Dissertation Research: A Biosystematic Investigation of the Genus Cornus in the Americas
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Penelope L. Firth', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Under the guidance of faculty adviser Dr. Robert Wilbur,                   graduate student Zack Murrell of Duke University will study the                 Mexican species of dogwoods with the ultimate goal of providing a               taxonomic revision of the genus Cornus from a worldwide                         perspective.  Field collections will facilitate study of                        variation within and between species in features of plant                       architecture (overall growth form), stem color, fruit color, and                habitat.  Seeds will be collected in order to grow the plants in                a common-garden environment, to examine germination requirements,               and to study seedling morphology.  The collected material will be               used in scanning electron microscopy studies, chromosome                        investigations, anatomical studies, and examination of                          developmental patterns of growth.                                                    The dogwood genus, Cornus, comprises a group of                            approximately 60 species growing in temperate regions of eastern                Asia, Pacific Northwest, eastern North America, and the mountains               of Mexico.  Although all the dogwoods have similar leaves,                      flowers, and pubescence, they exhibit great variation in growth                 forms (trees, shrubs, and perennial herbs with woody rhizomes)                  and in the arrangement of flowers on the plants, which can vary                 from an open branched structure to a tightly packed head of                     flowers surrounded by showy white leaves (bracts).  Attempts to                 distinguish species have been controversial and have had to rely                upon subtle differences in recondite characters.  Completion of                 Murrell's multifaceted study will improve greatly our                           understanding of variation in the dogwoods and set the stage for                a worldwide taxonomic revision.
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{'Name': 'Duke University', 'CityName': 'DURHAM', 'ZipCode': '277054640', 'PhoneNumber': '9196843030', 'StreetAddress': '2200 W MAIN ST', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'North Carolina', 'StateCode': 'NC', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '04', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'NC04', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'TP7EK8DZV6N5', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'DUKE UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '112700', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}
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