Invasion of exotic species is a significant problem in natural ecosystems, reaching epidemic proportions and resulting in significant economic losses. However, insufficient knowledge of explicit spatial distribution of invasive species hinders our ability to prevent and/or mitigate future invasion. In this study, we demonstrate the use of existing voluntary data to survey invasive plant species in Kentucky. We also reconstructed the historical distribution of 16 exotic invasive plants typical to Kentucky using herbarium records. We found that Kentucky is facing a large threat from exotic invasive plants as they are reported throughout most counties. The distribution maps for four of the top 10 most reported invasive species revealed that Kentucky is presently or was previously a front of invasion. The majority of the 16 targeted invasive species were scattered throughout Kentucky with no concentrations within particular regions. Cumulative curves of occupied counties over time fit a “J” shape expansion curve, which indicates the potential for further future invasion. This study demonstrates the usefulness of voluntary data and herbarium data to reconstruct the historical and current distribution of invasive species. Further studies on other invasive species can take advantage of information associated with herbarium specimens to achieve more fruitful results.

Curiosity, it can be said, alerts us to the interface between art and science, with the ‘object’ being suspended somewhere between the two. Curiosity interfaced with photography and collections are the main components of this thesis. This thesis is organized around two principle outcomes: a written component and an artistic component. The written component investigates how the use of photography as a method of inquiry into the secondary manipulation of ready-made material results in objects that become sites of new meaning and encourage new interpretations. The artistic component was comprised of a photographic installation titled ‘herbarium imaginaire’ (imaginary herbarium), which featured hand-built pinhole cameras and auxiliary photography equipment used in the production of a photographs, as well as featuring an open-house and presentation of botanical specimens and plant collecting processes that was held in the University of Victoria Herbarium.

abstract: This study was designed to produce a comprehensive flora of Usery Mountain Regional Park and Pass Mountain of the Tonto National Forest. A total of 168 vascular plant species representing 46 families and 127 genera were collected or documented at this study area. Sixteen species were not native to the flora of Arizona and represent 9.5% of the flora. Nevertheless, the study area does not appear to be significantly damaged or degraded in spite of its historical and current land use. The location and types of invasive species recorded in this study will assist with implementing preventative measures to prevent further spreading of certain species. The complete list of all vascular species recorded in this study will provide a valuable tool for land management decisions and future restoration projects that may occur at this area or similar sites and invasive species control. The distribution of the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) population on Pass Mountain was documented through the measurement of saguaros by random sampling. ArcGIS was used to generate 50 random points for sampling the saguaro population. Analysis to determine saguaro habitat preferences based on the parameters of aspect, slope and elevation was conducted through ArcGIS. The saguaro population of Pass Mountain significantly favored the southern aspects with the highest concentration occurring in the southwest aspects at an average density of 42.66 saguaros per hectare. The large numbers of saguaros recorded in the younger size classes suggests a growing populations. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Applied Biological Sciences 2011

This dissertation examines the literary and historical contexts of four collections of medical material from Anglo-Saxon England. These collections are widely known under the titles Bald's Leechbook, Leechbook III, the Lacnunga, and the Old English Pharmacopeia. As medical literature, these texts have tended to be primarily approached through the lens of the history of medicine or cultural history and folklore. However, as textual compositions carefully engaging with learned culture, these texts are relevant to the wider literary history of the period. The aim of this thesis is to examine these collections within specifically literary contexts, where they have been frequently overlooked. Towards this end, I take the approach of considering each of the four collections as individual, coherent texts, rather than treating them as simply as part of a general corpus of Old English medical literature, as has sometimes been done. This approach is reflected in the organisation of this thesis, which dedicates one chapter to each collection, with a final chapter on the characterisation of medicine within broader Anglo-Saxon literary culture. Each of these chapters details what I view as the distinctive qualities of a particular collection and considers what intellectual and literary milieux it may reflect. Chapter 1 discusses the strategies of compilation and translation employed in Bald's Leechbook and the relation of some passages within the text to translations associated with the Alfredian revival. Chapter 2 considers the incorporation of liturgical material within Leechbook III, while at the same time exploring the relationship of ælfe (elves) and the Christian demonic in these texts. Chapter 3 explores the textual and manuscript relationships surrounding the Lacnunga and argues that this collection reflects interests consonant with early insular expressions of grammatica. Chapter 4 examines the translation style used in the Old English Herbarium (comprising the first half of the Old English Pharmacopeia) and the place of this collection within the context of the tenth-century Benedictine Reform movement. Finally, Chapter 5 considers the representation of medicine within the larger Old English literary corpus and suggests that the depiction of medicine in these sources is ultimately positive, something that perhaps encouraged the flourishing of vernacular medical production we see testified to in the Old English medical collections. It is my hope that by highlighting the literary and learned aspects of these collections this dissertation will bring a new appreciation of these texts to a wider readership interested in Old English literature.

