Misconceptions About Quillworts (Isoetes , Isoetaceae, Lycophyta)
Quillworts, species of Isoetes, are poorly studied despite their widespread occurrence in the Southeastern United States. Four misconceptions about these puzzling plants are that hybridization is rare, asexual reproduction is unknown, scales are restricted to a few species, and diaspore is only by spores. Our studies show that virtually all quillworts hybridize and that hybridization is the rule rather than the exception. Like many ferns, quillworts exhibit reticulate evolution--interspecific hybridization and chromosome doubling followed by backcrossing--wherever we have studied them. Asexual reproduction occurs by the lateral growth of the rhizomorph from which a meristem is established and roots and shoots arise producing independent plants that can break off and be carried by water. Every species of Isoetes we have examined has scales. Isoetes scales are small and are produced by the same meristem as the sporophylls. They are easily dislodged when the plant is collected. Scales have been confused with phyllopodia, which are indurate, often-reduced sporophylls. Quillworts produce scales whether or not they produce phyllopodia. Lastly, we have observed transport of young sporelings by water currents. Thus, our observations demonstrate that, in contrast to generally held views, species of Isoetes commonly hybridize forming interspecific polyploids, can reproduce asexually, produce scales, and can be distributed at the sporeling stage.
1 Dept of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA; 2 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
101 • Alan S. Weakley, Michael T. Lee
Floraquest &Ndash; A New Mobile App for the Southeastern United States Flora
The Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, by Alan S. Weakley and contributors, has become a primary resource for botanists and other professionals, amateurs, and students interested in the plant resources of the 14-state region of its coverage, because of its modern treatment of the rich flora of the region (7000 taxa), its detailed keys emphasizing vegetative characters, extensive literature cited, and detailed cross-referencing to other taxonomic and floristic treatments of the states, families, and genera of the area. For over a decade, it has been published annually in pdf and print form, but this does not provide optimal access to current taxonomic, nomenclatural, and identification information in an increasingly digital world. To meet this need, we are designing and will soon release FloraQuest, an app’ closely based on the most up-to-date version of the Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Initially, the app’ will be released on iOS (Apple) and can be used on iPads and iPhones. Features will include full access to the contents of the Flora, keys optimized for use on a mobile device, options to simplify keys based on location (GPS or user-entered) cross-referenced against documented distributions of taxa, illustrated glossary of botanical terminology used in keys, maps of distribution of all 7000 taxa, linked photographic and line-drawing illustrations, membership in FloraQuest user community and ability to post images for crowd-sourced identification, and option to submit observations for verification and provisional augmentation of distributional databases.
Queens Is Going to the Birds: Data Analysis in Courses Using Community Partners
Queens University of Charlotte recently established a relationship with the Carolina Raptor Center. The nature of this collaboration has grown and evolved over the course of a year and a half and has allowed us to incorporate real world research questions into several of our biology courses, including animal behavior, genetics, cell biology and independent studies. Students in an animal behavior class were introduced to a pair of nesting Bald Eagles at the Carolina Raptor Center. In class, they used streaming video of the pair to collect behavioral observations using an event recorder (JWatcher) to analyze patterns of parent-offspring vocal behaviors in these birds. The analysis of the behavioral data provided students with the ability to practice data collection techniques that emphasize inter-observer reliability and allowed for detailed analysis of a real-world behavioral question. The student analyses are shared with the Carolina Raptor Center to aid in the continued development of their conservation programs.
An important trend in undergraduate biology education is to shift focus from established pre-set experiments to inquiry-based investigations of real world research questions. The Biology Dept at Queens University of Charlotte has fostered collaboration with the Carolina Raptor Center to explore multiple aspects of the raptor population in the local ecosystem. The various pieces of the research project have been incorporated into multiple courses within the Dept curriculum. One specific project aims to characterize any existing tissue pathology in dead raptors to augment basic necroscopy observations and help identify cause of death. The Cannon Research Center is a second community partner providing both histological expertise and embedding and preparation of raptor tissues for histological staining. Initial tissue staining protocols were optimized by students working in both internship and independent study capacities. The next phase of the project is the inclusion of histological staining experiments in our upper level cell biology course this semester. Specifically, students will be given unknown tissue sections for staining and asked to identify the specific tissue of origin and any variation in tissue appearance. The long-term goals of this project are to incorporate histological techniques and analysis into the curriculum while collaborating with outside avian pathologists to optimally characterize pathology patterns in local raptor populations.
Biology Dept, Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
