University of Florida Thesis Or Dissertation Formatting

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

University of Florida Thesis Or Dissertation Formatting THE UPPERMOST LOWER EOCENE BLUE RIM FLORA FROM THE BRIDGER FORMATION OF SOUTHWESTERN WYOMING: FLORISTIC COMPOSITION, PALEOCLIMATE, AND PALEOECOLOGY By SARAH ELIZABETH ALLEN A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2017 © 2017 Sarah Elizabeth Allen To my parents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my advisor, Steven R. Manchester, for his guidance, support, and valuable comments. My committee members, Ellen Martin, Walter Judd, and Jonathan Bloch are gratefully acknowledged. Hongshan Wang spent hours curating Blue Rim fossils at the FLMNH and always provided a welcoming space to work in the collections. Paleobotany lab manager, Terry Lott, is acknowledged for his help with specimens and around the lab. Thank you also to the other members of the paleobotany lab: Greg Stull, Fabiany Herrera, Paula Mejia-Velasquez, Nareerat Boonchai, Jui Hui, Rebecca Koll, Fani Plascencia, Xiaoyan Liu, Yuling Na, Nathan Jud, Chris Nelson, Bob Spielbauer, Nazi Balmaki, Han Meng, and Li Long. Thank you to those who helped with fieldwork at Blue Rim in 2010, 2012. and 2014: Jim Barkley, Nareerat Boonchai, Sahale Casebolt, Ellen Currano, Don and Kathy Hopkins, Jui Hui, Grant Godden, Xiaoyan Liu, Terry Lott, Steve Manchester, Keith McCall, Paul Murphey, Mike Smith, and Greg Stull. I must add additional thanks to Steve for allowing me to use his van for fieldwork and to Sahale and Terry for help in driving between Wyoming and Florida in the summer of 2014. Scott Wing let me join him in the Bighorn Basin for some additional fieldwork experience in the summer of 2011. Additional fossil specimens studied were collected and donated to the FLMNH by Jane Landeen (who discovered the Blue Rim site), Jim Barkley, and Howard and Darlene Emry. Bruce Handley collected and donated material from Watson, UT to the UCMP at Berkeley. Work on this project was assisted by discussions with William Bartels, Nareerat Boonchai, Laura Calvillo-Canadell, Sergio Cevallos-Ferriz, Peter Crane, John Dransfield, Emmett Evanoff, Carol Furness, Gregg Gunnell, Madeline Harley, Christa Hofmann, David Jarzen, Nathan Jud, Chris Nelson, Kristen Porter-Utley, Bill Rember, Paula Rudall, Bandana 4 Samant, Selena Smith, Rashmi Srivastava, Elisabeth Wheeler, Scott Wing, and John-Paul Zonneveld. More extensive research collaborations with Steve Manchester, Greg Stull, Mac Alford, and Mike Smith are also appreciated. Many of the photos of macrofossils were taken by student workers and volunteers including: Catherine Snyder, Morgan Kerr, Ariel Guggino, Xiaojuan Zhou, and Megan Kean. Student research volunteers also documented and photographed macrofossils and many of the dispersed pollen slides. Thank you to William Paxton, Alyssa Zakala, Jonathan Wilson, and a special thanks and appreciation to Morgan Pinkerton for all of her hard work and research. Scott Wing, Kirk Johnson, and Diane Erwin provided access to fossil specimens studied at the USNM, the DMNS, and UCMP, respectively. M. E. Collinson provided comparative data on related fossils from the London Clay flora (Chapter 5). I also thank the herbarium staff at the FLMNH, Wageningen, Leiden, Kim Kersh at the University and Jepson Herbaria (UC Berkeley), and J. Solomon at the Missouri Botanical Garden for facilitating study of extant material. My participation in an NSF funded short course on Plant Anatomy (microMORPH) at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in the summer of 2015 (instructors: Pieter Baas, Pam Diggle, William (Ned) Friedman, Peter Gasson, Elisabeth Wheeler) greatly facilitated my knowledge of wood anatomy and allowed me to complete that aspect of my dissertation project. Chris Nelson is acknowledged for preparing many of the recent wood slides. Thank you to all my teaching supervisors and support staff: Kent Vliet, Jack Putz, Ann Wagner, Stuart McDaniel, Norm Douglas, my fellow TA’s, and a special thanks to Christine Davis for her support and for helping me improve my teaching as part of the Plant Anatomy course. 5 Research funding was provided by an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DEB-1404895), the Evolving Earth Foundation, the Paleontological Society, and the UF Department of Biology Mildren Mason Griffith Grant. Additional travel support was provided by S.R. Manchester, the UF Dept. of Biology, UF Graduate Student Council. Thank you to the Department of Biology for guaranteeing teaching support and to the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship which enabled me to complete my dissertation in my final semester. Thank you also to UF Department of Biology and FLMNH financial staff members who helped to coordinate grant funds including: Shuronna Wilson, Ashley Gazich, Robb Stokes, Darlene Novak, and Leila Long. I also thank Karen Patterson, Tangelyn Mitchell, and Susan Spaulding from the UF Department of Biology and the library and interlibrary loan staff at UF. The FLMNH webmaster, Sarah Fazenbaker, provided assistance with setting up and facilitating my blog. And finally, thank you to my friends and family for their continued support. My UF friends, including Emily Woodruff and Elizabeth Hamman, were always a sounding board and a source of fun. Deep appreciation is given to Jared Desrochers who sweated out many years in Florida on my behalf and kept the fridge full when I did not have time to shop or cook. My parents took me on trips, let me fill up our suitcases with rocks, and encouraged my appreciation of the natural world. Their unwavering support was invaluable. