Scott's Botanical Links
Leigh's Links -- June 1998
Scott's Botanical Links Oklahoma
Past Links:
- June 30, 1998 - Biology
on the Net
- Here are various modules for biology students
presented in Online Exhibits, Fundamental Concepts in Science, Links of Interest, and
monthly articles in "Biology Bytes" webzine. The Exhibits focus on Australian
flora and fauna and include a cool introduction to the break up of Gondwanaland as relates
to its effect on Australian species. Fundamental science tutorials include Energy Cycles,
Trophic Levels, Population Structure and Interactions, Basic Chemstry, Basic Geology, and
Basic Statistics. This is a toolbox for biologists-to-be and a typically well-done
Australian environmentally educational site by Rob Browne, Macquarie University, New South
Wales, Australia.(****) -LF
- June 29, 1998 - De
Wereldbol
- While all the rage in Florida now is the Amorphophallus
blooming in Fairchild Tropical Garden, the catalog of De Wereldbol features images of more
than several species of these weird aroids which are grown as nursery stock and are
available for sale. This is a good site for viewing unusual bulbous or tuberous plants,
likely to contain something extraordinary for even the most well-traveled of
botanists. It is also an excellent link for a survey of monocots or liliaceous plants.
Site by De Wereldbol, Holland.(****) -LF
- June 26, 1998 - 1996-1997 New
England Apple Pest Management Guide
- Anyone with an apple tree will want this guide
handy, an extension publication by six New England universities aimed at providing
information to apple growers via the internet. IPM is the "guiding philosophy"
of the manual, whose section editors are specialists in Entomology, Horticulture,
Pesticide Labels, Pesticide Safety, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science. Methods for insect
and animal pest control are described, followed by a number of tidbits on pesticide
handling, and information on growth regulators and post-harvest treatments. With all the
chemical processes it takes to raise a store-bought apple with IPM, genetic implants sound
better every day! Site edited by Glen W. Koehler, Associate Scientist IPM/NAPIAP, Pest
Management Office, Orono, Maine. (****) -LF
- June 25, 1998 - Bitterroot
Ecosystem/Management Project
- Collaborative research by scientists from the
USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, The University of Montana School of Forestry, and managers from the Bitterroot National Forest and the Northern Region is
taking place to aid preservation of the complex alpine ecosystems of western Montana
and eastern Idaho. Four Research Areas focus upon Human Issues, Vegetation, Fauna,
and Landscape Analysis for the region; each provides some degree of information on what
has been learned thus far. Of particular interest is the Vegetation Group's presentation
of Lick Creek area fire history from 1909 onwards and the "Landscape Simulation of
Succession under Alternative Management Scenarios" by Bob Keane and Steve Arno.
Discover the important role of botanists in fire ecology at this site by the Bitterroot
Ecosystem Management/Research Project, Missoula, Montana.(****) -LF
- June 24, 1998 - Food Biotechnology
- Published in September 1994, this introduction
to the role of biotechnology in future world food and crop production explains the
benefits of genetic implantations for accelerating goals in plant breeding. Now men, and
not the birds and the bees, control "the roll of the dice" in selectivity,
informed and knowledgeable as men have never been in their age-old applications of
biotechnology to crops and foods. Enhanced flavor and nutritional quality, pest, metals,
and salt resistance, heat and cold tolerance, and increased yield are taking place through
better genetic tools. Read about these and advances like bananas fused with hepatitis
vaccine at this site by the International Food Information Council, Washington, D.C.
