Scott's Botanical Links--April 1999

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Past links:

April 30, 1999 - Great Lakes Environment

These government web pages provide resources on the environment of the Great Lakes region of the US. This site includes both an aquatic and temperate terrestrial component; there is information on human health, ecological monitoring, and various governmental concerns. Exceptional among the resources is the EcoPage, in which photo essays, slide shows, and helpful information i available about improving the environment. Site by the Environmental Protection Agency. (****) -SR

April 29, 1999 - AquaBotanic

This site, primarily for hobbyists, invites the viewer to "learn about aquascaping, aquarium or aquatic plants, lighting, fertilization, CO2, substrates, laterite, essential trace elements, Cryptocorynes, Java fern, biotypes, and much more!" This site has 'information for beginners', a gallery*, glossary*, links, help desk and a featured plant on the main page [*=coming soon]. The aquarium page has the greatest wealth of information, including online references. Site by Robert Paul H. (***) -SR

April 28, 1999 - Wildflower Nirvana

Wildflower Nirvana is a young site highlighting the site owner's excellent wildflower photography. To date, there are 65 pictures on the site, emphasizing Floridia plants and terrestrial orchids. Photos are accompanied by brief descriptions of habit, habitat, range and family. Also provided: information on cultivating some Florida native plants, links, a series of articles and to pay for it, seed sales. These are some of the nicest photos that I have seen in this format. By Rufino Osorio (****) -SR

April 27, 1999 - Plant Molecular Biology

This site provide supplemental course materials for PLSC 731 at the University of North Dakota. Several page essays are available on: DNA - Basics of Structure and Analysis, Mapping Plant Genomes With Molecular Markers, Analysis of Plant Genomes with Molecular Markers, Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci, Plant Genome Organization and Structure, Cloning and Cloning Vectors, Map-Based Cloning of Plant Genes, Transposon Tagging of Plant Gene, Analyzing Plant Gene Expression with Transgenic Plants, Transcription, Control of Plant Gene Expression by Cis-Acting Elements & Trans-Acting Factors, and Genes Controlling Flower Development in Plants: Mendelian Genetics to Molecular Sequence. Selected essays would make an excellent addition to undergraduate or AP biology treatments of plant molecular biology. Site by Phillip E. McClean, UND. (****) -SR

April 26, 1999 - Smallest Page on the Web

This is a microscopy page that emphasizes diatoms, desmids, bacteria, amoebae, ciliates, rotifers, and other flagellated protists. The photomicrography and drawings are excellent. Two of the organisms are routinely photosynthetic: diatoms (unicellular or colonial algae with silicious [glass!] walls) and desmids (unicellular green algae which travel in mirror-image pairs). A nice site overall and a pretty one to browse. Site organized in cooperation with Micscape. (****) -SR

April 23, 1999 - Rot Web Home Composting Information site

This site provides very practical tips on composting that include a brief how-to guide for starting your own home composting system, a list of desirable compost ingredients and checklist of materials to avoid (and why). Composting is used to naturally improve the soil and is an important facet to sustainable agriculture and improving the environment. Maintained by Eric S. Johnson. (***1/2) -SR

April 22, 1999 - Corn Grower's Guidebook

The stated purpose of this site is to "offer a Web-based encyclopedia of knowledge about the production, marketing and usage of corn in North America." Features on the site include "Corny experts," "Corny web sites," "Corny curiosities," seasonal information, and a production information database covering all aspects of corn from planting to post-harvest. Much of the content is off-site, but the links are well organized. This site is maintained by Indiana's State Extension Corn Specialist and Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University: Dr. R. L. (Bob) Nielsen. (****) -SR

April 21, 1999 - Gesneriad Reference Web

This site includes information, articles, links and images (about 1000) to Gesneriads, which include Saintpaulia (=African violet), Gloxinia, Streptocarpus, and a host of other genera. Image pages are beautifully organized, arranged by genus and topic. Small thumbnails link to half-page, full-format photographs with frequent close-up links. This is a very visually oriented site with carefully crafted hyperlinks. This site is by Ron Myhr, who has assembled an amazing collection of gesneriads here! (****) -SR

April 20, 1999 - Big Bend National Park

This site is a well-illustrated botanical tour of Big Bend National Park in southern Texas bordering Mexico. Desert plains, mesa "pouroffs," mountains and basins characterize this nearly virgin wilderness. There are about 10 pages of narrative and thumbnail photographs that expand to 600 x 400 sizes. The plant images are excellent; the whole site is well worth visiting! By Dr. Jim Manhart and Monique Reed, Herbarium of the Biology Department, Texas A&M. (****) -SR

April 19, 1999 - Hypertextbook: Photosynthesis

Part of the MIT Hypertextbook, this is the overview on photosynthesis, which is the defining biochemical pathway for plants. This text provides information appropriate for an introductory botany or cell biology class. The MIT Biology Hypertextbook has been featured before at this site 8/16/96, but is worth revisiting! Site by The Experimental Study Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (****) -SR

April 16, 1999 - Plant Genome Databases - A Tutorial

This molecular biology resource provides instruction on how to use the Agricultural Genome Information System (AGIS) through 12 lessons that may be examined in any order. Each lesson begins "tools and techniques" that spell out the goals of the lesson. Lessons include practical hands-on examples from the databases considered. This site is useful as an introduction to the tools of genomics and the use of these tools in research. Site by the National Agricultural Library, USDA. (****) -SR

April 15, 1999 - ONElist [became groups.yahoo.com in 2001]

