The honors college at West Virginia University (WVU) has seen an influx of high-achieving West Virginia students since 2001, when the PROMISE Scholarship was implemented. The PROMISE Scholarship is a merit-based financial aid award for West Virginia residents. If a student qualifies by achieving a certain GPA and ACT/SAT score, he or she receives a scholarship that covers the full cost of tuition at any state college or university in West Virginia. West Virginia University has benefited greatly from the PROMISE Scholarship. About half of all PROMISE Scholars attend West Virginia University (Higher Education Policy Commission, 2007), and many are part of the honors college. Honors college administrators at WVU were interested in evaluating how the PROMISE Scholarship might have changed the college's demographics, specifically with regard to socioeconomic diversity. Statewide merit-based scholarship programs have proliferated since the 1990s. Though researchers have hotly contested them, the development of these programs has been steady, and existing programs continue to grow (Henry, 1998 and Heller, 2002). Some claim that the broad-based merit-aid programs have been contrary to the original goals of the 1965 Higher Education Act, which sought to expand access to college through need-based financial aid (Dynarski, 2002; Heller, 2002; Lumina, 2006). Similarly, critics have suggested the inherently disparate impact of broad-based merit-aid programs: students from middle- and upper-income families who are naturally predisposed to college participation are far more likely to benefit from scholarships like the PROMISE. Originally the PROMISE program enabled high school students with a 3.0 GPAand a score of 21 on the ACT the opportunity to receive a full-tuition scholarship to any state college or university in West Virginia. Subsequently, ACT/SAT eligibility criteria have gradually been raised. In order to attain the scholarship in 2008, students must have at least a 22 ACT score, with no one subtest score of less than 20. These new criteria have exacerbated the lack of diversity in PROMISE Scholarship recipients even further, as supported by data from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission suggesting that low-income students would be disproportionately affected by higher standards. Though the PROMISE Scholarship is based on merit and not financial need, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a required part of the application. FAFSA gauges students' and families' ability to pay for higher education and allows the federal government to determine a student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC determines how much need-based aid a student receives from the federal and/or state governments. Tracking the EFC of PROMISE recipients enables researchers to determine families' financial need. The researchers in this study tracked the EFC of honors college students at WVU before and after the PROMISE Scholarship. The data collection included three years prior to the implementation of PROMISE up through 2007, the most recent data available (West Virginia University IDEAS database, 2008). Using information garnered from these documents, this study assessed changes over time in honors college demographics. The implications of this preliminary research were surprising and informative. First, there is a correlation between the PROMISE Scholarship and the number of students enrolled in WVU's honors college. Enrollment has sharply increased since the implementation of PROMISE and would continue to grow without institutional caps on the number of students admitted to the college. Secondly, the time it takes for honors college students to graduate has decreased; the researchers see this as a positive development. The PROMISE Scholarship may provide honors college students an incentive to fit all their coursework into four years or less since PROMISE covers only eight semesters of tuition. …

In order to evaluate the efficacy of constructed wetlands for treatment of domestic wastewater for small communities located in rural areas, small-scale wetland mesocosms (400L each) containing two treatment designs (a mixture of Typha, Scirpus, and Juncus species; control without vegetation) were planted into two depths (45 or 60cm) with pea gravel. Each mesocosm received 19L/day of primary-treated domestic sewage. Mesocosms were monitored (inflow and outflow samples) on a monthly basis over a 2-year period for pH, total suspended solids (TSS), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), dissolved oxygen (DO), and conductivity. Microbiological analyses included enumeration of fecal coliforms, enterococci, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and coliphage. Significant differences between influent and effluent water quality for the vegetated wetlands (p<0.05) were observed in TSS, BOD5, and TKN. Increased DO and reduction in fecal coliform, enterococcus, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and coliphage populations also were observed in vegetated wetlands. Greatest microbial reductions were observed in the planted mesocosms compared to those lacking vegetation. Despite marked reduction of several contaminants, wetland-treated effluents did not consistently meet final discharge limits for receiving bodies of water. Removal efficiencies for bacteria and several chemical parameters were more apparent during the initial year compared to the second year of operation, suggesting concern for long-term efficiency and stability of such wetlands.