abstract: The Arizona State University Herbarium began in 1896 when Professor Fredrick Irish collected the first recorded Arizona specimen for what was then called the Tempe Normal School - a Parkinsonia microphylla. Since then, the collection has grown to approximately 400,000 specimens of vascular plants and lichens. The most recent project includes the digitization - both the imaging and databasing - of approximately 55,000 vascular plant specimens from Latin America. To accomplish this efficiently, possibilities in non-traditional methods, including both new and existing technologies, were explored. SALIX (semi-automatic label information extraction) was developed as the central tool to handle automatic parsing, along with BarcodeRenamer (BCR) to automate image file renaming by barcode. These two developments, combined with existing technologies, make up the SALIX Method. The SALIX Method provides a way to digitize herbarium specimens more efficiently than the traditional approach of entering data solely through keystroking. Using digital imaging, optical character recognition, and automatic parsing, I found that the SALIX Method processes data at an average rate that is 30% faster than typing. Data entry speed is dependent on user proficiency, label quality, and to a lesser degree, label length. This method is used to capture full specimen records, including close-up images where applicable. Access to biodiversity data is limited by the time and resources required to digitize, but I have found that it is possible to do so at a rate that is faster than typing. Finally, I experiment with the use of digital field guides in advancing access to biodiversity data, to stimulate public engagement in natural history collections. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Plant Biology 2012

Plants and wildlife are being affected by climate change and human activities. We need to understand the patterns in these impacts to develop management strategies and policy solutions that will help us conserve ecosystems. Climate change is shifting the timing of key life stages in plants, but we do not fully understand the extent and implications of phenological shifts – or changes in the timing of seasonal events – for understudied stages like fruiting or for potential mismatches between plants in different canopy levels. Human activities and climate change impact and harm wildlife in many ways, from wildlife-vehicle collisions and lead poisoning to hurricanes and infectious diseases, but it has been difficult to form a comprehensive picture of these threats across many species and regions, and to discern which factors pose the greatest threat to at-risk species. Here, I collected and curated data from herbarium specimens and wildlife rehabilitation records to advance our understanding of the effects of climate change and human activities on plants and wildlife in North America. First, I found that metrics of first, peak, and last fruiting dates were strongly correlated between two historical datasets, suggesting that field observations and herbarium collections capture similar orders of fruiting times among plant species in New England. However, I found differences in the exact timing of first and last fruiting dates, indicating that researchers should match methodology when selecting historical records of phenology for present-day comparisons, especially when the exact timing is important. Next, I found that native trees, native shrubs, and non-native shrubs advanced their leaf-out or flowering times faster than native wildflowers advanced their flowering times with warming temperatures. As climate warming progresses, some native wildflower species, especially in warmer regions, are likely to be affected by phenological mismatch and lose access to early-season sunlight. Last, I found that human disturbances accounted for the largest proportion of wildlife injury and sickness in animals admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centers, and I identified the predominant reason for admittance for many species; these reasons included vehicle collisions, fishing incidents, and window or building collisions. I recommended possible interventions to help conserve wildlife, including using or changing wildlife road crossings, fishing and hunting regulations, lead and pesticide regulations, and disaster management plans. In this research, I compiled and analyzed innovative, newly-digitized data sources to provide new insights into the effects of climate change and human activities on plants and wildlife in North America. / 2024-09-18T00:00:00Z

In my Diploma thesis I wanted to explore a theme which is close to my region. I decided to write about Josefina Kablíková, a modern and progressive woman of the 19th century. Josefina was an emancipated woman with a very intriguing life story. She was one of a few women botanists of her period. At first, I will present her own biography and a biography of her husband, Vojtěch Kablík. Vrchlabí in the 19th century and its specification is described. The following chapter is devoted to Josefina Kablíková as a botanist. Her botanical research far surpassed the region of Krkonoše. She became famous for her gathering of the Krkonoše flora. Even several botanical species are named after her. Another section illustrates the scientific research of Vojtěch Kablík, a pharmacist and a chemist in Vrchlabí. The last section concerns the Mánes family, who were frequent guests in the house of Kablíkovi. A large number of Mánes's drawings, paintings and portraits came into existence depicting Vrchlabí, its surroundings and Kablíkovi themselves. The aim of this Diploma thesis is to explain significance as well as the life story of the Kablíkovi couple in the context of the period and the region.