ONElist is a website for constructing email listservs and discussion groups for free. Lists can be established on about any topic you would like; people can add their names to the distribution list as they visit the site. All sites have age and topic guidelines. Currently, there are 33 lists on plants, with a wide diversity of topics. If you don't want to explore the intricacies of running a list, this is the Internet resource for you. (****) -SR

April 14, 1999 - Molecular Information Theory and the Theory of Molecular Machines

This page about molecular information theory is designed at the upper level undergraduate to research level, requiring some appreciation of the fundamentals of molecular biology. The site includes research papers, considerations of the Laws of Thermodynamics (especially the second!), and a wide variety of up-to-date links on this topic. Site by Thomas D. Schneider at Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biology (LECB) at National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. (***1/2) -SR

April 13, 1999 - Canadian Botanical Conservation Network

This is a site that is rich in resources on ecology and conservation of Canadian plants, with its own newsletter, information on seed gene banks, endangered species, invasive species, press releases, arboreta and botanical gardens, library and more. The invasive species site includes photos of many of the plants and describes specific steps that may be taken for eradication. The endangered species site lists extirpated, endangered, threatened and vulnerable vascular plants, mosses and lichens. This site was developed through the facilities of the Botanical Conservation Office of Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton / Burlington, Ontario. (****) -SR

April 12, 1999 - Glycolysis

This website simply covers glycolysis -- the breakdown of glucose into high energy compounds -- a topic in many if not all introductory botany courses! On the site, the reactions and pathways of glycolysis are listed, accompanied by practicals and test exams. (Hmmmm... now where is the link to the Kreb's Cycle!) This is part of the BioTech site at Indiana University, currently hosted at University of Texas. (***1/2) -SR

April 9, 1999 - Fun Science Gallery: Herbarium

This site is a full tutorial on how to develop and organize an herbarium -- a collection of plants -- for reference, research, enjoyment and maybe a taxonomy course? This site describes everything you may want to know about plant collecting and the equipment required, including how to make your own. At the bottom of the page is a link to the rest of the Fun Science Gallery, where you can learn about making primitive microscopes, telescopes, electrochemistry and some other activities. Herbarium site by Andrea Tarozzi, English version revised by Edward Green. (****) -SR

April 8, 1999 - Mycorrhiza Information Exchange

The Mycorrhiza Information Exchange is a full-featured research information and educational resource. The site features a NewsCorner (Mycorrhiza Journal), Job placement site (with positions, assistantships, postdocs, technicians, resumé files), Literature site (with journal listings, books, reviews, theses, essays, etc.), Research site (with information about techniques, grant agencies, government agencies, etc.), Teaching site (with on-line courses & other information) and a Forum site where Q & A postings and announcements may be made. Constructed and maintained by a group of interested scientists on a server at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (****) -SR

April 7, 1999 - Cryptogams in Depth

Cryptogams in Depth is primarily a photographic site. Current gallery offerings include "Mushrooms and other Basidiomycota," "Cup Fungi, Morels and other Ascomycota," "Lichens," "Mosses and Liverworts," and "Slime Molds." Stereopairs are used to illustrate how the plants really look, using "pye-eyed" and "anaglyph" (red-blue) images. This is a nice start to a site that is still developing, by Fred M. Rhoades, Biology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA. (***1/2) -SR

April 6, 1999 - World of Science: Mitosis

This page features photomicrographs of mitosis in onion root cells and whitefish blastulas. These images provide a nice overview of mitosis (nuclear division) and cell division in plants and animals. This site is part of the World of Science. (***) -SR

April 5, 1999 - Omnicyber Plant Family Key

An online guide to the families of flowering plants, this provides a clever use of frames. Clicking on a character link provides a sketch illustrating the character; clicking on the "Key" link moves to the next decision in this dichotomous key. Ultimately, a family is shown. The family descriptions provide an overview of the sub-class, order, type genus, a formal description of the family, a description of the order and important genera. An index to the families is also provided for quick access. This is a superbly implemented online key!! Housed on the Omnicyber.Org server (author not named). (****) -SR

April 2, 1999 - West Virginia University Tree Bark Web Site

This site explains the nature of bark, with particular interest devoted to the response of bark to various tree diseases, particularly various cankers. Separate sites explain the diseases and responses of angiosperms (flowering plant trees) and gymnosperms (conifers). The site features illustrated research papers and reviews. The introductory pages are suitable for beginning classes (the addition of more illustrations would be appreciated!), and the later links are suitable for those with a research interest. Site by Alan R. Biggs, West Virginia University. (***) -SR

April 1, 1999 - Mr. Edible Starchy Tuber Head

The Mr. Edible Starchy Tuber Head site provides an incomparable depth of information on this notable tuber. Included are film credits, a biography, some photos from conferences, a Hall of Fame, his worst nightmare, and lots of links. This site also features a site for viewers from other countries in the international language, Pig Latin. This site is housed on a server at SUNY-Buffalo. MR. POTATO HEAD is a trademark and © 1995 Hasbro, Inc., Pawtucket, RI. All Rights Reserved. (****) -SR

Past, past links (by date):

2006: January

2005: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2003: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2002: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2001: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2000: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

1999: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

1998: January*, February*, March*, April*, May*, June*, July, August, September, October, November, December   (*Leigh's links)

1997: January, February, March, April, May, June, September*, October*, November*, December*    (*Leigh's links)

1996: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Or search by: Subject Index

http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/bot-linx/apr99.shtml