photo Karen Renzaglia

Karen Sue Renzaglia

Associate Professor
 
Ph.D. 1981, Southern Illinois University
 
Early land plant anatomy, morphology & phylogeny
 
Office & Lab: Life Science II room 459
Office & Lab Phone: 618-453-3229
email: KR
Laboratory Web Page

Research Interests

My lab focuses on describing the ultrastructure, morphology and development of cells, tissues and organs in bryophytes, pteridophytes, and seed plants. These studies have generated new phylogenetic information and new insight into evolutionary modifications of cell architecture and ontogeny. I am currently a collaborator on the Green Tree of Life project and a PI on a hornwort biodiversity and biogeography project. My research team, the Green Morphology Group, includes graduate and undergraduate students who are involved in a variety of projects including ultrastructural studies detailing sperm cell development, fertilization in ferns, sporogenesis in bryophytes, and experimental studies to ascertain the role of the cytoskeleton in cell differentiation.

Selected Publications

  1. Matt Von Konrat, A., J. Shaw and K. S. Renzaglia. 2010.  A special issue of Phytotaxa dedicated to Bryophytes: The closest living relatives of early land plants. Phytotaxa 9: 5-10.
  2. Villarreal, J.C., D.C. Cargill and K. S. Renzaglia. 2010. A synthesis of hornwort diversity: Patterns, causes and future work. Phytotaxa 9: 150-166.
  3. Duckett J.G, Pressel S., P'ng K.M.Y., and K. S. Renzaglia. 2010. The Sphagnum air-gun mechanism resurrected? Not with a closer look. New Phytologist  185: 889-891.
  4. Duckett J. G., Pressel S, and K. S. Renzaglia. 2009. Exploding a myth; capsule dehiscence mechanism and the function of pseudostomata in Sphagnum, New Phytologist, 183: 1053–1063.
  5. Anterola, A., E. Shanle, K. Mansouri, S. Schuette and K. Renzaglia. 2009. Gibberellin precursor is involved in spore germination in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Planta 229: 1003-1007.
  6. Johnson, G and K. Renzaglia. 2009. Evaluating the diversity of pteridophyte embryology in the light of recent phylogenetic analyses leads to new inferences on character evolution.  Plant Systematics and Evolution. 283:149-164.
  7. Schuette, S., A. J. Wood, M. Geisler, J. Geisler-Lee, R. Ligrone and K. S. Renzaglia. 2009. Novel localization of callose in the spores of Physcomitrella patens and phylogenomics of the callose synthase gene family. Annals of Botany 103: 749–756.
  8. Johnson, G. and K. Renzaglia. 2008. Embryology of Ceratopteris richardii  (Pteridaceae, tribe Ceratopterideae), with emphasis on placental development. Journal of Plant Research 121: 581–592.
  9. Lopez-Smith, R. and K. S. Renzaglia. 2008. Sperm cell architecture, insemination, and fertilization in the model fern, Ceratopteris richardii. Sexual Plant Reproduction. 21: 153–167.
  10. Ligrone R., A. Caraf, J. G. Duckett, K. S. Renzaglia, and K. Ruel. 2008. Immunocytochemical detection of lignin-related epitopes in cell walls in bryophytes and the charalean alga Nitella Plant Systematics and Evolution 270: 257-272.
  11. Renzaglia, K. S., S. Schutte, R. J. Duff, Ligrone, J. Shaw, B. Mishler, and J. Duckett. 2007. Bryophyte phylogeny: advancing the molecular and morphological frontiers. The Bryologist 110: 179–213.

SIUC / College of Science / Plant Biology
URL: http://www.science.siu.edu/plant-biology/BioPages/Renzaglia.bio.html
Last updated: 26-Feb-11 / dln