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................................11 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................13 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................21 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................22 CHAPTER 1 GEOLOGICAL, PALEONTOLOGICAL AND PALEOCLIMATIC CONTEXT ...............24 Part I: Regional Perspective ....................................................................................................24 Topographic and Geologic Setting ..................................................................................24 Geology and Sedimentological Origins of the Bridger Formation .................................31 Stratigraphic Members of the Bridger Formation ...........................................................33 The Bridgerian North American Land Mammal Age .....................................................34 Radiometric Dating .........................................................................................................36 Early Paleontological Work in the Bridger Formation ....................................................37 Fossil Fauna and Flora in the Bridger & Nearby Localities: 20th and 21st Centuries ......38 Regional Paleoenvironments and Paleoclimate Estimates ..............................................43 Part II: Local Geology and Depositional Environment at Blue Rim ......................................46 Location of the Blue Rim Escarpment ............................................................................46 General Geologic Observations .......................................................................................46 Geologic Field Observations about Specific Quarries ....................................................48 Vertebrate Fossils at Blue Rim ........................................................................................49 Invertebrate Fossils at Blue Rim .....................................................................................50 Depositional Environment ...............................................................................................50 Radiometric Ages ............................................................................................................52 Part III: Dissertation Overview ...............................................................................................55 Overarching Research Questions ....................................................................................55 Overview of the Following Chapters ..............................................................................55 2 LEAF FOSSILS FROM BLUE RIM .....................................................................................73 Part I: Leaves from the Isolated Channel Fill UF 19404 ........................................................75 Toothed Laminae .............................................................................................................75 Entire-margined Laminae ................................................................................................83 Summary of Isolated Channel Fill Leaves, Locality UF 19404 ......................................91 Part II: Dicotyledonous Leaf Morphotypes from the Lower Horizon ....................................92 Toothed Laminae .............................................................................................................92 Entire-margined Laminae ..............................................................................................114
Recommended publications
  • A New Species from Southern Namibia ⁎ W
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com South African Journal of Botany 77 (2011) 608–612 www.elsevier.com/locate/sajb Commiphora buruxa (Burseraceae), a new species from southern Namibia ⁎ W. Swanepoel H.G.W.J. Schweickerdt Herbarium, Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa Received 16 August 2010; received in revised form 23 November 2010; accepted 7 December 2010 Abstract Commiphora buruxa Swanepoel, described here as a new species, is known only from the Gariep Centre of Endemism, southwestern Namibia. It appears to be most closely related to C. cervifolia Van der Walt. Diagnostic morphological characters of C. buruxa include a viscous, cream-coloured exudate, variably simple to trifoliolate leaves, and a putamen covered by a small cupular pseudo-aril. Illustrations of the plant and a distribution map are provided. The species is known from less than 20 plants. © 2011 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Burseraceae; Commiphora; Gariep Centre; New species; Southern Africa; Taxonomy 1. Introduction molecular evidence subsequently confirmed that they represent an undescribed species of Commiphora. In November 2006, At present thirty-eight described species of Commiphora during a botanical expedition to the Huns Mountains about Jacq. are known from the Flora of southern Africa region, no 100 km further to the north–northwest, another population of less than thirty of which occur in Namibia (Craven, 1999; the same species was found on the lower slopes of these Germishuizen and Meyer, 2003; Swanepoel, 2005, 2006, 2007, mountains, growing in a valley leading to the Konkiep River. 2008). Five of these species are endemic or near-endemic to the Apparently no other collections of the new species exist, as no Gariep Centre of Endemism, a biogeographical region along the herbarium specimens could be found in either PRE or WIND.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating the Impact of Fire on the Natural Regeneration of Woody Species in Dry and Wet Miombo Woodland
