New Dimension of Plant Mating Systems

November 16, 2018 by artsciweb

In spring 2018, Daniel Malagon won the EEB Undergraduate Research Poster Contest as a junior. He has been conducting out-of-class research over the course of his undergraduate career. He has devoted as much of his time as possible into two labs – one led by Professor Susan Kalisz (EEB) and one led by Professor Matt Gray (FWF).

Using the genus Collinsia as a model, the Kalisz lab investigates the ecological causes and genetic and genomic consequences of mating system divergence between closely related sister species pairs. Daniel added a new dimension to ongoing studies on the evolution of plant mating systems. His research asked if senescence differed between outcrossing and selfing mating species using pollen performance as the metric. An outcrossing mating system relies on a vector to move pollen among flowers, while selfers autonomously move pollen within the same flower.

“Daniel arrived in our lab the first day of his freshman year on fire,” Kalisz says. “He was eager to learn the research ropes and do his own project. His research produced novel, surprising, and soon-to-be-published results: selfers pollen does not show senescent decline, while outcrossers do!”

In the UT Center for Wildlife Health (CWH), Daniel studies amphibian disease epidemiology. Currently, he is helping determine the potential impact a recently discovered fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans) may have on endemic salamander species. Using disease epidemiology models, the Gray-Miller Lab hopes to thwart invasion of this pathogen should it ever reach North America. Daniel’s senior thesis project focuses on the probability of disease transmission via direct contact between salamanders as the disease progresses.

“It has been a privilege to co-mentor Daniel with Dr. Debra Miller,” says Gray, associate director of the UT CWH. “We look at all undergraduate researchers as significant and important components of the CWH, capable of advancing the frontier of science.”

“I strongly encourage any motivated student to look into participating in undergraduate research with a professor whose research they find interesting,” Daniel says. “My participation in these two research labs has been the highlight of my undergraduate experience. I feel very privileged to have had this opportunity to engage with such an incredible faculty and staff. I hope to take everything that I have learned with me to graduate school next fall.”

What’s the Story?

November 16, 2018 by artsciweb

Anna Killeen Cameron is an undergraduate researcher who has worked in the Simberloff and Leppanen lab for the past year on a media analysis related to information about the management of the hemlock woolly adelgid.

The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is an invasive insect that is devastating hemlock populations (Tsuga canadensis and T. caroliniana) in eastern North America. Anna and fellow students in the lab analyzed the type and frequency of information presented by the media, including newspaper, radio, and television. In April 2018, they presented posters about their research at UT’s Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA).

“Anna took the initiative to dig into a substantial dataset and helped us identify possible trends in literature about invasive species management,” says EEB’s Research Assistant Professor Christy Leppanen.

Anna also spent the summer conducting research with EEB PhD candidate Angela Chuang, Professor Leppanen, and EEB undergraduate Casey Fellhoelter. They studied the behavior of a parasitoid wasp and its interaction with the orb weaver spider, Cyrtophora citricola, which is invasive in Florida. The wasp (Philolema sp.) is a newly identified species, so the information gathered about the wasp will contribute to its future species description. Her work to understand the interactions between the wasp and the orb weaver spider are also important in determining whether the wasp could be used as a potential biological control of invasive C. citricola populations.

“Undergraduate research has been one of the best parts of my undergraduate experience. I’ve built great relationships with fellow students and with professors who I now consider to be mentors. It has challenged my way of thinking and has provided me with skills I would not have developed otherwise,” says Anna, who looks forward to her senior year at UT and hopes to continue to gain more field and research experience.

Leppanen C, Frank DM, Lockyer JJ, Fellhoelter CJ, Cameron AK, Smith LJ, Hardy BA, Clevenger MR, Simberloff D (2018) Media representation of hemlock woolly adelgid management risks: A case study of science communication and invasive species control. Biological Invasions.