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2000 Symposium Abstracts
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The Gravitropic Response of Inflorescence Stems of Arabidopsis
thaliana Starchless Mutants, SARA R. WETZEL, Notre Dame Academy, 1699
Hilton Drive, Covington, KY, 41011-2796.
The observation that a starchless mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana
exhibits gravitropism raises questions about the hypothesis that starch
and amyloplasts play a determining role in gravity perception. I
compared gravitropic response in the inflorescence stems of this starchless
mutant and its wild-type counterpart. After overnight gravistimulation,
I rotated the plants 180 degrees and monitored their changing curvature
in response to gravity. Plants were imaged at one-hour intervals
and angles measured using NIH Image software. Starchless mutant
stems showed definite gravitropic responses. However, curvature of
starchless inflorescence stems was markedly less than that of wild-type
stems. There was a 67% difference after six hours in Run one and
a 55% difference in Run two. Differences in curvature were statistically
significant throughout the runs. Starch is not required for gravity
perception in A.thaliana inflorescence stems, but is necessary for
full sensitivity.
Which Foods Like Yeast Best? STEVON C. EDWARDS, duPont Manual
High School, 120 West Lee Street, Louisville, KY 40208.
This experiment was done in order to determine
which type of food contained the most yeast, whether it be the dairy, bread,
vegetable, fruit, or fats and oils food group. The procedure followed
to find the yeast concentration involved forming a yeast culture and adding
a measured sample of each group of food to that culture, then taking a
qualitative measurement of the carbon dioxide formed. From this test
it was discovered that the vegetable and fruit group contained the most
yeast, based on the amount of carbon dioxide formed.
The effect of electrical energy on the Growth of Tagetes Paluia.
LAFARIN MERIWETHER, duPont Manual High School, 120 West Lee Street, Louisville
KY 40208.
This was an experiment to test the effect
of electrical energy on the growth of Tagetes Paluia. It was
proven that the electrical treatment did have an effect on the growth of
the Tagetes Paluia. It caused the growth process to slow down.
It was assumed that the plants that received the energy treatment would
grow faster than that of the untreated plants. The hypothesis was not supported
by the data collected. Twelve seeds were planted. For four
weeks all 12 plants grew on their own without any treatment. At the
end of each the length of each pot would be taken in cm and recorded.
Three of the pots for the next four weeks were treated for two hours each
day with electrical energy from a six-volt battery.
The Effect of an Electromagnetic Field on the Growth of Brassica
rapa. THOMAS A. JOHNSON, duPont Manual High School, 120 West
Lee Street, Louisville, KY 40208.
In order to test the effect of daily exposures
to an electromagnetic field on Brassica rapa, a control group of
15 plants was set under constant florescent lighting in open air, planted
in vermiculite soil. The plants were given two milliliters of water
each day and the height was recorded afterward. After all the data
was collected, the rates of growth were calculated. For the experimental
group, the same process was done, except after watering, the plants were
exposed to an electromagnetic field for five minutes (set inside of a helix
structure of copper wiring connected to six volt battery).
As a result, the rate of the control group was higher, but after a
T-Test was performed, the data was shown not to be significant. The
rate could have been higher due to the possibility of the proteins inside
the plant having a change in polarity, but, most likely, the greater rate
was due to experimental error.
Plant Cell Mutation, JOHN MEIGOONI, Leestown Math, Science and Technology
Magnet School, Lexington, KY 40511.
Many investigators have reported
human and animal cell mutations. It is interesting to know that for
both humans and animals, the newborn children are more sensitive to radiation
than the adults. This is because of the fact that in children the divide
more rapidly than the adult and hence they transfer the damages they receive
to a larger number of cells. This effect appears as cell mutations.
Radiation is one of the sources of cell damage, particularly in humans
and animals.
The goal of this project was to measure the
mutation of germinated (newborn) plant cells by radiation. This effect
was measured by computing the growth of several germinated beans, which
were irradiated to various doses to the growth unirradiated beans (control).
Two types of beans, kidney beans and chick beans, were selected for this
study. Five beans were selected for each sample case in order to
get a good statistical result. The beans were wrapped in a wet towel
to germinate. A sample of that was kept for control, The remainders
were irradiated to doses of
1 Gy, 5 Gy, and 10 Gy using a linear accelerator in the Department
of Radiation Therapy at the University of Kentucky. All of the beans
were planted and their growth was measured periodically. The growths
of the irradiated beans were compared to the growth of the control group.
The results indicated that the plant cells do not behave like the human
cells and they do not show any mutation due to the radiation.
- [Abstract
Index]