The "Dryopteris dilatata complex in Macaronesia and the Iberian Peninsula

Diploid and tetraploid species of the Dryopteris dilatata complex are found in Spain and Portugal. In an attempt to determine the relationships between species the cytology of both wild and synthetised hybrids has been investigated, and the results obtained so far will be described.Se han encontrado especies diploides y tetraploides del complejo Dryopteris dilatata en España y Portugal. Para determinar el parentesco entre las especies se ha estudiado la citología de los híbridos tanto naturales como artificiales, exponiéndose finalmente los resultados obtenidos

Mycorrhizal Fungi and Reforestation in an Eastern Lowland Rainforest of Madagascar

Most terrestrial plants worldwide make associations with mycorrhizal fungi, yet the fungal diversity of Madagascar is vastly unknown. This research project is a preliminary investigation into the mycorrhizal status of 19 tree species in and near Ranomafana National Park (RNP), a lowland tropical forest on the southeast coast of Madagascar. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization in these species was studied in root samples under the microscope in the laboratory of Centre ValBio (CVB). The degree of AM infection was assessed for three study areas: one directly adjacent to a protected area and two reforestation sites supported by CVB. For the 19 samples examined, 16 (84%) were determined AM colonized to varying degrees. Three species were inconclusive and require further analysis. Results also suggested that the degree of AM infection was reduced at the reforestation sites, with only 9% of samples being heavily infected compared to 25% of samples adjacent to the protected area. Additionally, above-ground fruiting bodies (mushrooms) were photographed and some later identified to describe the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi abundance in the study areas. These macroscopic observations simply suggested the presence of ECM associations with certain species, and mushrooms were much more abundance in the protected area of RNP. However, no real conclusions could be made about the ECM status of trees, and only a few fungal species could be confidently identified. To conclude, this study found that most native tropical trees in RNP make AM associations to varying degrees, including the more abundant species. Land degradation from previous cultivation may influence mycorrhizal abundance as well, though more research is necessary

Mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA-based phylogeny of Pelargonium (Geraniaceae)

Overall phylogenetic relationships within the genus Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) were inferred based on DNA sequences from mitochondrial(mt)-encoded nad1 b/c exons and from chloroplast(cp)-encoded trnL (UAA) 5' exon-trnF (GAA) exon regions using two species of Geranium and Sarcocaulon vanderetiae as outgroups. The group II intron between nad1 exons b and c was found to be absent from the Pelargonium, Geranium, and Sarcocaulon sequences presented here as well as from Erodium, which is the first recorded loss of this intron in angiosperms. Separate phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA and cpDNA data sets produced largely congruent topologies, indicating linkage between mitochondrial and chloroplast genome inheritance. Simultaneous analysis of the combined data sets yielded a well-resolved topology with high clade support exhibiting a basic split into small and large chromosome species, the first group containing two lineages and the latter three. One large chromosome lineage (x = 11) comprises species from sections Myrrhidium and Chorisma and is sister to a lineage comprising P. mutans (x = 11) and species from section Jenkinsonia (x = 9). Sister to these two lineages is a lineage comprising species from sections Ciconium (x = 9) and Subsucculentia (x = 10). Cladistic evaluation of this pattern suggests that x = 11 is the ancestral basic chromosome number for the genus

\u3cem\u3eXanthium strumarium\u3c/em\u3e L.: Extraction and Assay of Floral Promotive Principles and Additional Investigations into Inhibition of Flowering

New techniques in extraction and assay of florigenic substances were tested. Initial response to the buffer-PVP extracts proved promising, but after several successful experiments, results could not be duplicated. Possible reasons for the failure are discussed. A long-day inhibitory effect, demonstrated earlier by Gibby and Salisbury (25), was further investigated. Experiments with 14C-labled assimilates disproved the hypothesis that the inhibition is a result of assimilate translocation. Other experiments pointed to the probability of phytochrome involvement as well as protein synthesis as part of the inhibitory process. The nature of inhibition was ascribed to a localized inhibitory condition, probably a relatively immobile substance

