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Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP

The flowering responses of two species of Watsonia (W. humilis and W. tabularis) were studied both in the field and in the laboratory. There was no conclusive evidence that heat treatments directly influenced the flowering response. Instead, it appears that flowering may result from a number of fact...

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Main Author: Waher, Ivo Gregor
Other Authors: Mitchell, D T
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Biological Sciences 2016
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access_status_str Open Access
author Waher, Ivo Gregor
author2 Mitchell, D T
author_browse Mitchell, D T
Waher, Ivo Gregor
author_facet Mitchell, D T
Waher, Ivo Gregor
author_sort Waher, Ivo Gregor
collection Thesis
description The flowering responses of two species of Watsonia (W. humilis and W. tabularis) were studied both in the field and in the laboratory. There was no conclusive evidence that heat treatments directly influenced the flowering response. Instead, it appears that flowering may result from a number of factors such as watering, clearing the soil surface of vegetation and transplantation. The effects of temperature on seed germination were also investigated. 15 - 18° are the optimum temperature conditions for germination although viability is not affected by incubation at temperatures up to 35° C. Carbohydrates in the form of mucilaginous polysaccharide are the major storage reserves of the corms. These polysaccharides as well as the ethanol soluble carbohydrates were determined at different stages in the life cycle of Watsonia spp. by means of gas-liquid and paper chromatography. There was little variation in the levels of cold water soluble polysaccharide at different stages in the vegetative development of the corms, but during seed pod formation the monomer components of these polysaccharides declined. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the ecology of both W. tabularis and W. humilis.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
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license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2016
publishDateRange 2016
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publisher Department of Biological Sciences
publisherStr Department of Biological Sciences
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/16640 Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP Waher, Ivo Gregor Mitchell, D T Botany The flowering responses of two species of Watsonia (W. humilis and W. tabularis) were studied both in the field and in the laboratory. There was no conclusive evidence that heat treatments directly influenced the flowering response. Instead, it appears that flowering may result from a number of factors such as watering, clearing the soil surface of vegetation and transplantation. The effects of temperature on seed germination were also investigated. 15 - 18° are the optimum temperature conditions for germination although viability is not affected by incubation at temperatures up to 35° C. Carbohydrates in the form of mucilaginous polysaccharide are the major storage reserves of the corms. These polysaccharides as well as the ethanol soluble carbohydrates were determined at different stages in the life cycle of Watsonia spp. by means of gas-liquid and paper chromatography. There was little variation in the levels of cold water soluble polysaccharide at different stages in the vegetative development of the corms, but during seed pod formation the monomer components of these polysaccharides declined. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the ecology of both W. tabularis and W. humilis. 2016-02-01T10:03:16Z 2016-02-01T10:03:16Z 1974 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16640 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Botany
Waher, Ivo Gregor
Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP
title_full Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP
title_fullStr Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP
title_full_unstemmed Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP
title_short Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP
title_sort certain aspects of the biology of watsonia spp
topic Botany
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16640
work_keys_str_mv AT waherivogregor certainaspectsofthebiologyofwatsoniaspp