Marine organisms produce a variety of secondary metabolites for defense, communication, and reproduction. While these uses are essential for the organisms' survival, marine natural products have demonstrated their value to human society as well. Asian countries used algae for centuries to treat or prevent illnesses as wide-ranging as cough, gout,...
Frequent 3D spatial mapping of estuaries is critical to understanding and modeling changes that can impact ecological health (e.g., water quality) and ecosystem services (e.g., aquaculture, nutrient cycling, and shoreline stabilization). However, obtaining accurate, repeat topobathymetric data for estuaries is a major challenge. Because shallow estuaries are typically not used...
An autonomous, in-situ instrument was developed to detect dissolved copper in seawater, suitable for deployment on time scales from weeks to months. A commercially available in-situ nitrate analyzer (YSI 9600) was adapted to measure copper (II) in seawater by chemiluminescence. Modifications included construction of a photomultiplier (PMT) based detector and...
Globally rising anthropogenic CO₂ emissions have resulted in the increased prevalence of ocean acidification (OA) which has the potential to impact shell-forming organisms. On geologic timescales, the largest contributor to atmospheric CO₂ was volcanoes, counterbalanced by weathering and erosion, but due to increased anthropogenic emissions, these processes alone can no...
Fungi have long been used for discovery of new chemical scaffolds. In the clinical setting, the fungal natural products penicillin, statins, and cyclosporine have revolutionized medicine to treat diseases and infections. In the environment, fungal natural products have been used as herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides to protect crops, livestock, and...
Experiments were performed to assess regulatory factors governing maize
embryo maturation and vivipary. Both visual and molecular markers of embryo
development were used to examine the roles of the hormones abscisic acid (ABA)
and gibberellins (GAs), as well as water stress in governing transit from early
embryogeny to maturation-phase development....
Sorbitol-induced osmotic stress (SIOS) to the root was found to be effective in
reducing transpirational water loss in plants during water stress. Mechanisms of SIOS in
stomatal control were investigated in containerized apples (Malus domestica Borkh.
'Gala'/M26) when leaf water potential (Ψw), osmotic potential (Ψs), turgor potential (Ψp),
stomatal conductance...
Alternating temperature (22°C / -1°C) pretreatments were effective for
increasing cold hardiness and recovery of cryopreserved meristems. Combining low
temperature pretreatment with abscisic acid (ABA) or sucrose treatments reduced the
time required for optimal cold hardiness of meristems. Desiccation tolerance was
directly correlated with increased cold hardiness and recovery of...
Vegetation diversity in the Wyoming big sagebrush/Thurber needlegrass (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young/Achnatherum thurberianum (Piper) Barkworth. syn. Stipa thurberiana Piper) plant association was studied across a condition class gradient in southeastern Oregon. All observable vascular plant species were counted during 6 seasons and 2 years and diversity...