The unique biological group of rheophytes are plant species confined to the beds and banks (below... more The unique biological group of rheophytes are plant species confined to the beds and banks (below the flood level) of streams and rivers. Rheophytes are poorly known in Africa and until now have hardly been studied. A preliminary list of African rheophytes is presented. One hundred and twelve species from 18 families are accepted as rheophytes for Africa and their peculiar characteristics and distribution in continental Africa are discussed. We wish to draw the attention of African botanists to this fascinating, yet uninvestigated group of plants. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 1 Number 3, July (1999) pp. 133-146
A survey of rheophytes of Ghana, begun in early 1994, has been set up between the Botany Departme... more A survey of rheophytes of Ghana, begun in early 1994, has been set up between the Botany Departments of the University of Ghana and Aberdeen, the Institute of Aquatic Biology, Accra and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The purpose of the survey is to assess whether rheophytes can be used as indicators of pollution from, for example, effluents from human settlements and farming activities. An identification guide to Ghanaian rheophytes is to be produced. This paper reviews progress made with the survey and the different classes of rheophytes in Ghana.
Weija lake, a man-made lake, was sampled in 1993 at different sites along the lake. The water was... more Weija lake, a man-made lake, was sampled in 1993 at different sites along the lake. The water was slightly alkaline and the temperatures reflected the generally high tropical temperatures and fluctuated with the seasons. The dissolved oxygen concentration was high and varied from site to site being lower at sites with high organic matter. The mean transparency was 60 cm. The dominance pattern for nitrogen compounds for the lake was NO3- ¾ N > NH3 ¾ N > NO2- ¾ N while the ionic pattern was Na2+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+: HCO3- > Cl- > SO42-. The cation dominance pattern of the lake was similar to sea water near the estuary, but the present study and previous work indicate that the proportions of ions (cations and anions) are changing to that of fresh water. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 2 (2000) pp. 136-147
DNA barcoding has the possibility for application in many fields, ranging from biological invento... more DNA barcoding has the possibility for application in many fields, ranging from biological inventory and species discovery to forensics and quality control. Barcoding could have great utility within the aquatic angiosperm family Podostemaceae, as these plants can be extremely difficult to identify on the basis of morphological characters alone, but are important components of tropical rivers and face threats from increased water pollution. Several potential barcodes for land plants have been suggested, including two 3‐locus combinations proposed by the Plant Working Group of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life. These loci, matK, rpoB, rpoC1, and trnH‐psbA, were tested for their potential utility in African members of the Podostemaceae. Our results show that although the rpoC1 region performs best in terms of universality of amplification and sequencing, the superior resolving power of matK makes it the most promising of the regions for use in barcoding. In the light of these resul...
This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Kue... more This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Kuetegue, Felix, Sonke, Bonaventure, Ameka, Gabriel K. (2019): A checklist of rheophytes of Cameroon. PhytoKeys 121: 81-131, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.121.29924, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.121.29924
Cyanobacteria - Recent Advances in Taxonomy, Ecology and Applications [Working Title], 2021
Cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae are oxygenic photoautotrophs, which evolved ca. 3.5 ... more Cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae are oxygenic photoautotrophs, which evolved ca. 3.5 billion years ago. Because cyanobacteria are rich sources of bioactive compounds, they have diverse industrial applications such as algaecides, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents, hence, their wide use in the agricultural and health sectors. Cyanobacterial secondary metabolites are also important sources of enzymes, toxins, vitamins, and other pharmaceuticals. Polyhydroxy- alkanoates (PHA) which accumulate intracellularly in some cyanobacteria species can be used in the production of bioplastics that have properties comparable to polypropylene and polyethylene. Some cyanobacteria are also employed in bioremediation as they are capable of oxidizing oil components and other complex organic compounds. There are many more possible industrial applications of cyanobacteria such as biofuel, biofertilizer, food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the metabolic pathway...
The large quantities of non-degradable single use plastics, production and disposal, in addition ... more The large quantities of non-degradable single use plastics, production and disposal, in addition to increasing amounts of municipal and industrial wastewaters are among the major global issues known today. Biodegradable plastics from biopolymers such as Poly-β-hydroxybutyrates (PHB) produced by microorganisms are potential substitutes for non-degradable petroleum-based plastics. This paper reviews the current status of wastewater-cultivated microbes utilized in PHB production, including the various types of wastewaters suitable for either pure or mixed culture PHB production. PHB-producing strains that have the potential for commercialization are also highlighted with proposed selection criteria for choosing the appropriate PHB microbe for optimization of processes. The biosynthetic pathways involved in producing microbial PHB are also discussed to highlight the advancements in genetic engineering techniques. Additionally, the paper outlines the factors influencing PHB production while exploring other metabolic pathways and metabolites simultaneously produced along with PHB in a bio-refinery context. Furthermore, the paper explores the effects of extraction methods on PHB yield and quality to ultimately facilitate the commercial production of biodegradable plastics. This review uniquely discusses the developments in research on microbial biopolymers, specifically PHB and also gives an overview of current commercial PHB companies making strides in cutting down plastic pollution and greenhouse gases.