Both Abutilon theophrasti and Amaranthus retroflexus exhibit resistance to the herbicide atrazine. However, the biochemical basis of resistance differs between the two species. In A. retroflexus, resistance is usually conferred by a mutation at the 32- kDa quinone-binding protein, whereas in A. theophrasti, resistance involves the detoxification of atrazine in a reaction catalyzed by glutathione-s-transferase (GST).Resistant and susceptible populations of A. theophrasti and A. retroflexus were exposed to a range of concentrations of four herbicides (linuron, metribuzin, atrazine, and alachlor). Analysis of the inhibition dosage (ID50) based on dry weight measurements indicates that atrazine resistant populations of A. theophrasti and A. retroflexus show a cross resistance to linuron and metribuzin but an increased sensitivity to alachlor. In the absence of herbicide, a significant reduction was found in the mean dry weight of the resistant biotype of A. retroflexus, but not in the resistant biotype of A. theophrasti.

The impact of acid mine drainage on the decomposition of wetland plant species of northern West Virginia was studied to determine if the potential exists for nutrient cycling to be altered in systems used to treat this drainage. There were two objectives of this study. First, decomposition of aboveground plant material was measured to determine species decomposition patterns as a function of pH. Second, decomposition of Litter from various pH environments was compared to assess whether litter origin affects decomposition rates. Species differences were detected throughout the study. Decomposition rates of woolgrass [Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth] and common rush (Juncus effusus L.) were significantly lower than those of calamus (Acorus calamus L.) and rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides L.). Differences among species explained a large proportion of the variation in percentage of biomass remaining. Thus, differences in litter quality among species was important in determining the rate of decomposition. In general, significantly more decomposition occurred for all species in high pH environments, indicating impeded decomposition at low pH. While decomposition of some species litter differed depending on its origin, other species showed no effect. Cattail (Typha latifolin L.), in particular, was found to have lower decomposition rates occurring with material grown at low pH. Lower decomposition rates could result in lower nutrient availability leading to further reduction of productivity under low pH conditions.

Fifteen AML sites ranging in age from 13 to 35 yr in northern West Virginia were selected from three surface-mined coal beds Pittsburgh, Freeport, and Kittanning) to evaluate plant invasion and establishment on disturbed sites. Three 10 m by 10 m plots were randomly located on each site, and cover, density, and stem diameter of all woody plant species were measured. Herbaceous and plant Litter cover were also estimated in square-meter quadrats within each 10-m(2) plot. Total tree cover was significantly different among sites on Pittsburgh and Kittanning coal mined sites, but not among Freeport sites. Among coal beds, Kittanning sites had the lowest tree cover (33% avg), Pittsburgh had an average of 67%, while Freeport sites had a multilayered tree cover averaging >100%. A total of 29 tree species were found on these sites. No tree species occurred on all 15 sites, but black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) were found on 13 sites. Clustering produced three distinct plant communities including (i) an herbaceous community, (ii) a tree community dominated by red maple, and (iii) another tree community of primarily black birch (Betula lenta L.). Herbaceous communities were found on sites with soil pH > 5.0, while tree communities occurred on sites with pH < 5.0. On disturbed sites with high soil pH, herbaceous plants rapidly invaded and formed an almost complete cover. On low-pH sites, the invasion of plant species from adjacent undisturbed sites was initiated in favorable microsites where minesoil or environmental conditions were ameliorated.

In order to investigate the effects, without competition, of CO2 on germination, growth, physiological response, and reproduction, we focussed on co—occurring species that are prominent members of an annual community in Illinois. Five species of old field annual plants—Abutilon theophrasti (C3), Amaranthus retroflexus (C4), Ambrosia artemisiifolia (C3), Chenopodium album (C3), and Setaria faberii (C4)–were grown for their entire life cycle as individuals at CO2 concentration of 350 @mL/L, 500 @mL/L, and 700@mL/L. Emergence time, growth rate, shoot water status, photosynthesis, conductance, flowering time, nitrogen content, and biomass and reproductive biomass were measured. There was no detectable effect of enhanced CO2 on timing of emergence in any of the species. Amaranthus relative growth rate (RGR) was always higher at 700 @mL/L CO2 than at 350 @mL/L. In both Abutilon and Ambrosia, RGR was greater at 700 @mL/L than at 350 @mL/L during the first half of the experimental period, but during the second half of the period the reverse was true. Shoot water potential significantly increased (became less negative) with increasing CO2 in Amaranthus and Setaria. Similar but statistically nonsignificant trends were found in Chenopodium and Abutilon. Overall rate of photosynthesis increased with CO2 but there were no significant effects, at the species level, of CO2 on photosynthetic rates. Stomatal conductance decreased with increased CO2 at both high and low light levels in C3 species but only at high light levels in C4 species. In all species, intercellular CO2 increased with external CO2. Amaranthus flowered significantly earlier at 700 @mL/L than at 350 @mL/L, and Setaria flowered significantly later at 700 @mL/L than at either of the other CO2 levels. Both Abutilon and Ambrosia showed a trend towards earlier flowering but this was not statistically significant. Of the morphological characters measured at the final harvest only specific leaf area (SLA) showed a consistent response to CO2, decreasing with increasing CO2. Significant CO2 x species interactions were also found for leaf area, leaf biomass, biomass of reproductive parts, and seed biomass indicating species—specific responses for these characters. The proportion of nitrogen declined with increasing CO2: there was also a significant CO2 x species interaction caused by the different rates of decline in proportion of nitrogen among the species. The response of most characters had a significant species x CO2 interaction. However, this was not simply caused by the C3/C4 dichotomy. Reproductive biomass (seed, fruits, and flowers) increased with increasing CO2 in Amaranthus (C4) and in Chenopodium and Ambrosia (both C3), but there was no change in Setaria (C4), and Abutilon (C3) showed a peak a 500 @mL/L. Species of the same community differed in their response to CO2, and these differences may help explain the outcome of competitive interactions among these species above ambient CO2 levels.

