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Brian R. Maricle Research

 (Download Brian R. Maricle's Curriculum Vitae)

 Interests

 Responses of plants to flooding

  • Environmental factors influencing species zonation in estuaries and wetlands
  • Physiological, biochemical, and anatomical factors influencing flooding tolerance in plants
  • Effects of low oxygen levels on respiration and nitrogen assimilation in plants
  • Roles of flooding tolerance in the success of wetland invasive specie
  • Novel capabilities of plants beneficial to agriculture and phytoremediation

 Effects of environment on photosynthesis in plants

  • Effects of drought and salinity on stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and transpiration
  • Physiological, biochemical, and anatomical factors influencing drought and salinity tolerance in plant
  • Roles of latent, sensible, and radiative heat exchange under changing environmental conditions
  • Physiological and biochemical responses to oxidative stress in plants
  • Carbon and hydrogen isotope discrimination in photosynthesis and transpiration
  • Effects of chilling on photosynthetic light harvesting, gas exchange, and carbon metabolism

 

My research involves investigating physiological, biochemical, anatomical, and biophysical adaptations that enable plants to live under conditions of environmental stress. Much of my earlier work focused on responses of wetland and estuarine plants to conditions of flooding and salinity. During my graduate research, I studied how estuarine Spartina grasses (Poaceae) tolerate coastal mudflat conditions. I identified several physiological and biochemical features that contribute to flooding tolerance and estuarine zonation, including internal oxygen transport, anaerobic respiration capacity, aerobic demand, and oxygen affinity. Since then, my students and I have expanded my work to investigate processes in other systems. My students are now working on projects to characterize species zonation in freshwater wetlands, mechanisms of flooding tolerance in freshwater plants, effects of drought on prairie grasses, effects of creek drying on riparian plants, effects of oil well brine on plant productivity, and nitrate assimilation in wetland plants. Our work is helping to characterize general mechanisms of drought or waterlogging tolerance across plants, including other economically important crop species or ecologically relevant systems like wetlands.

 lab_picture_042613

The "Killer B's" lab group on 4/26/2013. Left to right: Bliss Betzen, Hayley Disney, Katelyn Lindsey, Keri Caudle, Cera Smart, Quentin Aker, Nicole Martin, and Brian Maricle.
Not pictured: Taylor Biggs.

 

 Killer_Bs  

The "Killer B's" lab group on 5/1/2012. Back row: Bliss Betzen, Brian Maricle, Keri Caudle, and Shaley White.
Front row: Alondra Meraz, Nyasha Maforo, and Cera Smart.
Not pictured: Jake Olsen, Karina Barrett, and Taylor Biggs.

Lab_work

"The Hive" is buzzing. Left to right: Alex Hatfield, Nicole Martin, Cera Smart, and Taylor Biggs.

 

Publications 

Current Projects in the Lab

  1. Environment and genotype interactions in big bluestem
  2. Mechanisms of flooding tolerance in freshwater marsh species
  3. Explaining the success of aquatic invasive species by physiological mechanisms
  4. Halophyte water relations, photosynthesis, and energy balances
  5. Effects of oil on plant photosynthesis and respiration
  6. The role of sulfide toxicity on flooding tolerance in plants
  7. Mechanisms of chilling-tolerant C4 photosynthesis in Spartina
  8. Effects of drought on native prairie grasses
  9. Factors influencing aerenchyma development in Spartina roots
  10. The role of ethanol toxicity on flooding tolerance in plants
  11. Effects of drought on turf grasses

 
 Killer_Bs_small

Current Lab Members

Karina_Barrett Karina M. Barrett, M.S. student
B.S., Fort Hays State University
Hometown: Holcomb, KS
Lab member since: August 2011
Thesis project: Effects of nitrate and phosphate concentrations on growth and performance of native and introduced aquatic and riparian plants
 Katelyn_Lindsey2
Katelyn J. Lindsey, M.S. student
B.S., Kansas State University
Hometown: Stockton, KS
Lab member since: June 2012
Thesis project:
Keri_Caudle3 Keri L. Caudle, B.S. student
Major: Biology
Hometown: Burkburnett, TX
Lab member since: June 2010
Project:
Effects of oil spills on native and introduced coastal species
Project:
Effects of NO3- concentration on N uptake rates, assimilation,and photosynthesis in native and introduced grasses 
 Taylor_Biggs Taylor N. Biggs, B.S. student
Major: Biology
Hometown: Lincoln, KS
Lab member since: January 2012
Project: Effects of wind on NO3-/NH4+ nutrition in reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
 Cera_Smart
Cera M. Smart
Major: KAMS
Hometown:
Lab member since: January 2012
Project: Physiological effects of salinity on inland salt marsh species
 Bliss_Betzen
Bliss M. Betzen
Major: KAMS
Hometown:
Lab member since: February 2012
Project:
Physiological effects of salinity on inland salt marsh species
 Hayley_Disney Hayley L. Disney
Major: KAMS
Hometown:
Lab member since: September 2012
Project:
Physiological effects of drought on turf grass species
 Quentin_Aker2 Quentin C. Aker
Major: KAMS
Hometown:
Lab member since: September 2012
Project:
Physiological effects of drought on inland turf grass species
Nicole_Martin Nicole M. Martin, B.S. student
Major: Biology
Hometown:
Lab member since: September 2012
Project: Effects of sulfide toxicity on cytochrome c oxidase activities in plants

