Investigating the Effect of Canopy Position on the Area of the Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum.
Biology II Jonathan Schilling Period 3 Investigating the Effect of Canopy Position on the Area of the Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum Introduction The controlling, life-supporting element of any plant is its canopy, the outer-most existing layer of foliage and vegetation. The tree canopy, compromised of leaves, fine branches, and twigs, fashions an environment which is able to function in many different, useful ways while being capable to support living organisms. Some of these functions include filtering the pollutants out of the air, dragging the wind, converting solar energy into sugar and water through photosynthesis, controlling the exchange of energy and materials such as carbon dioxide and oxygen, and many more. Understanding the functions of the canopy is crucial in the understanding of how a tree operates and of its tolerance. Trees are perennial plants, which characterizes them as plants that are able to live through all seasons of the year. All trees possess a permanent, woody, self-supporting main stem, or a trunk as well as vascular tissue for the purpose of transporting materials to different areas of the organism. It is also characteristic of trees to grow to a height that exceeds twenty feet, or six meters. Another important characteristic of trees are its leaves, the main inhabitants of the canopy and the functional parts of it. The
A review of the development, production and post harvest requirements of Gerberas
A review of the development, production and post harvest requirements of Gerberas Heidi Baker BSc (Hons) Horticulture Contents .0 Introduction: 3 2.0 Market: 3 3.0 Production: 4 3.1 Propagation: 5 3.2 Cultivation in soil: 5 3.3 Cultivation in substrates: 6 3.4 Light Requirements: 8 3.5 Harvesting: 8 4.0 Pests and Diseases: 9 5.0 Post Harvest Requirements: 10 6.0 Development: 13 7.0 Conclusion: 14 8.0 References: 15 .0 Introduction: Gerberas (also known as the Transvaal or Barberton Daisy) were discovered in the early 1880's and have been popular with plant breeders ever since (Kessler, 1999). They are grown world wide and available all year round as cut flowers, pot plants and bedding plants, making them extremely versatile for many different markets. As cut flowers they are extremely popular as they are high value and available in over 200 different varieties (Flowers and Plants Association, 2007). They also have a long vase life, and cope well with transportation, which makes them suitable for domestic and export markets (Nair, 2003). Many improvements have been made over the years and most of the modern breeding work has come from the Netherlands where Gerberas were the fifth most popular flower to come out of the Dutch auctions in 2003 (Flower Council of Holland, 2003). 2.0 Market: Gerberas are very popular for use in bouquets in supermarkets and
Work shope on plant Cryopreservation
Name- Venkatesh Kolluru Student number- 0803568 Course- MSc. BIOTECHNOLOGY Module- BI1102A Title of the work shop- PLANT CRYOPRESERVATION Workshop tutor- Irene Tierney AIM: To learn about the practical aspects of plant cryopreservation and its current developments in the field of plant biotechnology. INTRODUCTION: Cryopreservation is a process where the cells or the whole tissues are preserved by cooling the temperature to -196C (BP of liquid nitrogen). In these extreme conditions the biological activity even the biochemical reactions which would lead to cell death is effectively stopped. But this technique consists of problems like damage to the cell due to solution effect (used in the solution), dehydration and intra cellular ice formation. At this temperature the salts present in the cell may become crystal which can ultimately lead to fatal conditions. To overcome this problem vitrification solutions (sucrose, DMSO i.e. Di-Methyl sulphoxide, glycerol, etc.) are used. Vitrification solutions prevent the formation of ice crystals. They do it by lowering down the freezing point and increasing the viscosity. The time of exposure of cryoprotectants (i.e. vitrification solutions) is very important because the long exposure of chemicals towards the plant cells may result in to phytotoxicity. Cryopreservation is a technique which is carried out frequently for the
Investigation Into the effect of pectinase on apple juice extraction.