EcologyVolume 71, Issue 3 p. 1199-1204 Article Demographic Growth Analysis James B. McGraw, James B. McGraw Department of Biology, P .O. Box 6057 , West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6057 USASearch for more papers by this authorKeith Garbutt, Keith Garbutt Department of Biology, P .O. Box 6057 , West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6057 USASearch for more papers by this author James B. McGraw, James B. McGraw Department of Biology, P .O. Box 6057 , West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6057 USASearch for more papers by this authorKeith Garbutt, Keith Garbutt Department of Biology, P .O. Box 6057 , West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6057 USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 June 1990 https://doi.org/10.2307/1937388Citations: 26AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume71, Issue3June 1990Pages 1199-1204 RelatedInformation

Detailed growth analysis in conjunction with information on leaf display and nitrogen uptake was used to interpret competition between Abutilon theophrasti, a C3 annual, and Amaranthus retroflexus, a C4 annual, under ambient (350 μl l-1) and two levels of elevated (500 and 700 μl l-1) CO2. Plants were grown both individually and in competition with each other. Competition caused a reduction in growth in both species, but for different reasons. In Abutilon, decreases in leaf area ratio (LAR) were responsible, whereas decreased unit leaf rate (ULR) was involved in the case of Amaranthus. Mean canopy height was lower in Amaranthus than Abutilon which may explain the low ULR of Amaranthus in competition. The decrease in LAR of Abutilon was associated with an increase in root/shoot ratio implying that Abutilon was limited by competition for below ground resources. The root/shoot ratio of Amaranthus actually decreased with competition, and Amaranthus had a much higher rate of nitrogen uptake per unit of root than did Abutilon. These latter results suggest that Amaranthus was better able to compete for below ground resources than Abutilon. Although the growth of both species was reduced by competition, generally speaking, the growth of Amaranthus was reduced to a greater extent than that of Abutilon. Regression analysis suggests that the success of Abutilon in competition was due to its larger starting capital (seed size) which gave it an early advantage over Amaranthus. Elevated CO2 had a positive effect upon biomass in Amaranthus, and to a lesser extent, Abutilon. These effects were limited to the early part of the experiment in the case of the individually grown plants, however. Only Amaranthus exhibited a significant increase in relative growth rate (RGR). In spite of the transitory effect of CO2 upon size in individually grown plants, level of CO2 did effect final biomass of competitively grown plants. Abutilon grown in competition with Amaranthus had a greater final biomass than Amaranthus at ambient CO2 levels, but this difference disappeared to a large extent at elevated CO2. The high RGR of Amaranthus at elevated CO2 levels allowed it to overcome the difference in initial size between the two species.

Four members of an annual community were used to investigate the effects of changing neighborhood complexity and increased CO2 concentration on competitive outcome. Plants were grown in monoculture and in all possible combinations of two, three, and four species in CO2—controlled growth chambers at CO2 concentrations of 350, 500, and 700 μL/L with ample moisture and high light. Species responded differently to enhanced CO2 level. Some species (e.g., Abutilon theophrasti) had increased biomass with increasing CO2, while others (e.g., Amaranthus retroflexus) had decreased biomass with increasing CO2 concentration. In mixtures, species tended to interact strongly, and, in some cases, the interaction canceled out the effects of CO2. Furthermore, there were cleared differences in species behavior in different competitive mixtures as assessed by total biomass and seed biomass, and by an index of response to neighbors. In general, competitive arrays that had C3 species depressed the response of C4 species, especially Amaranthus. Ambrosia artemisiifolia was the strongest competitor in this assemblage. Strong statistical interactions between CO2 and the identity of the competing species in mixtures were found to be primarily due to the as yet unexplained response of plants with CO2 at 500 μL/L. The potential effects of CO2 on community structure could be profound, particularly at the intermediate levels of CO2 that are predicted to be reached during the first half of the next century.