  

Past Lab Members

 Lizz_Waring Elizabeth (Lizz) F. Waring, M.S. student
B.S., U
niversity of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Lab member: 2008-2010
Thesis:
 Flooding tolerance of native and nonnative grasses: variation in photosynthesis, transpiration, respiration,and carbon isotope discrimination

Fellowship project: Mechanisms of chilling-tolerant C4 photosynthesis in Spartina
 
Kristen_Polacik Kristen A. Polacik, M.S. student
B.S., Marshall University
Hometown: New Martinsville, WV
Lab member: 2008-2010
Thesis: Effects of flooding on photosynthesis and root respiration in saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima), an invasive riparian shrub
 
Jake_Olsen3 Jacob T. Olsen, M.S. student
B.S., University of Utah
Hometown:
Morgan, UT
Lab member: 2010-2012
Thesis: Gas exchange and leaf anatomy of Andropogon gerardii ecotypes over a climatic gradient of the Great Plains
 Jordan_Brungardt Jordan J. Brungardt, B.S. student
Major: Biology
Hometown: Hays, KS
Lab member: 2007-2010
Project: Effects of oil well brine on soil salinity and plant performance
Project: Root hair curling during nodulation in legumes
Project: Factors influencing aerenchyma development in Spartina (Poaceae)
 
 Rika_Isomura2 Rika Isomura, B.S. student
Major: Biology
Hometown: Ena, Japan
Lab member: 2010
Project: Effects of soil flooding in Celosia
 
Aaron Pfeifer Aaron M. Pfeifer, B.S. student
Major: Pre-Med
Hometown: Hays, KS
Lab member: 2007 - 2009
Project: Effects of diet and activity on food usage and storage in FHSU students by stable isotope analyses
Project: Survey of ascorbic acid concentration and osmolality in orange juice and apple juice from a local grocer
 
Cali Parker

Cali R. Parker, B.S. student
Major: Accounting
Hometown:
Lab member: 2008-2009
Project: Mechanisms of chilling-tolerant C4 photosynthesis in Spartina
 

Alondra_Meraz Alondra Meraz
Major: KAMS
Hometown: Hugoton, KS
Lab member: 2011-2012
Project: The role of ethanol toxicity on flooding susceptibility in plants
Shaley_White Shaley J. White
Major: KAMS
Hometown: Leoti, KS
Lab member: 2011-2012
Project: The role of ethanol toxicity on flooding susceptibility in plants
Nyasha_Maforo Nyasha G. Maforo
Major: KAMS
Hometown: Winfield, KS
Lab member: 2012
Project:
The role of ethanol toxicity on flooding susceptibility in plants  
Shi He Shi He
B.S., Wuhan University
Hometown: Wuhan, China
Lab member: 2007-2008
Project: Nitrate reductase activity and expression in Spartina (Poaceae)
 
Sam Zwenger Aaron Pfeifer Sam R. Zwenger, Lab technician
M.S. and B.S., Fort Hays State University
Hometown: Hays, KS
Lab member: Summer 2007
Project: Effect of creek drying on photosynthesis and transpiration of riparian trees
 

 

Student Involvement

My work is well-suited for student involvement, and I have always involved students in my work. Students can gain valuable lab/field experience and ″hands-on″ learning, and I am happy for the help in the lab or field. If you are a current FHSU student and are interested in work similar to what is described here, feel free to contact me to discuss the possibility of work in my lab. Feel free to get in touch to discuss possibilities.

 

 Interested in becoming a graduate student in my lab? Read this.

Text and photos by Brian R. Maricle (photos of Bliss Betzen, Taylor Biggs, and Cera Smart by Keri Caudle)

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 last updated 27 April 2013