Investigation Into the effect of pectinase on apple juice extraction. Aim To investigate how the enzyme pectinase affects the volume of juice produced by apples. Hypothesis I suggest the larger the amount of pectinase the higher the volume of juice that is produced. This is because there is more active sites for the break down of the substrate (pectin) meaning the reaction will be take place faster and therefore more juice will be produced in the given time. Method Apparatus: * Boiling Tube (x2) * Small Beakers (x2) * Large Beaker * Filter Paper (x2) * Blender * Apples (x2) * Test Tube Rack * Pectinase * Balance * Bunsen Burner * Tripod * Heat Proof Mat * Gauze * Thermometer Procedure: Start by setting up two filter funnels using the dampened filter paper and place these into the two boiling tubes. Take the apples and cut them into small cubes then place these together with 80cm3 of distilled water into the blender and blend for approximately 1 minute. Place the contents into the large beaker and whilst stirring heat to a temperature of 80°C for two minutes. Now place the large beaker into a cold-water bath and cool the contents to about 20°C, stirring continuously. Then take the cooled apple and separate into two beakers, each beaker should contain exactly 60g of apple. Weigh out two different amounts of pectinase; add these to the separate beakers
Comparison of numbers of organisms In Coniferous And Deciduous Woodlands
COMPARISON OF NUMBERS OF ORGANISMS IN CONIFEROUS AND DECIDUOUS WOODLANDS ABSTRACT Hypotheses Null Hypothesis (Ho) - there was no difference in the number of organisms in the two soils. Alternative Hypothesis (H1) - there was a difference in the number of organisms in the two soils. An experiment was done to find out whether there was a difference in the number of organisms in the coniferous and deciduous woodlands. A quadrat of 10m by 10m was used and co-ordinates 5,1 5,2 5,3 5,4 5,5 5,6 5,7 5,8 5,9 5,10 were used because these were exactly in the middle of the quadrat area. Ten samples of leaf litter and ten samples of humus was obtained from each woodland. In the laboratory tullgren funnels were set up, the samples were tested and the organisms were collected. A results table was made to record the numbers of organisms in. The results were displayed in graphs and tables. The graphs show the average number of each organism and the actual number of each organism in each of the woodlands. In the third graph five significant organisms have been picked out. This is because they have significant values and reasons for these values. The tullgren funnel was set up using a certain amount of the leaf litter that acted as a sieve that the organisms could fall through from the humus that was placed on top of the leaf litter. 20g of humus and 10g of leaf litter
An investigation into the effect of pectinase on fruit juice production from an apple.
An investigation into the effect of pectinase on fruit juice production from an apple Aim: To investigate how the affect how adding pectinase to chopped apples varies the amount of juice that can be taken out from it. Background Pectinases are used in the processing of non-citrus fruits to maximise the production of clear juice. Nearly all fruits and berries contain pectins and other polysaccharides such as starch. Pectins hold the fruit cells together like a "glue" and result in less of juice being released during crushing. The presence of soluble pectins in the juice also causes hazing. The addition of pectinases such as pectin methyl esterase, polygalacturonase and pectin lyase, at the crushing (or pulping) stage increases the yield of juice and helps in the clarification. Pectinases are particularly important in the production of fruit juice concentrates (like Vimto) as pectins can form very viscous gels which stop filtration and that leads to a high concentration of dissolved solids. Prediction I predict that the amount of juice collected with pectinase will be 20% more of that collected without pectinase. Table to show how the amount of juice collected changes over time, with and without the enzyme pectinase. Amount of juice collected (cm3) Rate of collection x 100 (cm3/s) Percentage more apple juice collected with pectinase Time/seconds With pectinase
To investigate the effects of Light on Species diversity in an Old and a New Coppice.
To investigate the effects of Light on Species diversity in an Old and a New Coppice Introduction We will be conducting an experiment on the species diversity under an old and a new coppice in a place called Nower Wood. Coppicing is a very natural and environmentally friendly way of obtaining wood so it does not harm the tree much, which has been performed for many years. A coppiced tree is cut down near the base at an early stage in its growth. Because it has not fully developed, several new stems will grow out at the cut off point. This can be repeated with the new stems to make the plant have many more branches, which are very useful for making wooden implements, such as for furniture or firewood. The new coppice is only several months to a year old, so the coppicing trees will not be fully developed, and the trees will be only a few feet tall, without much foliage. The old coppice trees on the other hand, are several years old, and are well established, tall, and have many leaves. There will not be much light under the old coppice due to the developed trees' foliage. Hypothesis I think that the types of plant and the percentage of species diversity will vary as to how dark the area under the coppice chosen is - under an older coppice, there would be less light due to the size and amount of leaves, so there would be a greater variety of plants in the new coppice.
