Cynthia Ross Friedman, Ph.D. Department of Biological Sciences Thompson Rivers University (TRU) 900 McGill Road Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8 Office: S348 (Science) phone: (250) 828-5424 fax: (250) 828-5450 (attn. C. Ross Friedman) e-mail: cross@tru.ca <>

RESEARCH

My research is in the area of plant anatomy, particularly seed development.  I primarily study the reproductive development of the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum, a parasitic flowering plant belonging to the Viscaceae, the same family as the Christmas Mistletoe.  All mistletoes are parasites, and in the interior of  B.C., A. americanum parasitizes lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia).   Mistletoes derive all of their water and mineral nutrients from their host.  Dwarf mistletoes, however, also obtain some sugars from their host. Being a pathogen, A. americanum inflicts disease on the host pines, stunting the trees and increasing mortality.  Using the techniques of light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy, I have elucidated stages of female development in A. americanum.  

Presently, I am investigating the mechanism of explosive seed discharge at the microscopic level, and as a result have cultivated a great interest in physics and kinematics.   I heartily enjoy collaboration with my colleagues here at TRU, and most recently have been working alongside Dr. Mark Paetkau (Physics).   I also have wonderful collaborations with Hua-Feng Wang (China), Maria Vanessa Lencinas (Argentina), Prof. Dr. Ralf Kaldenhoff (Germany), and Alessio Papini (Italy).  Hua-Feng, Vanessa, and I have shared interests in forest ecology and conservation, while Ralf and I are working with Joanna Urban (TRU) with respect to the role of aquaporins in explosive discharge.    Alessio and I have examined reproductive developmental anatomy in some Brassicaceae.

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL and CHAPTER PUBLICATIONS:

29.  **NEW**  Mostia S., Ross Friedman C., Piccolina F, Di Falcoa P. and Papinia, A. (submitted May 2012).  The unusual tegumental tissues of the Lunaria annua (Brassicaceae) seed: a developmental study using light and electron microscopy.  Flora.  

28.  Wang, H-F., Lencinas M.V., Ross Friedman, C.M., Zhu, Z.-X.,  and Qiu, J.-X. (submitted May 2012).  Understory plant diversity assessment of Szemao pine (Pinus kesiya var. langbianensis (A.Chev) Gaussen) Plantations in Yunnan, China.  PLoS ONE.  

27.  Wang, H-F, López-Pujol, J., Ross Friedman, C. Fraser, L.H., and Huang, G-H. (submitted February 2012).  What will the dam do? Assessment of plant communities and diversity status in the Poyang Lake wetland—Yangtze River Basin, China.  Aquatic Botany.  

26.  Martin, L.L., Ross Friedman, C.M., and Phillips, L.A. (accepted February 2012).  Discovery, culture, and ITS identification of fungal endophytes in the lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum; Santalaceae) and their antagonism of native Cladosporium (Davidiellaceae) host pathogens in vitro. American Journal of Botany. 

25.  Wang, H-F., Wang, Z-S., Ross Friedman, C  and Lopez-Pujol, J. (in press 2011).  Conservation of the Cathay silver fir, Cathaya argyrophylla: a Chinese evergreen "living fossil".  Invited book chapter (review). In: Evergreens: Types, Ecology and Conservation.  Eds. Adriano D. Bezerra and Tadeu S. Ferreira.  Nova Science Publishers, Inc. ISBN  978-1-61942-177-6.  

24.  Ross Friedman, C.M., Ross, B. N., and Martens, G.D.  (2012).  An antibody against a conserved C-terminal consensus motif from plant alternative oxidase (AOX) isoforms 1 and 2 labels plastids in the explosive dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum, Santalaceae) fruit exocarp.  Protoplasma. DOI: 10.1007/s00709-012-0414-6   

23.  Ross Friedman, C.M. and Wang, H.F.  (2012).  Quantifying Meiosis: Use of the Fractal dimension, Df, to Describe and Predict Prophase I Substages and Metaphase I.  Invited book chapter (original research).  In: Meiosis.  Ed. Andrew Swan.  In Tech Publishers.  ISBN 979-953-307-212-7   pp. 303-320.  

22.  Friedman, B.M.C., and Ross Friedman, C.M. (2011).  Terminal velocity of canola oil, hexane and gasoline drops rising in water due to buoyancy.  International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research.  2(12): http://www.ijser.org/onlineResearchPaperViewer.aspx?Terminal-Velocity-of-Canola-Oil-Hexane-and-Gasoline-Drops-Rising-in-Water-due-to-Buoyancy.pdf

21.  Martin, L.L., Ross Friedman, C.M., and Smith, R.G.  (2011).  Callus culture of Arceuthobium americanum Nutt. ex Englem. and explant response to varying auxin and cytokinin concentrations.  Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology. 21(1): 1-10.

20.  Dwarka, A., Ross Friedman, C.M., MacKay, M.E., and Nelson, D. (2011).  Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification of a female-specific genetic marker in Arceuthobium americanum (lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe) using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis.  Botany. 89: 369–377.  

