake Bay because of its 1) previous abundance, 2) demonstrated carbon burial abilities, and 3) observed ability for meadows of Z. marina to ameliorate low pH conditions. Due to the temperature variability and poor water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, Z. Marina beds have experienced several die-off events with limited capacity for regrowth. Ruppia maritima, an opportunistic species with tolerance to temperature shifts within the bay, may have the potential to maintain SAV coverage in areas …

Physiological Responses And Plant Trait Interactions With Coastal Dune And Swale Development, Emily C. Riffe

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation is crucial to coastal ecosystems experiencing climate change and storm-induced disturbance. Plant species interact with the physical environment and are considered “ecosystem engineers.” Sand dunes and barrier islands are at the forefront of climate change impacts as they are barriers that protect landward habitat and communities. Nature based solutions are utilized to protect infrastructure on developed coastlines. Understanding how dominant plant species interact with and alter the physical environment enhances our understanding of the mechanisms of change and consequences to the system. The goal of this research was to quantify physiological and functional trait differences in dominant species found …

Igc Oral Presentation Summary: Xxv Igc Congress, S. Ray Smith, Echo Elizabeth Gotsick, J. R. Weinert-Nelson, Alayna Jacobs, Christopher D. Teutsch, Will Fleming, D. R. Woodfield, James L. Klotz, Jeff Lehmkuhler, Greg S. Halich, Brittany Davis, Brittany Hendrix, Krista Lea

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This paper will give an overview of the XXV International Grassland Congress thematic, keynote, and plenary sessions. The theme of the XXV IGC Congress meeting was “Grasslands for Soil, Animal, and Human Health.” We had many people attending, presenting, and participating in all these sessions. Within a month after the conclusion of the Congress, the proceeding’s papers presented at the meeting will be available on the IGC app. By the end of 2023 all papers will be available for download through any search engine at internationalgrasslands.org.

“Nice To See You”: Addressing Plant Awareness Disparity With Locally Specific Ecological And Cultural Plant Education, Cecilia Muecke

Pomona Senior Theses

Plants form the basis of life on Earth. However, due to the phenomenon of plant awareness disparity, a self-perpetuating cycle whereby plants are overlooked on an individual and global level ensues. Lack of plant awareness leads to a lessened emphasis on plants in sustainability and conservation as well as biology education, resulting in negative impacts on biodiversity and food security. The severity of plant awareness disparity is dependent on cultural context, and Indigenous and/or traditional societies are less likely to experience plant awareness disparity because of they are typically more connected to plants for their everyday needs. Native plants are …

Rwanda's Natural Remedies: A Fresh Look At The Fight Against Malaria, Leandre Nsabimana Ndisanze

Pomona Senior Theses

Malaria remains one of the most devastating parasitic diseases globally, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan Africa, where Rwanda continues to face high transmission rates and rising resistance to conventional interventions. Despite decades of control efforts, the emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and insecticide-resistant Anopheles mosquitoes threatens to reverse recent gains. This research responds to the urgent need for sustainable and culturally relevant alternatives by exploring the therapeutic potential of Rwandan traditional medicinal plants. These indigenous remedies, long used by local healers, offer an underexplored reservoir of bioactive compounds that may provide the basis for novel antimalarial drugs.

The central hypothesis of this …

Quantification Of Auxin-Cytokinin Response During Primary Root And Lateral Root Development In Common Bean, Gurdeep Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Roots support water and nutrient uptake, anchorage, and soil interactions through continuous growth at the primary root tip (PRT). In common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), new cells are produced in an open root apical meristem and subsequently elongate in the elongation zone, and together these processes drive root tip progression through the soil. Lateral roots (LRs) arise in the differentiation zone, where pairs of pericycle founder cells dedifferentiate, divide asymmetrically, and form lateral root primordia (LRP) that pass through defined developmental stages before emergence. Auxin and cytokinin (CK) are central regulators of both primary root growth and LR development, yet their …

The Aussie Oddballs: Identifying The Existence Of Censer And Trample Burr Dispersal In Australian Bush Tomatoes, Abigail Motter

Honors Theses

Australian bush tomatoes in northern Western Australia likely have seed dispersal mechanisms that depend on processes outside of frugivory, which is unusual for this genus. Solanum tudununggae seeds are wind dispersed by the censer mechanism, meaning that seeds fall from holes in the top of the fruit when the branches move. In another species, piles of abscised and burr-like fruits have been found strewn around the bases of S. ossicruentum, possibly due to the extinction of animals that may have been a means of dispersal via epizoochory. In this study, we attempt to provide support for the theorized dispersal …