Demonstrate the separation of plant pigments using chromatography and the rate of photosynthesis in isolated chloroplasts.
Lab Four: Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis II. Introduction: This experiment will demonstrate the separation of plant pigments using chromatography and the rate of photosynthesis in isolated chloroplasts. Chromatography is used to separate and identify plant pigments. The solvent moves up the chromatography paper by capillary action. As the solvent moves up the paper, it carries solute molecules with it. The pigments are carried along at different rates because they are not all equally soluble in the solvent. Photosynthesis is the reaction that takes place in plants that uses carbon dioxide, water, and light to form glucose and oxygen. There are two parts to photosynthesis: the light and dark cycles. The light cycle is the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. The solar energy drives a transfer of electrons and hydrogen from water to NADP+, forming NADPH. Water is split in the process and thus, oxygen is given off. The light reactions also generate ATP through photophosphorylation. The dark reactions, or Calvin cycle, produce glucose. The cycle begins by the incorporation of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is reduced by the addition of electrons provided by NADPH. In order to make glucose from carbon dioxide, the Calvin cycle also utilizes chemical energy from ATP. Pigments aid in the absorption of light. In plants, the main light-absorbing pigments are
Mechanisms of insect resistance induced by treatment of Lycopersicon esculentum seeds by jasmonic acid
Mechanisms of insect resistance induced by treatment of Lycopersicon esculentum seeds by jasmonic acid. Abstract: Research has suggested that jasmonic acid (JA) treatment of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seeds would cause a constant and higher rate of induced resistance to insect herbivores through increased defence gene expression, leading to increased concentrations of polyphenol oxidases (PPOs). It is already known that methyl jasomnate (MeJA) and jasmonic acid (JA) are vital in the octadecanoid wound-signalling pathway and that the exogenous application of JA to tomato crops has been shown to increase PPO levels. However, during this study, the treatment of seeds did not lead to any statistically significant evidence to support current theories on this, but, did show that JA treatment on tomato seeds to have a slight positive effect on the increase of PPO activity in the wounded and unwounded plants. At the present this study does not give strong enough evidence to support the general release of JA treated seeds for use in agriculture at this in the near future. However, this is not to say that JA application exogenously is not a viable option in natural herbivore resistance. It must be understood, that the results here are not wholely conclusive either way and could be due to erroneous experimental data. The fact that this study has shown there to be no positive
Induced defence responses against herbivores. The aim of the project was to study the effects of jasmonic acid, one of the plant hormones involved in induced plant responses, when applied to tomato seeds before they are sown
Induced Defence Responses Against Herbivores I. Introduction The aim of the project was to study the effects of jasmonic acid, one of the plant hormones involved in induced plant responses, when applied to tomato seeds before they are sown with a view to the effects initiating a positive effect and induced responses being ‘switched’ on constantly. Over the years, studies have shown that many plants, both wild and agricultural have the ability induce responses to herbivore damage, induced damages being those which are demonstrated after a herbivore attack has taken place (Constable et al., 1996). In many plants, the responses are regulated in time and space by a highly complex regulatory networks, (M. R. Roberts et al., 2001) which in turn are modulated by interactions with other signalling pathways. The key signalling hormones which will be discussed are jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene, asbscic acid (ABA) and salicyclic acid (SA) along with the roles which ion fluxes, protein phosphorylation cascades and active oxygen species play in the inducement of defence responses against herbivore wounding. The responses both in individual leaves and systemically, over the unwounded areas of the plants will also be discussed. II. Response Overview When herbivore damage is sustained, the immediate surrounding areas around the wound will consist of different populations of cells.
