Saturday, August 3, 2013

1. Saturday, August 3, 2013 Activities today NGSS core ideas covered (today and on Wednesday) • Morning debriefing • Ecosystem studies • Habitat studies (soil sampling) • Vegetation sampling and rangeland inventories • Plant identification and School Herbarium Preparation for the study of plant diversity and evolution • Afternoon: Lab activities • pH & Ion Testing • Quantification of samples, plant identification, data analysis and interpretation • Reflection time • Evening Discussion

2. Classification of Plants Plant Kingdom Non-flowering Plants Flowering Plants

3. .3 groups Non - flowering Plants Mosses Ferns Gymnosperms Do NOT produce flowers

4. A plant can be divided into 3 parts

5. Examples of Mosses

6. Spore-producing capsule Moss spores

7. Characteristics of Mosses .Simplest plants .No true roots, No vascular tissues (no transport) .Simple stems & leaves .Have rhizoids for anchorage .Spores from capsules (wind-dispersal) .Damp terrestrial land

8. Fern

9. Fern A leaf (finely divided into small parts) underground stem root

10. spore-producing organs (circinate) young leaf

11. Characteristics of Ferns .roots, feathery leaves & underground stems .have vascular tissues (transport & support) .Spore-producing organon the underside of leaves (reproduction) .Damp & shady places

12. Gymnosperms Pine tree

13. needle-shaped leaves

14. Male cones (in clusters) Female cones (scattered)

15. Characteristics of Gymnosperms .tall evergreen trees .roots, woody stems .needle-shaped leaves .vascular tissues (transport) .cones with reproductive structures .naked seeds in female cones .dry places

16. Flowering Plants .2 groups Monocotyledons Dicotyledons .roots, stems, leaves .vascular tissues (transport) .flowers, fruits (contain seeds)

17. Monocotyledons Parallel veins

18. Characteristics of Monocotyledons .one seed-leaf • leaves have parallel veins .herbaceous plants .e.g. grass, maize

19. Dicotyledons Veins in network

20. Characteristics of Dicotyledons . two seed-leaves . leaves have veins in network . e.g. trees, sunflower, rose

21. Plant Classification Plants Non-flowering Flowering 1 seed-leaf 2 seed-leaves Spore-bearing Naked seeds Monocots Dicots Gymnosperms No roots with roots Mosses Ferns

22. Plant Collections and Herbarium Preparation Plant Collections are samples of plants that can be: • Dried one mounted on paper (herbarium specimens) • Liquid preserved • Kept alive, grown in greenhouse or garden

23. Why to collect plant? • Resource material for plant taxonomic studies (they catalogue the plants). • Reference collection for named taxa ( = voucher specimen) • Type specimen in formal naming • Reference for the identity of a taxon -in field studies, e.g., floristic surveys, ecological or any plant related results • Provide information about the plant in a native habitat • Study of global change (floristics/climate)

24. How does one: 1) Obtain a specific plant(s) for a research study - Use label information from herbarium specimens to find localities - Use maps to find likely habitats 2) Do a complete inventory of plants for a field survey or floristic study? - Collect and identify every plant in a region during different seasons and different years. - Note: Permission / permits needed!

25. Should you collect? What to collect? Generally DON’T collect “listed” taxa: rare, endangered, or threatened Must know ahead of time which these are! When you collect, use “1 to 20” rule: – For every herb you collect, make sure there are at least 20 in the population. – For every branch of a shrub or tree, make sure there are at least 20 more.

26. How to collect? Herbs: Must dig up at least one entire plant to show root or rootstock (e.g., corm, bulb, rhizome) Shrubs, trees, vines: One branch sufficient. Collect a representative specimen that shows vegetative and reproductive parts (in flower, fruit, cone, with sporangia, etc.)

27. How to collect? Press plants: Portable field press used in field Transfer to standard herbarium press • Fold to fit ca. 11.5” x 16.5”; fill up area • Cut to fit & to prevent too much overlap; slice rootstocks; slice flowers, fruits to show morph. • At least one leaf up, one down • Collect extra material, if possible. • Divide into 2 or more sheets, if necessary. • Succulents: cut out tissue, soak in alcohol

29. Plant Press Cardboards: ca. 12” x 18” Newspaper, ca. 11.5” x 16.5” Tighten straps Place in plant drier,2-3 days Remove and check if dry (if it feels cool, not dry)

30. Collection Data

31. Collection Data

32. Importance of recording color, even of pollen grains!

33. Liquid-Preserved Collections Anatomy, embryology, palynology, etc.:FAA (Formalin - Acetic Acid - Alcohol (ethanol) Cytology (chromosome numbers):Carnoy’s solution (100% ethanol : glacial acetic acid) Ultrastructure:Gluteraldehyde, osmium tetroxide, formalin

34. Living Collections Grow in greenhouse or botanic garden Valuable for long-term studies Collections for Molecular Studies • DNA: dried in silica gel • Allozymes, RNA: fresh material

35. Research projects • Pollinator visitation rates on an invasive plant and native plant • Abundance of a particular medicinal plant species • Abundance of listed taxa in your area • Abundance of legume taxa in the natural habitats • Monitoring of exotic invasive plants • Tracking global change using herbarium specimens