(****) -LF
- June 23, 1998 - Biology of
Microorganisms
- Prentice Hall's companion websites for several
biology textbooks include this supplement to the text Biology of Microorganisms, eighth
edition, by Madigan, Martinko, and
Parker, Iowa State University. Intended to introduce the science of microbiology, for each
chapter in the text are a set of notes, keywords and phrases, discussion questions,
relevant web destinations and a multiple-choice self-quiz. Useful for brushing up on
micro, or for general study and review, professors and students will not want to miss this
site by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.(****) -LF
- June
22, 1998- Welcome to the Wealth of the Rainforest
- The Raintree Group companies are concerned
with developing sustainable markets for rain forests products as an alternative to
destructive forms of agriculture; to promote medicinal herbs and specialty food products
their website offers rain forest educational resources for scientists and citizens. A new
search engine has been installed for the Tropical Plant Database which houses hundreds of
informational pages and articles on medicinal plants of the Amazon. Plants are also
accessible by Common and Botanical Name, by Disorder/Action, by Plant Properties and
Actions, and by Recorded Ethnobotanical Uses. Data files on individual plants
provide images, a list of common names, medicinal activity, and clinical references.
Discover more sustainable products of the Amazon, articles, abstracts, and herbal medicine
links at this site by the Raintree Group, Austin, Texas.(****) -LF
- June 19, 1998 - Caribbean Gardens
- It was 1904 when botanist Dr. Henry Nehrling
announced "it is high time to protect and preserve what is still left (in
Florida)," and his own plant collection established in southwest Florida in
1919 survives today as Caribbean Gardens in Naples. The history of the garden is the
outstanding feature of the website. Since Nehrling's days the collection has been managed
by entrepeneur Jules Fleischmann, of the yeast Fleischmanns, then by "Jungle
Larry" and his wife Jane Tetzlaff, midwestern zookeepers (animal collectors) and
conservation advocates who finally moved their exhibit to Caribbean Gardens. Excellent
slide shows offer opportunity to see the rare Florida Panther and various tropical plant
specimens at this site by Cyber Island and Caribbean Gardens (design and programming by
Cyber Island), Naples, Florida. (****) -LF
- June 18, 1998 - UWC Internet Bio-Ed
Project
- Perhaps from a natural inclination to sort and
categorize, botanists 'round the world are emerging as conspicuous internet
facilitators, with cool displays such as the Department at the University of the Western
Cape has put together for biology education. There are resources for both teachers and
students- in particular the "Standard 8 Syllabus" has tutorials on Ecology,
Cells and Cell Division, Plant Tissues, Animal Tissues, Angiosperm Anatomy, and Human
Anatomy and Physiology. A visit to the Department's corner of the site turns up the online
course "Marine Botany" covering The Physical Environment, Rocky Shores, Mangrove
Forests and Seagrass Beds, Coral Reefs, Kelp Beds, Biodiversity, Management and
Conservation. Don't miss the splendid "Introduction to Nongeniculate Coralline
Algae" at this site by authors Derek Keats and Roy Volkwyn; maintained by Jocelyn
Collins, Botany Department, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.(****) -LF
- June 17, 1998 - The Impact
Project
- The Impact Project is a European
cooperative biotechnology program with research institutions in eight states working
together for the development of microbial soil inoculants. The significance of
rhizosphere interactions is discussed in the illustrated report "Microbiology of
Agricultural Soils" which explains the advantages of inoculants over mineral
fertilizers for enhancing plant growth. "Utilization of Microbes in the Field"
provides a table of the microbes presently used in soil inoculants. A third feature
sums up the concept of "Molecular Microbial Ecology and Innovative Biotechnology for
Agricultural Soils" and its importance to the future of sustainable agriculture. Site
by the Commission of the European Communities Directorate-General XII Science, Research
and Development, for IMPACT; Coordinator, F. O'Gara, Microbiology Department,
University College, Cork, Ireland. (****) -LF
- June 16, 1998 - The Redwood Home Page
- Folks can't seem to resist growing plants
foreign to their geographic area, and this site is for those who would like to know about
growing California coastal redwood species in the southeastern United States. Offering a
full complement of redwood resources, the publishers also keep up with the progress of
redwoods in the southeast with their monthly edition of "Southern Redwood News."
