tripsis

I don't really get the desire for sickly mutants. It one of the reasons I don't like variegated plants.

Perhaps, but this is more out of interest of the taxonomy of the genus.Obviously it would be nice to be able to grow them, but for now, it's somewhat irrelevant. I've got a great deal more to add, just need to read through what I've got first, etc.

Until recently, I was under the impression that only two Ephedra species occurred in India. As it turns out, there are potentially 11 species, though this is debatable. A paper published from 2010 (titled "Two New Species of Ephedra (Ephedraceae) from the Western Himalayan Region") described two new species of Ephedra found in India, E. kardangensis and E. khurikensis. I've attached the article below for those interested in reading it. Furthermore, it makes reference to a third recently described species. E. sumlingensis, though I'm unable to access the original publication, it being a chapter in a book (Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India, Vol. 50, Nos. 1- 4). When I first read this, I was both excited and surprised. The last time I was in India, I found two Ephedra species myself (E. gerardiana and E. regeliana) in an area not far from where these putative new species have been found. In fact, I even passed through one of the areas. So this new information got me thinking. When I next go back, I definitely plan of seeking out some of the other reported species. Two New Species of Ephedra (Ephedraceae) from the Western Himalayan Region.pdf Upon further reading, it became apparent that these newly described species may not be new species at all. The IUCN Red List recognises both E. kardangensis and E. khurikensis as separate species, but classifies E. sumlingensis as a synonym of E. intermedia. However, Kakiuchi et al. (2011), using DNA sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (nr ITS1), found E. intermedia to be polyphyletic, stating: Sharma et al. (2010), the authors of the newly described species, argue that they are morphologically distinct from E. intermedia: Obviously at this stage, it is impossible to tell who is correct and whether the newly described species from India deserve specific status of not. It does appear likely that as least some of the populations attributed to E. intermedia may in fact be separate species.

Awesome, thanks mate.

I'm chasing a chapter in an ebook that's only accessible through Scribd. Don't want to have to sign up just to get this one chapter, so was wondering if anyone here has a paid subscription?

Thanks for checking though!

A very interesting article. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/microbiomes_at_the_roots_a_new_look_at_forest_ecology/2699/

It is pretty unexpected. Guess it's a case of convergent evolution in the case of similarities between papaya and mountain papaya. Have you considered babaco instead?

Impossibly difficult format to copy and paste, so link below. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/pp-tcr112013.php

I've successfully done culture work while travelling on a train in India. Technique is more important than using alcohol, a flowhood, etc.

Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India, Vol. 50, Nos. 1- 4. I really doubt you have it, but if you do, that would be amazing.

Luminous Beauty: The Secret World of Fluorescent ArthropodsBy Gwen Pearson 11.20.13 10:12 AM Scorpions (prob. Lychas scutilus) under UV light. This photo shows how UV reflectivity on different parts of the body varies. In fact, those variations have been proposed as a way to examine scorpion morphology without using electron microscopy. Photo © Nicky Bay. Scorpion mother with her young riding on her back. Illuminated with Ultraviolet torch and a red LED. Note that the kids do not glow under UV light! This reflects changes in their exoskeletons as they mature. In this photo the young are a bit older, and you can start to see the reflective pattern develop on their exoskeletons. Photo © Nicky Bay Harvestman (Opiliones) under UV light. In the US, these are also sometimes called Daddy Long Legs. They are not spiders, and do not build webs. They are often scavengers, and will eat pretty much anything. You can see a photo of the same animal in normal light here; it's...well. In a discussion of how to describe the color we came up with "booger"; "snot"; and "Jolly Rancher Green Apple." You should probably never accept candy from that last person. Photo © Nicky Bay. Millipede under UV light (Diplopoda). Millipedes under UV look like a strange tiny train from Studio Ghibli. Photo © Nicky Bay This spider (Paraplectana sp) is a nice example of how fluorescent compounds are not evenly distributed within cuticle. What that means for the spider--or if the glowing is important to spider behavior--is not known. In regular light, this is a pale yellow and white spider. Also, I propose the the common name of the 1-Up spider. Image © Nicky Bay This lovely spider looks quite different during the day--it's known as the Bird Dung Spider (Pasilobus sp.). Yes. It looks like bird poo in normal light. Recent research suggests many spiders may fluoresce, and that some also have fluorescing compounds in their blood. Overall, 41 genera and 19 families of spiders are known to glow under UV light. Photo © Nicky Bay This Crab Spider (Tmarus sp.) has an interesting pattern--its legs and cephalothorax reflect UV, but not its abdomen. Photo © Nicky Bay Scorpion (prob. Liocheles australasiae) Illuminated with a 365nm ultraviolet LED (6s) and ambient light. Photo by Nicky Bay. Another shot of the Harvestman (Opiliones) under UV light. This wasn't one of Nicky Bay's favorite photos, but I love it and asked to include it. It shows what we might see if we were a tiny animal, watching this larger one moving by in the night. Wonderful and unexpected colors and patterns. Photo © Nicky Bay You might not realize that all around you, an amazing show is going on. Many arthropods (insects, spiders, and relatives) have a secret: They glow under ultraviolet light. Lightning bugs and other bioluminescent animals produce their glow from a chemical reaction. Scorpions and some relatives produce a blue-green glow via fluorescence. Under ultraviolet light (320-400 nm), molecules in their exoskeleton absorb and re-emit UV as visible light (excited electrons are involved, but let’s skip the details for now). Photographer Nicky Bay has documented the way in which a wide variety of arthropods glow under UV light. Honestly, I can’t get a decent picture with a regularly lit camera, so I’m in awe of his photos, which he graciously allowed me to reproduce here. I asked Nicky why he started shining UV light on animals he was photographing, and I loved his answer: Macro photography to me, has been about discovery of nature and opening a special window into a realm surrounding us that is often overlooked. UV expands this spectrum and in a way, exposes unique visuals and beauty normally not visible to the naked eye. Casting UV light on everything we see can sometimes lead to pleasant surprises, and I enjoy opening this “window” to everyone. I could not ask for a better statement about Charismatic Minifauna. Why do these arthropods glow, anyway? Arthropod cuticle is non living, and made up of many crosslinked layers. Diagram courtesy BIODIDAC. Short answer: we don’t really know for a lot of these animals. For non-scorpions, a lot of the literature is pretty much summarized as “Whoa, Dude! It Glows!” For scorpions, the mechanism of the glow has been studied in more detail. Scorpions have “cuticular fluorescence.” Basically, compounds in their exoskeleton absorb and re-emit ultraviolet light as visible light (light humans can see). The exoskeleton of an arthropod is made from composite materials that are both strong and flexible. It’s the outermost layer, epicuticle, that produces the glow, and it seems to be something that changes chemically as the animals grow. Two compounds are involved in scorpion UV fluorescence: beta-carboline and 4-methyl, 7-hydroxycoumarin. You might recognize coumarin as a common plant compound, and it’s often used as a perfume or in cinnamon flavors. I do not advise sniffing or licking a scorpion to see if they taste like a Cinnabon, though. Some interesting ideas have been proposed for why scorpions and other arthropods glow like this. While humans can’t see UV light, most insects can, and much of the world around us looks quite different in UV light. Some experiments show that scorpions may use presence of UV light as a way to detect shelter. (They determined this by putting tiny little goggles on the scorpions that blocked their vision; sadly, no photos of that were in the research paper.) Others have proposed this glow is a leftover from the Early Devonian period when land was first occupied by giant scorpions and millipedes. UV-reflecting compounds might have helped those early ancestors tolerate time in the sun. We do know that coumarins in plants have a sunblock function for young seedlings. If you’d like to see more amazing UV photos from Nicky Bay, check out his Flickr set of more tiny glowing animals. Source.