Investigating The Mechanisms Of Freeze Tolerance In Lemna Minor, Tamara Bouchard

Honors Theses and Capstones

Freezing presents a significant abiotic stress to aquatic plants, yet little is known about the mechanisms by which species like Lemna minor (duckweed) survive subzero temperatures in nature. This study investigates whether L. minor employs freeze-avoidance or freeze-tolerance strategies and explores the potential role of its microbiome in enhancing cold resilience. Using both field-collected fronds from naturally frozen ponds and controlled freezing experiments in the lab, I assessed survival through viability staining and post-thaw survival. Results showed that L. minor can survive natural ice encasement and that prior cold acclimation significantly improves tissue survival under induced freezing. Trypan blue staining …

A Mystery Of Microecology: Revealing The Ecological Relationship Between Allorhizobium Vitis And Missouri Native Grape Species, Hunter White

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Crown gall disease can be very detrimental to grape and wine producers around the world by reducing vine vigor and yield. It is caused by the bacteria Allorhizobium vitis (A. Vitis) carrying a tumor inducing (Ti) plasmid. The A. vitis bacteria have been found in soil and cane tissues in vineyards around the world, and infect all cultivated grapes. However, there have been no reports of crown gall on native wild grapevines, and very little is known about the ecology of A. vitis in native ecosystems. I have sampled cambium tissues from three native wild grape species of …

The Effects Of Calcium Availability On Growth And Calcium Content Of Hydroponic Daikon Radish Microgreens, Cory Michael Reichmuth

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Microgreens are young, edible seedlings harvested upon emergence of the first true leaf. Their popularity is growing as a nutritionally dense food source that can be grown quickly in space-efficient systems. However, little is known about optimal cultivation practices and the effects of fertilization on growth and nutrition of microgreens. This study investigates the role of calcium (Ca) fertilization in optimizing the growth, yield, and nutrient content of daikon radish (Raphanus sativus) microgreens. A hydroponic system was designed to consistently deliver nutrient solution to microgreens grown in a closed-environment chamber. This study tested different Ca fertilization rates of 0, 5, …

Restoration Of Giant River Cane (Arundinaria Gigantea) In Southwest Missouri, Lyndsey D. Rightnowar

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Giant river cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a native bamboo species, once dominated riparian landscapes across the southeastern United States but has declined to approximately 2% of its historic range. This study evaluated restoration techniques for giant cane in southwest Missouri by examining the influence of rhizome source (putative genotype), planting type, and restoration site on restoration success. I compared two planting types: greenhouse-to-field (G2F) transplanting, where rhizomes were first propagated in the greenhouse before planting, and field-to-field (F2F) transplanting, where rhizomes were directly transplanted from source canebrakes to restoration sites. Rhizomes were collected from four existing canebrakes in Taney …

Geometric Modeling, Reconstruction And Evaluation Of Maize Leaf Morphology In 3d, Zhaocheng Xiang

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Maize is a vital crop for global food security, yet quantitative characterization of its three-dimensional (3D) morphology remains a major challenge due to the geometric complexity of curved leaf structures and occlusions during data collection. This work presents an integrated framework for the digital reconstruction, parametric modeling, and functional analysis of maize leaf morphology and canopy architecture, advancing the precision and interpretability of phenotyping and modeling in smart agriculture.

First, we propose a descriptive and parametric model that represents maize leaves through three fundamental components: midrib, cross-section, and blade contour. Each is described by geometric curves and controlled by biologically …

Bridging Prairie Restoration And Regenerative Agriculture With Compost Tea / The Rocket Incident: Post-Fire Soil Microbe Recovery On The Eastern Washington University Restoration Site, April Hersey

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Inland Pacific Northwest prairie is an endangered ecosystem that has been reduced by conversion to agriculture. There is growing interest in the role of soil microorganisms in prairie ecosystems, which may be crucial for restoration of the plant community through interspecies interactions within the rhizosphere. One method for improving soil microorganism community composition is compost tea: enriched liquid compost extract. Compost tea is used in regenerative agriculture to improve crop yields and protect against pathogens. While research has supported compost tea application in regenerative agriculture, it has not been widely studied in the context of ecosystem restoration. After beginning a …