Six species of herbs from the serpentine grassland of Jasper Ridge Nature Preserve (Stanford, California)—Microseris sp., Plantago erecta, Micropus Californicus, Agoseris heterophylla, Layia platyglossa and Lasthenia glabrata—were grown individually and in competitive arrays, under three levels of CO2: 350, 500 and 700 μl/l. CO2 affected the biomass of some species in the individually-grown plants but none in the competitive arrays. Here, in contrast to some previous studies, total community biomass was not significantly affected by CO2 in either condition. In every species where CO2 had a statistically significant effect on nitrogen content, higher CO2 resulted in lower nitrogen content. Competition appeared to decrease the effects of CO2. Our results suggest that in this community, competitive networks and adaptations to a low-resource habitat may strongly damp the effects of CO2. These results contrast with our previous work on annuals of a higher stature system and agree with recent results on Arctic tundra species.

The response of twenty maternal families of the annual Abutilon theophrasti to two resource gradients, nutrient and light, was investigated. The structure of the population niche for both biomass and reproductive output was found to be quite different on the two gradients. On the light gradient there was a great diversity of responses among the families while on the nutrient gradient the families responded in a similar manner. On both gradients the plants showed a significant genotype/environment interaction. Three strategies for the production of seed variation have been proposed-all offspring are adapted to the same restricted environment, each offspring of an individual is adapted to a particular environment somewhat different thant that of its siblings, and all the offspring are able to grow in a wide range of environments. We found evidence for all three of these strategies amongst the families. The range of responses seen amongst families (of the same species) in this study was as broad as that found in previous studies among species of the old field annual community to which Abutilon theophrasti belongs. This has significant implications to the nature of competitive interactions and to the evolution of differential resource use in plant populations.

The responses of Polygonum pensylvanicum L., an early successional annual, and of Polygonum virginianum L., a late successional perennial, were examined along discontinuous gradients of soil moisture, light and nutrient availability. In the case of P. virginianum both individuals grown from seed and individuals grown from rhizomes were examined. The results show that variation in the response of individuals of a species of different age to environmental variation is as great as that found between the two congeneric species of different successional habitats. In general, individuals of the two species were more similar to one another in response to the resource gradients when both were started from seed, than were individuals of P. virginianum grown from seed and from rhizomes. Potential differences in stored reserves (starting capital) between rhizomes and seeds appeared to have little effect upon responses to resource availability. A number of plant characters were found to vary along the gradients in ways that were unique to the character, the gradient, and the age of the individual. These characters included aspects of leaf size, shape, and orientation, as well as whole plant architecture. Many if not all of these characters are likely to have significant effects upon the functioning of plants. The origin of this difference in response to the gradients of individuals of P. virginianum of differing age may be ontogenetic or may reflect differences in genetic composition created by recombination.

A model population comprising five genotypes of Phlox paniculata was used to investigate differentiation in carbon assimilation amongst those genotypes. Three methods were used to measure carbon assimilation, single leaf photosynthetic capacity, whole plant photosynthetic capacity and unit leaf rate (ULR). Genotypes displayed no significant differences in single leaf photosynthetic capacity and that character did not have a detectable genetic component. However, genotypes showed significant differences in both whole plant photosynthetic capacity and unit leaf rate, and significant genetic components were found for both characters. The differences in whole plant photosynthetic capacity and unit leaf rate are related to differences in plant architecture and modular demography. Erect, self-shading morphs had lower whole plant photosynthetic capacity and unit leaf rate than prostrate morphs. The results suggest that the better measures of physiological parameters for use at the population level will be those which integrate over the whole plant rather than those which only measure performance of parts.

