Predicting Evolutionary Consequences of Greater Reproductive Effort in Tripsacum Dactyloides, a Perennial Grass

To test the prediction that a mutation causing greater reproductive effort will result in reduced vegetative vigor, we compared the seed production, growth, and carbohydrate status of normal and pistillate genotypes of the grass Tripsacum dactyloides differing in seed production by up to fourfold. We evaluated the costs of reproduction by two methods: experimental manipulation of reproductive effort and comparison of highand low-yielding genotypes. Despite the large difference in seed production, normal and pistillate (high-yielding) genotypes did not differ in growth rate over a 1-yr period. Contrary to predictions, carbohydrate reserves in the high-yielding genotype were significantly higher at the peak of the seed ripening period. Stalk defoliation and complete removal of seed stalks reduced plant growth rate, total aboveground biomass, and biomass of vegetative storage organs, especially when plants were also under stress from biweekly defoliation. However, stalk removal caused increased rates of growth in the year after experimental manipulations. Reproductive tillers were costly to the plant in terms of lost meristems and therefore future plant size, but seed costs were contained within reproductive tillers of both genotypes, explaining the lack of a trade-off in the high-yielding, pistillate genotype. Although experimental reduction of reproductive effort revealed a cost of reproduction, this result could not be used to correctly predict the consequences of a gene for greater seed production

Apomixis and the Reproductive Dynamics of Eastern Gamagrass Tripsacum Dactyloides L.

Studies were conducted to determine the reproductive characteristics of Tripsacum, a perennial, native pasture species and to identify methods for breeding agronomically superior cultivars. Reproductive methods and types of individuals generated were evaluated with triploid and hexaploids possessing a novel method for transferring sexual germplasm into apomictic tetraploids and tetraploid germplasm into sexual diploids. Triploids and hexaploids are demonstrated to be useful materials for introgressing and transferring desirable alleles across ploidy levels and reproductive barriers

Stigma Removal Studies on Certain Accessions of Bothriochloa Intermedia and Dichanthium Annulatum

Field Crop

How to make experimental economics research more reproducible: lessons from other disciplines and a new proposal

Efforts in the spirit of this special issue aim at improving the reproducibility of experimental economics, in response to the recent discussions regarding the “research reproducibility crisis.” We put this endeavour in perspective by summarizing the main ways (to our knowledge) that have been proposed – by researchers from several disciplines – to alleviate the problem. We discuss the scope for economic theory to contribute to evaluating the proposals. We argue that a potential key impediment to replication is the expectation of negative reactions by the authors of the individual study, and suggest that incentives for having one’s work replicated should increase

E(5), X(5), and Prolate to Oblate Shape Phase Transitions in Relativistic Hartree Bogoliubov Theory

Relativistic mean field theory with the NL3 force is used for producing potential energy surfaces (PES) for series of isotopes suggested as exhibiting critical point symmetries. Relatively flat PES are obtained for nuclei showing the E(5) symmetry, while in nuclei corresponding to the X(5) case, PES with a bump are obtained. The PES corresponding to the Pt chain of isotopes suggest a transition from prolate to oblate shapes at 186-Pt.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX, including 14 .eps figure

Assessing a forestry education: The Northern Arizona University experience

In an attempt to provide students with a strong generalist education, the faculty at Northern Arizona University\u27s School of Forestry has presented its undergraduate forestry education in a unique, integrated, team-taught approach for over 20 years. Over this same period of time, higher education has experienced profound changes. Within the discipline, the technical knowledge expected of undergraduates has expanded greatly. Simultaneously the demand for accountability in higher education has increased. Students, parents, state legislators, governing boards, and taxpayers alike have questioned the importance, relevance, and value of higher education. The so-called student-as-consumer model in higher education is but one manifestation of this increased demand for accountability. A fundamental question arises: How well does the forestry program at NAU prepare students educationally as foresters? Assessing student academic achievement with respect to educational outcomes provides one way of answering this question. Such a process can help determine how well students master a set of defined skills, knowledges, and competencies. Such an approach requires a defined set of desired educational outcomes

How Children and Adults Make Judgments About Who To Trust

Beauty is Good Stereotype : Higher attractive individuals are thought to be more intelligent, more successful, and happier overall. They also obtain more visual attention and are deemed more trustworthy. Making a choice based on a person\u27s appearance and attributes might lead to dangerous consequences and lead to being deceived. We investigated how the appearance of male and female experts influence whether children and adults trust statements made by the expert, establish what that expert knows and determine that expert\u27s attributes (warmth and competence). The results of this study will help us better determine what cues children and adults use when making trustworthiness decisions.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1085/thumbnail.jp