The topic of this thesis is forest park's Bažantnice mapping. The thesis suggests the way of aplication of botanic terrain education. Botany and dendrology is one of the main educations question on elementary and secondary school. Park Bažantnice can be used in science lesson for its hight potential. The thesis i s divided into two parts. The first of them summarizes differents types of the terrain education and focuses on didactic using of the park Bažantnice. The second one deals with the station mapping and describes way of data colecting and adapting. Accompanying pictures and generated maps are included in appendiced at the back of the thesis. Keywords: dendrology, biology, botany, education, park, Bažantnice, Kladno, mapping, herbs, woody plants, terrain education

This paper, deals with the status of the flora around the village Dobčice, which is located in the northern part of the Protected Landscape Area Blanský les. The area of interest covers an area of 12.6 hectares and includes two nature reserves: NR Chřášťanský vrch and NR Vysoká Běta. In the teritory are located eleven types of terestrial biotopes, for which was created 35 phytosociological relevés, including their photographs and localization. Further fieldwork that was carried out in the theritory was floristic survey. In the monitored area was found total of 264 species of plants and mosses. Six of these species is classified in the 3rd edition of the Red List of vascular plants of the Czech Republic. For each of the found species was created an entry in the herbarium.

Un criblage phytochimique à partir de quatre lichens saxicoles hydrophiles du genre Dermatocarpon a mis en évidence la présence inattendue de composés de type mycosporines dans ces chlorolichens. Leur présence a été confirmée dans des échantillons historiques d'herbiers couvrant une période de plus de 170 ans. Leur teneur était comprise entre 0,1 et 1,4 mg/g de lichen sec. Trois mycosporines ont été isolées de Dermatocarpon luridum collecté en Bretagne sur des rochers d'eau vive: deux mycosporines natives, la mycosporine glutaminol et la mycosporine glutamicol ainsi qu'un artéfact d'isolement, l'ester éthylique de la mycosporine glutamicol. Leurs propriétés physico-chimiques incluant le calcul de leur pKa ont été déterminées. L'étude phytochimique a également conduit à l'isolement de sept autres composés dont un acide aminé non protéique, un dipeptide et un céramide identifiés pour la première fois dans un lichen et le cérévistérol jusqu'ici non décrit dans D. luridum. Les activités cytotoxiques et photoprotectrives des composés disponibles en quantité suffisante ont été évaluées. Le cérévistérol a montré une cytotoxicité modérée sur huit lignées cellulaires contrairement aux cinq autres composés. Les propriétés photoprotectrices et activités antioxydantes de l'ester éthylique de la mycosporine glutamicol et d'un extrait aqueux semi-purifié de D. miniatum présentent un intérêt pour un possible développement comme actif solaire. / A screening of mycosporine-like compounds in four hydrophilic Dermatocarpon lichen species has highlighted the unexpected occurrence of such metabolites in chlorolichens. These compounds were confirmed and quantified in historical herbarium samples (15-50 mg) even more than 170 years old. Total mycosporine contents ranged from 0.1 to 1.4 mg/g of dry lichens. Two genuine mycosporines (mycosporine glutaminol and the more stable mycosporine glutamicol) with an artifact mycosporine glutamicol ethyl ester were isolated from Dermatocarpon luridum collected in a breton river. Their physico-chemical properties were also determined including pKa. The phytochemical studies led to the isolation of seven additional compounds in which a non-protein amino acid, a dipeptide and a ceramide were identified for the first time in lichens and cerevisterol for the first time in D. luridum. Compounds obtained in suitable quantity were evaluated for their cytotoxic and photoprotective properties. Except a moderate cytotoxicity of cerevisterol, the five tested compounds were not found toxic on the eight cell lines. Photoprotective properties of the mycosporine glutamicol ethyl ester and a semi-purified aqueous extract of Dermatocarpon miniatum along with some antioxidant activities are promising to develop new sunscreens.