Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Biotechnology Science and Engineering
Committee Chair
William N. Setzer
Committee Member
Emmanuel Waddell
Committee Member
Debra M. Moriarity
Committee Member
Bernhard Vogler
Committee Member
Gordon MacGregor
Subject(s)
Essences and essential oils., Siloxanes., Opuntia., Organpipe cactus., Drosophila mojavensis., Drosophila melanogaster.
Abstract
This study investigates the essential oil compositions of certain cacti species native to southern Arizona and the California Channel Islands. The species studied are Opuntia littoralis (Engelm.) Cockerell., Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill), Opunita prolifera Engelm., Opuntia acanthocarpa var. major (Engelm. & J.M. Begelow) L.D. Benson, Opuntia phaeacantha var. discata, and Stenocereus thurberi Engelm. Drosophila mojavensis, a cactus fly, utilizes the necrotic rots of O. littoralis and S. thurberi, which have been shown to be toxic to fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. The oil compositions of both O. littoralis and S. thurberi was characterized at differing states of necrosis and compared to laboratory rot specimens. Toxicity analysis was performed on Drosophila melanogaster to ascertain toxicity to individual volatile compounds identified in the necrotic cactus rots. Specimens of O. littoralis, O. ficus-indica, and S. thurberi were examined for the presence of cyclic oligosiloxane compounds. These cyclic compounds were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Confocal microscopy was employed to identify the location of silica bodies in the cactus tissues.
Recommended Citation
Wright, Cynthia Rena, "Chemical investigation of opuntia species and Stenocereus thurberi, cacti native to North America : a search to identify essential oil compositions and to characterize cyclic siloxane compounds" (2013). Dissertations. 4.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dissertations/4