Find also pages on redwood taxonomy and a table and description of members of the
Taxodiaceae at this site by Redwood Technology, Huntsville, Alabama.(****) -LF
- June
15, 1998 - The International Development Research Center
- The International Development Research Centre
was created to "help communities in the developing world find solutions to social,
economic, and environmental problems through research." The Center's online magazine,
"Reports: Science from the Developing World" contains a wealth of articles
on topics of pollution, conservation, preservation of indigenous knowledge, agriculture,
and health. A number of full-text books are also online for printing-on-demand, whose
themes encompass Environment and Biodiversity, Economics, Food Systems, Health Information
and Research Systems, Science and Technology, Social Science and Humanities. Of particular
interest to botanists is the book "Farming Systems in the African Savanna" by
Andrew Ker, though there is material for just about any walk of the Life Sciences at this
site by the International Development Research Center, Ottawa, Canada.(****) -LF
- June 12, 1998 -
Caterpillars: especially Australian ones
- The taxonomy of Australia's 20,816 named
species of butterflies and moths has been based largely on the adult forms, or imagos,
and many of these species are as yet still unidentifiable by their larval and pupal
stage. The authors of this website are engaged in documenting the life cycle stages of
Australian moths and butterflies, with links to descriptions and images of 564 Australian
Lepidoptera species, 286 with caterpillar pictures. Larval food plants are indicated for
each species, and the plant family is linked to Watson and Dallwitz, a useful feature for
comparing Australian insect/plant relationships to those in other floras. Butterfly
gardeners too will want to consider the abundant info at this site by Don Herbison-Evans
and Stella A. Crossley, Australia.(****) -LF
- June 11, 1998 - The University
of Alabama in Huntsville Grounds Management Home Page
- The grounds department at this relatively new,
360-acre campus has a goal to develop the campus property both for beauty and for its
potential contribution to learning about the performance of trees, shrubs, and perennials
in the local area. From the present collection of some 200 ornamental trees, by the year
2000 it is planned that more than 400 ornamentals will be in this southern landscape, the
new materials now being grown from liners in a campus nursery. Deciduous trees and
conifers on campus are being catalogued with photos and records of their pros and cons in
the grounds maintenance program. Featuring also a link to The Trees of Reed College,
there is a suggestion here of what a neat web could be made of university grounds
and groundskeeping, beginning with this site by Robert Redmon, University of Alabama,
Huntsville, Alabama.(****) -LF
- June 10, 1998 - The West African Vegetable Homepage
- Here are pages for ten West African vegetables
with short descriptions of their culture and use, provided by a former Agricultural
Extention Worker trained at Makama Agricultural Training Institute in Sierra Leone.
Pictures, scientific names, alternate names, and facts on season of growth and harvest
include the better-known crops like cassava and amaranth, and some local specialties like
bologi (Crassocephalum biafrae). Ethno-econo botanists will surely want this
bookmark for reference and its recipe for good old-fashioned Groundnut Stew. Site design
by Redbud Farm with information provided by M. Haroun Hallack, now of West Virginia.
(****) -LF
- June
9, 1998 - Marvellous Guides
- The Singapore Science Center has published
thus far 31 marvellous educational guides to the natural history of Singapore, and two of
them online are particularly useful to botanists. A Guide to the Common
Vegetables features a wide range of what's in the local wet markets of Singapore,
with a description accompanied by illustrations and photographs of each vegetable. A
Guide to the Wildflowers of Singapore has tutorial pages on Parts of a flower, How
seeds are formed, Kinds of inflorescences, and How fruits and seeds of wild plants travel,
along with descriptions, illustrations , and photos of the common wildflowers. Other cool
features are to be found under School Projects, particularly the Virtual Concept Map of
Mammals produced by students at Peter Lalor Secondary College. Also check out the
Interactive Exhibits at this site by the Singapore Science Centre, Singapore. (****) -LF
- June 8,
1998 - Orchid Species Culture
- Authors Charles and Margaret Baker are on the
net, to showcase their books Orchid Species Culture Volume1: Pescatorea,
Phaius, Phalaenopsis, Pholidota, Phragmipedium, Pleione; and Volume2: Dendrobium,
along with some valuable resources of interest to growers and breeders of orchids. A table
of Day Length for Various Latitudes has length of daylight hours for each half-month and
every 5° of latitude from 60°N to 60°S. The Orchid Culture Sheet Sampler has 38 free
sample culture sheets of orchid species, produced in the same format as can be obtained
through the Bakers' complete culture sheet library service (Culture on Demand) available
by subscription. And don't miss the authors' collection of informative links at this site
by Charles and Margaret Baker, designed by Troy Meyers, Poulsbo, Washington.(****) -LF
- June 5, 1998 - Plant
Biology 5105: Morphology of Vascular Plants
- From a course intended for the mature
botanical audience, the net version of the syllabus, lab handouts, and glossary are of use
and interest to almost any level of discussion of the Morphology of Vascular Plants.