The organization of genetic variation in Phlox drummondii was investigated using both allozyme electrophoresis and quantitative genetics. Variation at five polymorphic enzyme loci was characterized in nine populations, and variation in 16 morphological and life-history characters was examined using an analysis of full- and half-sibs in seven populations. Significant levels of genetic variation were found at enzyme loci and for metric characters. Significant heritabilities were observed for 15 of the 16 characters examined. Genetic differences among populations were revealed both by Nei's genetic distance and by phenotypic differences, summarized by discriminant analysis. Partitioning variance in allozyme frequencies among hierarchical levels of genetic organization indicated that 94% of this variance lay within populations, 4% between populations within varieties, and 2% between varieties. Partitioning phenotypic variance for metric characters indicated that 73% lay within populations, 24% lay between populations within varieties, and 3% lay between varieties. Thus, both electrophoretic and metric characters indicated that despite extensive genetic differentiation among populations, most of the evolutionary potential of the species lies within populations.

Tree saplings, two groups of three species from each of two deciduous tree communities, were grown in competition at three CO2 concentrations and two light levels. After one growing season, biomass was measured to assess the effect of CO2 on community structure, and nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were measured for leaves, stems, and roots of all trees. Gas-exchange measurements were made on the same species grown under the same CO2 concentrations.

Tree saplings, two groups of three species from each of two deciduous tree communities, were grown in competition at three CO concentrations and two light levels. After one growing season, biomass was measured to assess the effect of CO on community structure, and nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were measured for leaves, stems, and roots of all trees. Gas-exchange measurements were made on the same species grown under the same CO concentrations.Photosynthetic capacity (rate of photosynthesis at saturating CO and light) tended to decline as CO concentration increased, but differences were not statistically significant. Stomatal conductance declined significantly as CO increased. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations generally declined as CO increased, but there were some unexpected patterns in roots and stems. CO concentration did not significantly affect the overall growth of either community after one season, but the relative biomass of each species changed in a complex way, depending on CO light level, and community.

We use a model population comprised of five genotypes of Phlox paniculata L. to investigate the contribution of individuals to the response breadth (niche) of the population on a light gradient and a moisture gradient. Analysis of within- and between-genotype components of population response width showed up to 20% of the response is due to between-genotype effects, depending upon the character considered. Since the only way a sedentary organism can deal with a variable environment is through plasticity of response, differences in levels of phenotypic plasticity between genotypes on the two resource gradients were also investigated. There was no correlation between level of phenotypic plasticity and success over a range of environments. Niche breadth calculated as Levins' (B) and Roughgarden's ( w 2 ) indicated that flowering, and hence sexual reproduction, was limited to a much narrower range of environments than was vegetative growth. We also found significant genotype × environment interactions on both gradients, indicating differences in genetic response to the environment.

The report summarizes research results in the following areas: (1) effects of elevated SO/sub 2/ and CO/sub 2/ on soybean; (2) effects of elevated SO/sub 2/ and CO/sub 2/ on C/sub 3/ and C/sub 4/ annuals; (3) effect of elevated CO/sub 2/ on growth, photosynthesis, transportation and water-use efficiency; (4) effect of elevated CO/sub 2/ on annuals grown in competition on a soil moisture gradient; (5) effect of elevated CO/sub 2/ on growth of six annuals grown in competition on nutrient and light gradients; (6) competition between soybean and abutilon (C/sub 3/) and soybean and amaranthus (C/sub 4/); (7) effect of CO/sub 2/ on competition in short grassland from California; (8) effect of CO/sub 2/ on competition in upland and bottomland deciduous trees; (9) relationship between CO/sub 2/ and flowering, fruiting, and seed production in Abutilon and Datura; (10) relationship between CO/sub 2/ and flowering phenology in Phlox populations; and (11) competition between Amaranthus and Abutilon: photosynthesis and growth analyses. 22 refs., 19 figs. (ACR)

S ummary Four populations of Phlox drummondii and one population each of Datura stramonium and Abutilon theophrasti were grown in six growth chambers at 300, 600 and 900 μ l l −1 CO 2 , all other environmental variables remaining constant. Changes in timing and numbers of flowers produced were species‐ and population‐dependent. In general, P. drummondii and D. stramonium flowered earlier under high CO 2 while A. theophrasti was not affected. Significant population × CO 2 interactions were found for several flower production characters in P. drummondii , indicating differential response to elevated CO 2 levels even within a species. In D. stramonium , increased biomass in high CO 2 caused significantly larger fruits to be formed, but there was no significant increase in seed number. In A. theophrasti , individual seed weight increased with increasing CO 2 , but total seed weight per plant remained constant. These results are discussed in relation to their possible implications to plant community structure, and the effects on higher trophic levels (e.g. pollinators and plant predators). Qualitative as well as quantitative changes in plants in response to high CO 2 must be studied with care to ensure correct predictions of the effects of the global rise in CO 2 .