    Investigating the impact of fire on the natural regeneration of woody species in dry and wet Miombo woodland by Paul Mwansa Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science of Forestry and Natural Resource Science in the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Prof Ben du Toit Co-supervisor: Dr Vera De Cauwer March 2018 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. March 2018 Copyright © 2018 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract The miombo woodland is an extensive tropical seasonal woodland and dry forest formation in extent of 2.7 million km². The woodland contributes highly to maintenance and improvement of people’s livelihood security and stable growth of national economies. The woodland faces a wide range of disturbances including fire that affect vegetation structure. An investigation into the impact of fire on the natural regeneration of six tree species was conducted along a rainfall gradient. Baikiaea plurijuga, Burkea africana, Guibourtia coleosperma, Pterocarpus angolensis, Schinziophyton rautanenii and Terminalia sericea were selected on basis of being an important timber and/or utilitarian species, and the assumed abundance. The objectives of the study were to examine floristic composition, density and composition of natural regeneration; stand structure and vegetation cover within recently burnt (RB) and recently unburnt (RU) sections of the forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Tropical Plant-Animal Interactions: Linking Defaunation with Seed Predation, and Resource- Dependent Co-Occurrence
    University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2021 TROPICAL PLANT-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS: LINKING DEFAUNATION WITH SEED PREDATION, AND RESOURCE- DEPENDENT CO-OCCURRENCE Peter Jeffrey Williams Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Williams, Peter Jeffrey, "TROPICAL PLANT-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS: LINKING DEFAUNATION WITH SEED PREDATION, AND RESOURCE-DEPENDENT CO-OCCURRENCE" (2021). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11777. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11777 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TROPICAL PLANT-ANIMAL INTERACTIONS: LINKING DEFAUNATION WITH SEED PREDATION, AND RESOURCE-DEPENDENT CO-OCCURRENCE By PETER JEFFREY WILLIAMS B.S., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 2014 Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology – Ecology and Evolution The University of Montana Missoula, MT May 2021 Approved by: Scott Whittenburg, Graduate School Dean Jedediah F. Brodie, Chair Division of Biological Sciences Wildlife Biology Program John L. Maron Division of Biological Sciences Joshua J. Millspaugh Wildlife Biology Program Kim R. McConkey School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences University of Nottingham Malaysia Williams, Peter, Ph.D., Spring 2021 Biology Tropical plant-animal interactions: linking defaunation with seed predation, and resource- dependent co-occurrence Chairperson: Jedediah F.
    [Show full text]
  • Aleurites Fordii Hemsl.) (Euphorbiaceae): New to the Arkansas Flora Brett Es Rviss Henderson State University, [email protected]
    Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 61 Article 24 2007 Tungoil Tree (Aleurites fordii Hemsl.) (Euphorbiaceae): New to the Arkansas Flora Brett eS rviss Henderson State University, [email protected] Nicole Freeman Henderson State University Joslyn Hernandez Henderson State University Allen Leible Henderson State University Chris Talley Henderson State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas Part of the Plant Biology Commons Recommended Citation Serviss, Brett; Freeman, Nicole; Hernandez, Joslyn; Leible, Allen; and Talley, Chris (2007) "Tungoil Tree (Aleurites fordii Hemsl.) (Euphorbiaceae): New to the Arkansas Flora," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 61 , Article 24. Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol61/iss1/24 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This General Note is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected]. - Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 61 [2007], Art. 24 Tungoil Tree (Alellritesfordii Hemsl.) (Euphorbiaceae) New to the Arkansas Flora !Henderson State University, Biology Department, P.O Box H-7570, Arkadelphia, AR 71999-0001 ICorrespondence: [email protected] The problems associated with the introduction, subsequent and become invasive in Arkansas and elsewhere in the United establishment, and naturalization ofnon-native plant species in States following intentional introduction.