Each lecture of the syllabus refers to a discussion paper, and notes and labs are
frequently linked to the glossary or web resources. The Links to World Wide Web Resources
page has a very well-organized outline of image collections at other morphology-related
sites, covering Lower Vascular Plants through the Zingiberaceae. Site by Beth Kent and the
Department of Plant Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
Minnesota.(****) -LF
- June 4, 1998 - Floristic
Biodiversity Plant Images
- The image collection for Biology 596 offers
opportunity for seeing representative species of and in various southern Californian
ecosystems. Chaparral and Riparian Plants, Desert Plants, Vernal Pool Plants,
Estuary, Marsh, and Coastal Dune Plants, and Plants of the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains
are depicted in several of their aspects for easy comparison with relatives in other
localities. A syllabus is provided, but no notes, though it is clear class is more out of
than in the classroom at this site by Michael Simpson, San Diego State University, San
Diego, California.(****) -LF
- June 3, 1998 - Botanic Gardens
Conservation International
- BGCI was founded in 1987 to establish a global
network of botanic gardens to implement a worldwide plant conservation strategy. Members
receive educational materials, newsletters and BGCI publications, including technical
publications on conservation techniques. A number of papers concerning the horticulture
and administration of botanic gardens and their role in conservation education are
published online, linked under Publications in the feature titled "Botanic Gardens in
a Changing World: The Proceedings of the Third International Botanic Gardens
Conservation Congress 1992." There's still time to reserve a place at the Fifth
International Botanical Gardens Conservation Congress. "People and Planet Earth-the
role of botanic gardens in sustainable living ," 14-18 September, 1998, Kirstenbosch,
Cape Town, South Africa. Details for this and membership information are at this site by
E. Martín-Consuegra and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Surrey, UK.(****) -LF
- June 2, 1998 - Department of Botany
- There are several noteworthy new features at
the Smithsonian Botany site, in addition to its heretofore primary feature, a catalog of
botanically illustrated Melastomataceae, Cactaceae, and Bromeliaceae. A Phylogenetic Key
to the Zingiberales distinguishes the families of the order, illustrated with images
of the inflorescences typifying each. The Algae Home Page provides techniques for the
collection and preservation of algae, abstracts of recent publications, and an outstanding
page of Phycological Web Links. The Lichen Home Page is good for finding out "What is
a Lichen?" and there is timely information posted on the XVI International Botanical
Congress to be held in 1999 in St. Louis, Missouri, where all botanists eventually meet.
Site by the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington
D.C..(****) -LF
- June 1, 1998 - Botanical Dermatology
- Every botanist should have access to a
plant-induced dermatosis reference like the Botanical Dermatology Chapter from The
Electronic Textbook of Dermatology. Covered in detail are the major categories of
irritations caused by plants- contact urticaria, allergic contact dermatitis, irritant
dermatitis, phytophotodermatitis, and occupational plant dermatitis, preceded by a quick
introduction to botanical nomenclature and classification. Disease symptoms, the plants,
their families, and their injurious chemicals are discussed in an illustrated text. For
the best botanists, who steer themselves and their friends clear of poison ivy and never
actually get to see a case, are real life photos that clearly tell the tale at this site
by the Internet Dermatology Society with Thomas W. McGovern, Chief, Dermatology Service,
Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas; and Theodore M. Barkley, Division of
Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.(****) -LF
