Abstract Detail

Ecophysiology

Bailey, Zachary [1], Johnson, Matthew [2].

The Effect of Life History Strategies on Stomatal Characteristics Using Herbarium Specimens From Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Herbarium specimens provide a window into past characteristics of plants, including a record of how they interacted with the environment. One such characteristic is stomata, openings found primarily on the underside of leaves that regulate gas exchange within a plant. Plants can respond to atmospheric conditions during leaf development; many studies show a decrease in stomatal densities related an increase in carbon dioxide. Stomatal density can be easily measured in herbarium specimens via imprints of leaves without damaging the specimen. Many studies of stomatal density do not incorporate variability within species or across life history strategies within a single ecosystem. One collection housed in the E.L. Reed Herbarium at Texas Tech, with an estimated 3,000 specimens, is from a survey of Guadalupe National Park conducted when the park opened in 1974 by Texas Tech botanists D. K. Northington and T. L. Burgess. The collection provides a botanical snapshot of floristic biodiversity just before major changes in climate and land management. For this study, stomatal density and size were sampled from 24 species representing a variety of life history strategies including grasses, trees, shrubs, and forbs. Measurements were tested for stomatal qualities within species, among species, and among plants with different life history strategies. Findings will inform future studies about the relative importance of these factors when predicting changes in stomatal density in response to elevated carbon dioxide.

1 - Texas Tech University, Biological Sciences, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
2 - Texas Tech University, Biological Sciences, 2901 Main Street, Ms3131, Lubbock, TX, 79409, United States

Keywords:
herbarium
herbaria
density
Stomata
gas exchange
climate change
leaf impression
nail polish
Guadalupe Mountains
National Park
T. L. Burgess
D. K. Northington
stomatal area
life history
development.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Ecophysiology Posters
Location: Arizona Ballroom/Starr Pass
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 5:30 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PPE007
Abstract ID:534
Candidate for Awards:Physiological Section Best poster presentation,Physiological Section Physiological Section Li-COR Prize