19.  Wang, H-F., Lencinas M.V., Ross Friedman, C.M., Wang, X.-K., and Qiu, J.-X.  (2011).  The impact of Eucalyptus plantation on plant diversity following clearing of secondary evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan, China.  New Forests.  42(1): 101-116, DOI 10.1007/s11056-010-9240-x

18.  Pernitsky, K.Y., Mason, Q.D., Cinel, B., and Ross Friedman, C.M.  (2011). Discovery and partial purification of an antibiotic from lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum) active against Gram-positive organisms including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Journal of Medicinal Plants Research.  5(9): 1722-1727.

17.  Azad, M.A., Huttunen-Hennelly, H.E.K., Ross Friedman, C.M.  (2011)  Bioactivity and the first TEM immunogold studies of short de novo designed antimicrobial peptides  Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.  55(5): 2137-2145, DOI:10.1128/AAC.01148-10

16.  Koziura, K.J., Ross Friedman, C.M., and Smith, R.G.  (2010).  Effects of methanolic and hexanes-derived dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium) extracts on the viability of salmon cells in culture: do these extracts induce necrosis and/or apoptosis?  Plant Products Research. 14: 1-5.  

15.  Vaudry, C.J., Ross Friedman, C.M., and Cinel, B. (2010).  Biosurfactants in dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium).  Plant Products Research.  14: 6–13.

14.  Wang, H-F., Ross Friedman, C.M., Shi, J-C., and Zheng, Z-Y.  (2010).  Anatomy of leaf abscission in the Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii, Caprifoliaceae): a scanning electron microscopy study.  Protoplasma 247(1-2): 111-116, DOI: 10.1007/s00709-010-0159-z

13.  Kelly, S.K.,  Ross Friedman, C.M., and Smith, R.G.  (2009).  Vesicular cells of the lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum) fruit: development, cytochemistry, and lipid analysis. Botany  87: 1177-1185.  

12.  Ross Friedman, C.M., Ross, Bradford N., and Martens, Garnet D.  (2009).  Antibodies raised against tobacco aquaporins of the PIP2 class label the viscin tissue of the explosive dwarf mistletoe fruit.  Plant Biology 12: 229-233.  

11.  Wang, H-F., Ross Friedman, C.M., Zhang, Z-X., and Qin, H-N.  (2009).  Early reproductive developmental anatomy in Decaisnea (Lardizabalaceae) and its systematic implications.  Annals of Botany. 104(6):1243-1253; doi:10.1093/aob/mcp232

10. Fraser, L.H., Greenall, A., Carlyle, C., Turkington, R., and Ross Friedman, C.M.  (2009).  Adaptive phenotypic plasticity of Pseudoroegneria spicata: response of stomatal density, leaf area and biomass to changes in water supply and increased temperature.  Annals of Botany.  103: 769-775.

9. Ross Friedman, C.M. and Sumner, M.J.  (2009).  Maturation of the embryo, endosperm, and fruit of the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum (Viscaceae).  International Journal of Plant Sciences. 170(3): 290-300. 

8.  Littley, E., Ross Friedman, C.M. and Flood, N.  (2008).   Effect of Arceuthobium americanum (dwarf mistletoe) infection on lodgepole pine needles. Northwest Science 82(3): 237-240.

7.  Chhikara, A. and Ross Friedman, C.M. (2008).   The effects of male and female Arceuthobium americanum (lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe) infection on the relative positioning of vascular bundles, starch distribution, and starch content in Pinus contorta var. latifolia (lodgepole pine) needles.  Botany.  86(5): 339-543. 

5.  Ross, C.M. (2006).   Viscin cells in the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum – “green springs” with potential roles in explosive seed discharge and seed adhesion.    Davidsonia 17(3): 75-86.  

4.  Ross, C.M., and Sumner, M.J.  (2005).  Early embryo and endosperm development in the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum.  International Journal of Plant Sciences.  166(6): 901-907.

3.  Ross, C.M.  (2005).  A new way of thinking about meiosis: using the fractal dimension to predict the onset of metaphase I.  International Journal of Biological Sciences. 1:123-125.   http://www.biolsci.org/v01p0123.htm

2.  Ross, C.M., and Sumner, M.J.  (2005).  The fertilized embryo sac and formation of the caecum in the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum.  Canadian Journal of Botany.  83(5): 459-466.

1.  Ross, C.M., and Sumner, M.J.  (2004).  Development of the unfertilized embryo sac and pollen tubes in the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium americanum.  Canadian Journal of Botany.  82(11): 1566-1575.

I really, really like teaching.  What else can I say?  The students here at Thompson Rivers University are great!
 

A selection of courses! BIOL 3230: "Biochemistry" BIOL 1110 "Principles of Biology 1" <>    I've joined the "electron transport chain gang" -->   I was formerly an instructor at the University of Manitoba, where I taught various Biology courses.