Smith, Jackie - Isolate and identify fungal endophytes in Aristolochia watsonii (Indianroot), Spring 2020 Bio182 honors student
Fungal endophytes are fungi found growing within the healthy tissues or plants without causing disease. They are cosmopolitan, have been found in all plant species examined and represent a taxonomically wide diversity of fungi. Some endophytes form mutualistic relationships with their host plant providing enhanced protection from herbivory for example by producing toxic metabolites. Many studies indicate that endophytes impact the secondary chemistry of the host plant in very varied ways. For example, endophytes may increase the production of secondary metabolites, may themselves be wholly or in part responsible for the production of the secondary metabolites or be the source of novel metabolites. Endophytes as sources of novel metabolites with potential pharmaceutical and medical applications is an active area of research. Although how most endophytes effect their host plants remained largely unknown and unexplored. This study looks at the endophytes in an Arizona native plant known to produce a complex mix of toxic and carcinogenic alkaloids. The first part of the project is to isolate the fungal endophytes from different populations of plant leaves collected in the wild. Fungi will then be identified using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data from the ITS and GADPH genes.
Allen, Rachael - Amplify via PCR and sequence the ITS region of an unidentified fungal endophytes isolated from Datura watsonii leaves, Spring 2020 Bio181 honors student
In a previous study on the fungal endophytes of Datura wrighti, one endophyte isolated had an unusual ITS region (two introns that flank the 5.8s ribosomal subunit exon in the fungal ribosome gene). The ITS region of most fungi is approximately 600-700bp in length and the sequence usually aligns with a fungus in the NCBI database after performing a BLAST search. However, after amplification with standard fungal ITS-specific primers a PCR amplicon of greater than 1200bp in length was produced. Following Sanger sequencing of the amplicon and a BLAST search, no matches were found in the NCBI database. Both results are quite remarkable if accurate. The goal of this project is to culture the fungus, repeat the DNA extraction and PCR of the ITS region to attempt to replicate and verify the initial result. If the initial finding is not replicable, the investigation will attempt to obtain a replicable ITS region amplicon and sequence to see if it will align with sequences in the NCBI database. In addition to the ITS region, GADPH region will also be amplified using PCR and sequenced and compared to known sequences in the NCBI database via a BLAST search.
Buchert, Jacob - Investigate the effect of microbes on the growth of mealworms, Spring 2020 Bio182 honors student
Research into the role of microbial mutualists and how they impact their hosts have exploded in the past few decades. Results show that the presence and composition of the microorganisms (and viruses) living on and within both animals and plants have pivotal roles in the lives of their hosts. The gut microbiome of animals has been the focus of intense research over the past decade with the advent of molecular methods to detect, identify and quantify the microorganisms and viruses present. Studies show that the composition of the microbial community can significantly impact host longevity, behavior, personality traits, susceptibility to disease together with a plethora of other factors. This study will assess the growth and development of mealworms raised on a diet with diverse microorganisms incorporated into their diet relative to a control group fed the same diet but without the microorganisms.
Wyatt, Kiernan - Monitor the growth of a greenhouse population Datura wrightii plants, Spring 2020 Bio182 honors student
Datura wrightii is an Arizona native plant in the Solanaceae (tomato, potato and nightshade family) known to produce several toxic tropane alkaloids that protect the plant from herbivory. Atropine and scopolamine alkaloids are used medically as an anticholinergic agents in surgeries and as the active ingredient in motion sickness medications respectively. The plant has also been used to induce hallucinations by shaman in culturally important ceremonies by various indigenous people. In a previous study (Fall 2019) D. wrightii plants were grown in greenhouses to investigate the impact of fungal endophytes on alkaloid production. Over the winter, the leaves of these greenhouse grown plants have senesced and small tubers have developed from which the plants will begin to grow new shoots and leaves. This project will monitor the regrowth of plants from the tubers and from existing stems. Plants will be cared for in greenhouses and each week photographs taken and new growth recorded.
