Tag: Plants

  • Theca

    Theca

    In biology, a theca (pl.: thecae) is a sheath or a covering. Botany The typical anther is bilocular, i.e. it consists of two thecae. Each theca contains two microsporangia, also known as pollen sacs. The microsporangia produce the microspores, which for seed plants are known as pollen grains. If the pollen sacs are not adjacent, or if they open separately, then no thecae are…

    Read more...

  • Xylotheque

    Xylotheque

    A xylotheque or xylothek (from the Greek xylon for “wood” and theque meaning “repository”) is special form of herbarium that consists of a collection of authenticated wood specimens.[1] It is also known as a xylarium (from the Greek xylon for “wood” and Latin arium meaning “separate place”). Traditionally, xylotheque specimens were in the form of book-shaped volumes, each made of a particular kind of wood and holding samples of the different parts…

    Read more...

  • Perivitellins are egg proteins found in the perivitelline fluid of many gastropods

    Perivitellins are multifunctional complexes providing the developing embryo with nutrition, protection from the environment, and defense against predators. Despite the central role perivitellins play in reproduction and development, there is little information about their role in gastropod Molluscs. Most studies of perivitellins have been performed in eggs of Ampullaridae, a family of freshwater snails (Caenogastropoda), notably the Pomacea genus, mostly…

    Read more...

  • Ectodomain Shedding & Sheddases & a whole bunch of Adams

    An ectodomain is the domain of a membrane protein that extends into the extracellular space (the space outside a cell). Ectodomains are usually the parts of proteins that initiate contact with surfaces, which leads to signal transduction. A notable example of an ectodomain is the S protein, commonly known as the spike protein, of the viral particle responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The ectodomain region of the…

    Read more...

  • Juvenile hormone (and Methoprene)

    Juvenile hormones (JHs) are a group of acyclic sesquiterpenoids that regulate many aspects of insect physiology. The first discovery of a JH was by Vincent Wigglesworth. JHs regulate development, reproduction, diapause, and polyphenisms. The chemical formula for juvenile hormone is C18H30O3. In insects, JH (formerly neotenin) refers to a group of hormones, which ensure growth of the larva, while preventing metamorphosis. Because of their rigid exoskeleton, insects grow…

    Read more...

  • Phosphorylation

    In biochemistry, phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion.[1] This process and its inverse, dephosphorylation, are common in biology.[2] Protein phosphorylation often activates (or deactivates) many enzymes.[3][4] During respiration and photosynthesis Phosphorylation is essential to the processes of both anaerobic and aerobic respiration, which involve the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the “high-energy” exchange medium in the cell. During aerobic respiration, ATP is synthesized…

    Read more...

  • Zinc, maybe

    Zinc, maybe

    No proof for the need of zinc in human cells was shown until the late 1930s. More than most ever wanted to know about zinc. A work in progress.

    Read more...

  • Cyanamide notes (it was a polio vaccine that spurred these notes and by now polio has five mentions on the page and these are two of them)

    Cyanamide notes (it was a polio vaccine that spurred these notes and by now polio has five mentions on the page and these are two of them)

    I’m going to add some polio vaccine stuff at the top of these notes. Hilary Koprowski is the one mentioned on the Polio Hall of Fame page who was not included in the hideous monument, see What In God’s Name, even though he (and his work) have direct connection to those who are included. He…

    Read more...

  • Phytoremediation is the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms to remove or render harmless toxic environmental contaminants

    Phytoremediation is the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms to remove or render harmless toxic environmental contaminants

    Phytoremediation technologies use living plants to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous contaminants. It is defined as “the use of green plants and the associated microorganisms, along with proper soil amendments and agronomic techniques to either contain, remove or render toxic environmental contaminants harmless”.  The term is an amalgam of the Greek phyto (plant) and Latin remedium (restoring balance). Although…

    Read more...

  • Phytoextraction is the removal of dangerous elements or compounds from soil or water by plants

    Phytoextraction is the removal of dangerous elements or compounds from soil or water by plants

    Phytoextraction is a subprocess of phytoremediation in which plants remove dangerous elements or compounds from soil or water, most usually heavy metals, metals that have a high density and may be toxic to organisms even at relatively low concentrations. The heavy metals that plants extract are toxic to the plants as well, and the plants used for phytoextraction are…

    Read more...

  • Heme metabolic intermediates

    (porphyrin biosynthesis and heme degradation/excretion) and various other notes

    Read more...

  • Buzz Pollination or Sonication

    Buzz Pollination or Sonication

    Buzz pollination or sonication is a technique used by some bees, such as solitary bees to release pollen which is more or less firmly held by the anthers. The anthers of buzz-pollinated plant species are typically tubular, with an opening at only one end, and the pollen inside is smooth-grained and firmly attached. With self-fertile plants such as tomatoes, wind may be sufficient…

    Read more...

  • Hibiscus schizopetalus aka Japanese lantern is a species of Hibiscus

    Hibiscus schizopetalus aka Japanese lantern is a species of Hibiscus

    Hibiscus schizopetalus is a species of Hibiscus native to tropical eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Its common names include fringed rosemallow, Japanese lantern, coral hibiscus, and spider hibiscus. Description Hibiscus schizopetalus is a shrub growing to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall. The red or pink flowers are very distinctive in their frilly, finely divided petals. Flowers with finely dissected petal have a range of colours, the most common being the red form (Keena et…

    Read more...

  • Alkekengi aka Chinese lantern is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family

    Alkekengi aka Chinese lantern is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family

    Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Subfamily: Solanoideae Tribe: Physaleae Genus: AlkekengiMill. Species: A. officinarum Binomial name Alkekengi officinarumMoench Alkekengi officinarum, the bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese-lantern, strawberry groundcherry, or winter cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is a close relative of the new world Calliphysalis carpenteri (Carpenter’s groundcherry) and a somewhat more distant…

    Read more...

  • herm. and Herm.

    herm. is a botanical/zoological abbreviation for hermaphrodite, a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Herm. following the name of a Christian saint denotes that the saint was a hermit

    Read more...