    [Show full text]
  • Calatola Microcarpa (Icacinaceae), a New Species from the Southwestern Amazon
    Phytotaxa 124 (1): 43–49 (2013) ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition) www.mapress.com/phytotaxa/ Article PHYTOTAXA Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.124.1.5 Three decades to connect the sexes: Calatola microcarpa (Icacinaceae), a new species from the Southwestern Amazon RODRIGO DUNO DE STEFANO1, JOHN P. JANOVEC2 & LILIA LORENA CAN1 1Herbarium CICY, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A. C. (CICY), Calle 43 No. 130, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, 97200 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico; email: [email protected]; [email protected] 2Herbario MOL, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Apartado 456, Lima 1, Peru; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract A new species of Calatola (Icacinaceae), C. microcarpa, from the departments of Loreto and Madre de Dios, Peru, and the state of Acre, Brazil, is described and illustrated. The new taxon is well documented with staminate and pistillate flowers, and fruits. Its small leaves and fruit are similar to those found in Calatola laevigata and C. uxpanapensis. It is also compared with Calatola costaricensis, with which it sometimes grows sympatrically in Brazil and Peru. The conservation status of the new taxa is assessed against IUCN criteria. Key words: Brazil, IUCN, Peru Introduction The genus Calatola Standley (1923: 688), including C. mollis Standley (1923: 689) and C. laevigata Standley (1923: 689), was referred to Icacinaceae. Standley used the generic name to evoke the vernacular name of the plant as it is known in Mexico, “nuez de calatola” or “calatolazno.” Since then, five additional species were added to the genus: C.
    [Show full text]
  • Valorisation of Reutealis Trisperma Seed from Papua for the Production of Non-Edible Oil and Protein-Rich Biomass
    International Proceedings of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, V0l. 93 (2016) DOI: 10.7763/IPCBEE. 2016. V93. 3 Valorisation of Reutealis Trisperma Seed from Papua for the Production of Non-Edible Oil and Protein-Rich Biomass Robert Manurung 1, Muhammad Yusuf Abduh 1, Mochammad Hirza Nadia 1, Kardina Sari Wardhani 1, and Khalilan Lambangsari 1 1 School of Life Sciences and Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia Abstract. The valorisation of Reutealis trisperma seed for the production of non-edible oil and protein was investigated. Reutealis trisperma fruits contain approximately 60-61 wt%, d.b. mesocarp, 26-28 wt%, d.b. endosperm and 13 wt%, d.b. endocarp. The endosperm of ripe Reutealis trisperma fruit contains about 54-59 wt%, d.b. non-edible oil whereas the mesocarp contains only 3-9 wt%, d.b. oil. The cake obtained after the extraction of oil from the endosperm was mixed with the endocarp (20 wt% cake and 80 wt% endocarp) and used as feed (50 mg/larva/d) for the cultivation of Hermetia illucens larvae in a rearing container. The feed contains 39.2 wt%, d.b. hemicellulose, 10.9 wt%, d.b. cellulose and 29.9 wt%, d.b. lignin and 0.2 wt%, d.b. ash. The protein content of the feed was 19.1 wt%, d.b. A prepupal dry weight of approximately 50 3 mg/larvae was obtained after 12 d of treatment with an estimated productivity of 10.2 kgprepupae/m container.d. The estimated efficiency of black solider fly larvae in converting digested food was 21.6% with an assimilation efficiency of 27.7%.
