Dept. of Biological Sciences

John M. Herr

Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Curator, Roman Vishniac Film Collection
Ph.D., 1957, University of North Carolina
803-777-8110
herr@biol.sc.edu


Roman Vishniac Film Collection Home Page

USC Herbarium

Botany, Embryology of Angiosperms

JOHN M. HERR, JR. The field of specialization in Dr. Herr's laboratory is angiosperm embryology, with a major interest in the development of ovules and megagametophytes from both the aspects of comparative morphology and morphogenesis. Of special interest in ovule ontogeny and megagametogenesis are several structural and developmental features which in the past have received minimal attention although they have been shown to have distinct value in the solution of taxonomic problems at family and generic levels. Features related to the size of the developing megagametophyte and its orientation within the developing ovule are among the most significant and at the same time the most elusive to analyze by standard techniques. Thus, the development of new techniques for the study of ovule development and megagametogenesis has become an area of major emphasis in Dr. Herr's laboratory.


Selected Publications:

Herr, J.M., Jr. 1984. Embryology and Taxonomy. In: Embryology of Angiosperms. Edited by B.M. Johri. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

George, R.A., G.P. George, and J.M. Herr, Jr. 1988. A quantitative analysis of female gametophyte development in field- and greenhouse-grown plants of Glycine max and Phaseolus aureus (Papilionaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 75(3): 343-352.

Herr, J.M., Jr. 1992. New uses for calcium chloride solution as a mounting medium. Biotechnic & Histochemistry 67(1): 9-13.

Herr, J. M., Jr. 1995. The origin of the ovule. American Journal of Botany 82(4): 547-564.

Herr, J. M., Jr. 1999. On the origin of leaves: The telome theory revised. Phytomorphology 49(2): 111-134.

Radhamani Anandalakshmi, Rajendra Marathe, Xin Ge, J. M. Herr, Jr., Christopher Mau, Allison Mallory, Gail Pruss, Lewis Bowman, and Vicki B. Vance. 2000. A calmodulin-related protein that suppresses posttranscriptional gene silencing in plants. Science 290: 142-144.

Herr, J. M., Jr. 2000. On the origin of the ovules: Some key events and their impact. Acta Biologica Cracoviensia Series Botanica 42(2): 21-30.

Herr, J. M., Jr. 2000. Clearing techniques for unusual studies in seed plant embryology. In: Plant embryology past, present, and future. Ed. Romana Czapik. Guidebooks 24: 25-39.

Herr, J. M., Jr. 2001. Basal stem tumours of transgenic Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. and N. benthamiana Domin) and certain galls and burls: Causes and anatomical features in common. Phytomorphology Golden Jubilee Issue 51(3-4): 167-179.


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