No problem, hope you find them of interest. Unfortunately one of the files is too big to upload here. I can email it to you if you want. Title: "A survey of the microbial community in the rhizosphere of two dominant shrubs of the Negev Desert highlands, Zygophyllum dumosum (Zygophyllaceae) and Atriplex halimus (Amaranthaceae), using cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods." 1689.full.pdf 1692.full.pdf 1706.full.pdf 1726.full.pdf 1738.full.pdf

Bump.

Didn't even get to see it...

Amazing work Amz, some very impressive and intricate pieces you've made. That little loph button in the first post is cute.

Yep.

Yeah, fair enough, they could have written it in a different light. I still appreciate the topic actually being written about though. Most people will probably react in revulsion, but some people will actually think about it.

Scientists make cheese from human toe jam By Aaron Souppouris on November 25, 2013 06:12 am Email @AaronIsSocial 7inShare Eating the coagulated lactations of other animals is one of humanity's stranger habits, but rest assured that cheese derived from cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk has nothing on this. Selfmade is an exhibit that hosts a number of cheeses crafted from cells collected from human bodies. Part art, part science, it's the work of Christina Agapakis and Prof. Sissel Tolaas, who sampled microbes from human mouths, toes, navels, and even tears to craft a set of 11 unique cheeses for Grow Your Own, a synthetic biology exhibition at Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin. Cheese made from toe microbes. (Dezeen / Selfmade) Agapakis, a biologist currently finishing her post-doc at UCLA, was interested in cultivating discussion around how we interact with bacteria in our daily lives. Tolaas, an artist who works extensively with odors and describes herself as "a professional in-betweener" given the intersections of her work with other fields, hoped to "challenge the notion that 'bad' smells should be deoderized," Agapakis says. "People have a mixture of repulsion and attraction to cheese, and this gives us a chance to have a really interesting conversation about bacteria and odors, and why they might gross people out." The two used swabs to collect the bacteria, including some from Michael Pollan's belly button, which they then grew in petri dishes. From there, each sample was added to milk in order to create the cheese. Although each cheese carries something of a unique bacterial signature from its human donor, Agapakis says you wouldn't know it from taking a sniff. "Each one smells different, but I don't think the smells mimic the odor of the person," she says. And those considering a nibble might want to think twice. "I'm not a professional cheese-maker, so there is a health risk there," Agapakis notes. "These aren't for human consumption." Link. So, would you try it?

Yes indeed, we've had our fun. Cheese is back on the menu.

Bush Heritage!!

If anyone is interested, I can post the PDFs from that series. Personally, I find this topic incredibly interesting and more than a little pertinent to growing healthy plants.

Lindsay, plenty of people around here have good quality cultures of a great range of edible mushrooms. I recommend you start from one of these cultures. You will have much better results.

Wow, that's at least at little bit ridiculous. What's the particle board for?

Good use of space!