    [Show full text]
  • The Monophyly of Bursera and Its Impact for Divergence Times of Burseraceae
    TAXON 61 (2) • April 2012: 333–343 Becerra & al. • Monophyly of Bursera The monophyly of Bursera and its impact for divergence times of Burseraceae Judith X. Becerra,1 Kogi Noge,2 Sarai Olivier1 & D. Lawrence Venable3 1 Department of Biosphere 2, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U.S.A. 2 Department of Biological Production, Akita Prefectural University, Akita 010-0195, Japan 3 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U.S.A. Author for correspondence: Judith X. Becerra, [email protected] Abstract Bursera is one of the most diverse and abundant groups of trees and shrubs of the Mexican tropical dry forests. Its interaction with its specialist herbivores in the chrysomelid genus Blepharida, is one of the best-studied coevolutionary systems. Prior studies based on molecular phylogenies concluded that Bursera is a monophyletic genus. Recently, however, other molecular analyses have suggested that the genus might be paraphyletic, with the closely related Commiphora, nested within Bursera. If this is correct, then interpretations of coevolution results would have to be revised. Whether Bursera is or is not monophyletic also has implications for the age of Burseraceae, since previous dates were based on calibrations using Bursera fossils assuming that Bursera was paraphyletic. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of 76 species and varieties of Bursera, 51 species of Commiphora, and 13 outgroups using nuclear DNA data. We also reconstructed a phylogeny of the Burseraceae using 59 members of the family, 9 outgroups and nuclear and chloroplast sequence data. These analyses strongly confirm previous conclusions that this genus is monophyletic.
    [Show full text]
  • An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Cross-Sensitivity to Tree Nut and Seed Allergens," Aliso: a Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany: Vol
    Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany Volume 33 | Issue 2 Article 3 2015 An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Cross- sensitivity to Tree Nut and Seed Allergens Amanda E. Fisher Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California, [email protected] Annalise M. Nawrocki Pomona College, Claremont, California, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso Part of the Botany Commons, Evolution Commons, and the Nutrition Commons Recommended Citation Fisher, Amanda E. and Nawrocki, Annalise M. (2015) "An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Cross-sensitivity to Tree Nut and Seed Allergens," Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany: Vol. 33: Iss. 2, Article 3. Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso/vol33/iss2/3 Aliso, 33(2), pp. 91–110 ISSN 0065-6275 (print), 2327-2929 (online) AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE ON HUMAN CROSS-SENSITIVITY TO TREE NUT AND SEED ALLERGENS AMANDA E. FISHER1-3 AND ANNALISE M. NAWROCKI2 1Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and Claremont Graduate University, 1500 North College Avenue, Claremont, California 91711 (Current affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90840); 2Pomona College, 333 North College Way, Claremont, California 91711 (Current affiliation: Amgen Inc., [email protected]) 3Corresponding author ([email protected]) ABSTRACT Tree nut allergies are some of the most common and serious allergies in the United States. Patients who are sensitive to nuts or to seeds commonly called nuts are advised to avoid consuming a variety of different species, even though these may be distantly related in terms of their evolutionary history.
    [Show full text]
  • Invertebrates
    State Wildlife Action Plan Update Appendix A-5 Species of Greatest Conservation Need Fact Sheets INVERTEBRATES Conservation Status and Concern Biology and Life History Distribution and Abundance Habitat Needs Stressors Conservation Actions Needed Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 2015 Appendix A-5 SGCN Invertebrates – Fact Sheets Table of Contents What is Included in Appendix A-5 1 MILLIPEDE 2 LESCHI’S MILLIPEDE (Leschius mcallisteri)........................................................................................................... 2 MAYFLIES 4 MAYFLIES (Ephemeroptera) ................................................................................................................................ 4 [unnamed] (Cinygmula gartrelli) .................................................................................................................... 4 [unnamed] (Paraleptophlebia falcula) ............................................................................................................ 4 [unnamed] (Paraleptophlebia jenseni) ............................................................................................................ 4 [unnamed] (Siphlonurus autumnalis) .............................................................................................................. 4 [unnamed] (Cinygmula gartrelli) .................................................................................................................... 4 [unnamed] (Paraleptophlebia falcula) ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • How Does Genome Size Affect the Evolution of Pollen Tube Growth Rate, a Haploid Performance Trait?