The unique biological group of rheophytes are plant species confined to the beds and banks (below... more The unique biological group of rheophytes are plant species confined to the beds and banks (below the flood level) of streams and rivers. Rheophytes are poorly known in Africa and until now have hardly been studied. A preliminary list of African rheophytes is presented. One hundred and twelve species from 18 families are accepted as rheophytes for Africa and their peculiar characteristics and distribution in continental Africa are discussed. We wish to draw the attention of African botanists to this fascinating, yet uninvestigated group of plants. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 1 Number 3, July (1999) pp. 133-146
A survey of rheophytes of Ghana, begun in early 1994, has been set up between the Botany Departme... more A survey of rheophytes of Ghana, begun in early 1994, has been set up between the Botany Departments of the University of Ghana and Aberdeen, the Institute of Aquatic Biology, Accra and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The purpose of the survey is to assess whether rheophytes can be used as indicators of pollution from, for example, effluents from human settlements and farming activities. An identification guide to Ghanaian rheophytes is to be produced. This paper reviews progress made with the survey and the different classes of rheophytes in Ghana.
Weija lake, a man-made lake, was sampled in 1993 at different sites along the lake. The water was... more Weija lake, a man-made lake, was sampled in 1993 at different sites along the lake. The water was slightly alkaline and the temperatures reflected the generally high tropical temperatures and fluctuated with the seasons. The dissolved oxygen concentration was high and varied from site to site being lower at sites with high organic matter. The mean transparency was 60 cm. The dominance pattern for nitrogen compounds for the lake was NO3- ¾ N > NH3 ¾ N > NO2- ¾ N while the ionic pattern was Na2+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > K+: HCO3- > Cl- > SO42-. The cation dominance pattern of the lake was similar to sea water near the estuary, but the present study and previous work indicate that the proportions of ions (cations and anions) are changing to that of fresh water. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 2 (2000) pp. 136-147
DNA barcoding has the possibility for application in many fields, ranging from biological invento... more DNA barcoding has the possibility for application in many fields, ranging from biological inventory and species discovery to forensics and quality control. Barcoding could have great utility within the aquatic angiosperm family Podostemaceae, as these plants can be extremely difficult to identify on the basis of morphological characters alone, but are important components of tropical rivers and face threats from increased water pollution. Several potential barcodes for land plants have been suggested, including two 3‐locus combinations proposed by the Plant Working Group of the Consortium for the Barcode of Life. These loci, matK, rpoB, rpoC1, and trnH‐psbA, were tested for their potential utility in African members of the Podostemaceae. Our results show that although the rpoC1 region performs best in terms of universality of amplification and sequencing, the superior resolving power of matK makes it the most promising of the regions for use in barcoding. In the light of these resul...
This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Kue... more This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Kuetegue, Felix, Sonke, Bonaventure, Ameka, Gabriel K. (2019): A checklist of rheophytes of Cameroon. PhytoKeys 121: 81-131, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.121.29924, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.121.29924
Cyanobacteria - Recent Advances in Taxonomy, Ecology and Applications [Working Title], 2021
Cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae are oxygenic photoautotrophs, which evolved ca. 3.5 ... more Cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae are oxygenic photoautotrophs, which evolved ca. 3.5 billion years ago. Because cyanobacteria are rich sources of bioactive compounds, they have diverse industrial applications such as algaecides, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents, hence, their wide use in the agricultural and health sectors. Cyanobacterial secondary metabolites are also important sources of enzymes, toxins, vitamins, and other pharmaceuticals. Polyhydroxy- alkanoates (PHA) which accumulate intracellularly in some cyanobacteria species can be used in the production of bioplastics that have properties comparable to polypropylene and polyethylene. Some cyanobacteria are also employed in bioremediation as they are capable of oxidizing oil components and other complex organic compounds. There are many more possible industrial applications of cyanobacteria such as biofuel, biofertilizer, food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the metabolic pathway...
The large quantities of non-degradable single use plastics, production and disposal, in addition ... more The large quantities of non-degradable single use plastics, production and disposal, in addition to increasing amounts of municipal and industrial wastewaters are among the major global issues known today. Biodegradable plastics from biopolymers such as Poly-β-hydroxybutyrates (PHB) produced by microorganisms are potential substitutes for non-degradable petroleum-based plastics. This paper reviews the current status of wastewater-cultivated microbes utilized in PHB production, including the various types of wastewaters suitable for either pure or mixed culture PHB production. PHB-producing strains that have the potential for commercialization are also highlighted with proposed selection criteria for choosing the appropriate PHB microbe for optimization of processes. The biosynthetic pathways involved in producing microbial PHB are also discussed to highlight the advancements in genetic engineering techniques. Additionally, the paper outlines the factors influencing PHB production while exploring other metabolic pathways and metabolites simultaneously produced along with PHB in a bio-refinery context. Furthermore, the paper explores the effects of extraction methods on PHB yield and quality to ultimately facilitate the commercial production of biodegradable plastics. This review uniquely discusses the developments in research on microbial biopolymers, specifically PHB and also gives an overview of current commercial PHB companies making strides in cutting down plastic pollution and greenhouse gases.
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