Ghost (Hi)stories: Fiction as Alternative History in Brodber, Valdés, Cisneros, and Condé

This dissertation analyzes the role that female ghosts play in recuperating memory and filling the gaps of official history in the following four contemporary novels: Erna Brodber’s Louisiana (1994), Zoé Valdés’s Te di la vida entera (1996), Sandra Cisneros’s Caramelo: or, Puro Cuento (2002), and Maryse Condé’s Victoire, les saveurs et les mots: récit (2006). The ghosts in these novels disrupt a linear temporality and present a matriarchal mode of remembering, leading readers to reconsider the past outside of the dominant historical discourse. In this way, the novels become alternative histories that oppose the monologic historical paradigm and recuperate marginalized voices silenced by History with a capital H. The novels trouble the boundary between truth and fiction, asking the reader to consider the moral value of art. The reader is obliged to relinquish certain assumptions about history and its creation and processes in order to understand how fiction can be an alternative history. My introduction explores the historical paradigm that these novels destabilize, including a Hegelian concept of history that is based on reason. The introduction also sets up the feminist methodology that drives my analysis and presents the geographic scope of my dissertation. Chapter One explores the tradition of the ghost in the literature of the Americas, especially how ghosts confront traumatic pasts and destabilize a linear temporality. In Chapter Two I analyze Brodber’s Louisiana, which employs two female ghosts to resist hegemonic historical discourse via spirit possession. In the third chapter I discuss ghosts’ affective nature in Valdés’s Te di la vida entera and Cisneros’s Caramelo. The spirit narrators in these novels recreate memory via nostalgia and the affective nature of music. Chapter Four explores imagination’s role in filling the gaps of history through an analysis of Condé’s Victoire, whose narrator is haunted by the ghost of her grandmother and compelled to reconstruct her history. My conclusion draws out the specific similarities between the four novels and further explores the way in which these novels not only use the ghost figure to comment on the past, but also employ it to initiate healing within individual relationships between women

Constructing the role of the law teacher in the changing context of higher education policy and practice

EdDIn the UK, Higher education (HE) has become subject to greater scrutiny, from Government, students and employers alike. Pressures to improve academic practice through teacher education are often linked to improved economic stability of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI); this culture of economic Higher education has challenged traditional teacher roles. Where there are additional external pressures and quality assurance criteria to be met, the teacher is expected to possess relevant skills and knowledge to meet the changing expectations within HE. This study explores the tensions between HE and Legal education policy and practices and how they affect the construction of the law teacher role. Using a pragmatic, critical realist perspective, which recognises the interaction of structure, culture and agency (Archer, 1996) a mixed methods approach was used to explore changing teacher roles, types and engagement with teacher education drawing conclusions as to the opportunities to develop excellence in teaching. Data collection over a three-year period included 61 job descriptions and 15 semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, deductive content analysis and a constant comparative method. Findings indicate that several factors were associated with the construction of the law teacher role. Data indicate that teaching and practice-focused legal experience were least likely to be sought, whereas networking and organisationally beneficial skills, such as management were preferred. Data from semi-structured interviews indicate that teachers felt let down by the HEI teacher education. Further, they felt that existing HEI practices did not provide relevant training, to support the development of excellence in academic and practice-focused teaching. Existing programmes of teacher development were described as ineffective, irrelevant and unsupported. This was particularly evident for part-time teachers, who were often those that delivered legal practice courses for students. At a time when quality assurance is an important feature of HE and the introduction of the TEF, this thesis suggests that HEIs are ill equipped to provide relevant disciplinary support to new law teachers. Therefore, improvement in quality and practice appears driven by individuals or collective groups of teachers, who will construct their own role within Legal education. To address this gap, this thesis puts forward practical recommendations to support change