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/462663; this version posted November 5, 2018. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 1 Effects of genome size on pollen performance 2 3 4 5 6 How does genome size affect the evolution of pollen tube growth rate, a haploid 7 performance trait? 8 9 10 11 12 John B. Reese1,2 and Joseph H. Williams1 13 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 14 37996, U.S.A. 15 16 17 18 1Author for correspondence: 19 John B. Reese 20 Tel: 865 974 9371 21 Email: [email protected] 22 23 24 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/462663; this version posted November 5, 2018. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 25 ABSTRACT 26 Premise of the Study - Male gametophytes of seed plants deliver sperm to eggs via a pollen 27 tube. Pollen tube growth rate (PTGR) may evolve rapidly due to pollen competition and haploid 28 selection, but many angiosperms are currently polyploid and all have polyploid histories. 29 Polyploidy should initially accelerate PTGR via “genotypic effects” of increased gene dosage 30 and heterozygosity on metabolic rates, but “nucleotypic effects” of genome size on cell size 31 should reduce PTGR.
    [Show full text]
  • The Butterflies of Taita Hills
    FLUTTERING BEAUTY WITH BENEFITS THE BUTTERFLIES OF TAITA HILLS A FIELD GUIDE Esther N. Kioko, Alex M. Musyoki, Augustine E. Luanga, Oliver C. Genga & Duncan K. Mwinzi FLUTTERING BEAUTY WITH BENEFITS: THE BUTTERFLIES OF TAITA HILLS A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BUTTERFLIES OF TAITA HILLS Esther N. Kioko, Alex M. Musyoki, Augustine E. Luanga, Oliver C. Genga & Duncan K. Mwinzi Supported by the National Museums of Kenya and the JRS Biodiversity Foundation ii FLUTTERING BEAUTY WITH BENEFITS: THE BUTTERFLIES OF TAITA HILLS Dedication In fond memory of Prof. Thomas R. Odhiambo and Torben B. Larsen Prof. T. R. Odhiambo’s contribution to insect studies in Africa laid a concrete footing for many of today’s and future entomologists. Torben Larsen’s contribution to the study of butterflies in Kenya and their natural history laid a firm foundation for the current and future butterfly researchers, enthusiasts and rearers. National Museums of Kenya’s mission is to collect, preserve, study, document and present Kenya’s past and present cultural and natural heritage. This is for the purposes of enhancing knowledge, appreciation, respect and sustainable utilization of these resources for the benefit of Kenya and the world, for now and posterity. Copyright © 2021 National Museums of Kenya. Citation Kioko, E. N., Musyoki, A. M., Luanga, A. E., Genga, O. C. & Mwinzi, D. K. (2021). Fluttering beauty with benefits: The butterflies of Taita Hills. A field guide. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya. ISBN 9966-955-38-0 iii FLUTTERING BEAUTY WITH BENEFITS: THE BUTTERFLIES OF TAITA HILLS FOREWORD The Taita Hills are particularly diverse but equally endangered.
    [Show full text]
  • Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials That Intrigue Me (Gymnosperms First
    Big-picture, evolutionary view of trees and shrubs (and a few of my favorite herbaceous perennials), ver. 2007-11-04 Descriptions of the trees and shrubs taken (stolen!!!) from online sources, from my own observations in and around Greenwood Lake, NY, and from these books: • Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs, Michael A. Dirr, Timber Press, © 1997 • Trees of North America (Golden field guide), C. Frank Brockman, St. Martin’s Press, © 2001 • Smithsonian Handbooks, Trees, Allen J. Coombes, Dorling Kindersley, © 2002 • Native Trees for North American Landscapes, Guy Sternberg with Jim Wilson, Timber Press, © 2004 • Complete Trees, Shrubs, and Hedges, Jacqueline Hériteau, © 2006 They are generally listed from most ancient to most recently evolved. (I’m not sure if this is true for the rosids and asterids, starting on page 30. I just listed them in the same order as Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II.) This document started out as my personal landscaping plan and morphed into something almost unwieldy and phantasmagorical. Key to symbols and colored text: Checkboxes indicate species and/or cultivars that I want. Checkmarks indicate those that I have (or that one of my neighbors has). Text in blue indicates shrub or hedge. (Unfinished task – there is no text in blue other than this text right here.) Text in red indicates that the species or cultivar is undesirable: • Out of range climatically (either wrong zone, or won’t do well because of differences in moisture or seasons, even though it is in the “right” zone). • Will grow too tall or wide and simply won’t fit well on my property.
    [Show full text]