Project Description
Interactions between plants and insect herbivores make up a major component of terrestrial ecosystems. Over geologic time, these interactions are largely studied through analysis of fossil leaves with preserved insect damage. which is interpreted entirely on the basis of morphology. The objective of this research is to use fossilization experiments to assess morphological changes in damage on a leaf over the course of a year of decay. We will collect 30 leaves and divide them into four treatment groups and one control group. Each treatment group will be artificially damaged with either a circular hole punch or an elongated oval hole punch, and either on the margin of the leaf or away from the margin: (1) circle, margin; (2) circle, away from margin; (3) elongated oval, margin; and (4) elongated oval, away from margin. The control group will not be damaged. Each leaf will be placed in a large petri dish on top of a layer of mud and covered with water; both mud and water will be collected from a lake so that they have natural microbiota. At regular intervals, the leaves will be photographed, and any changes in the shape of the damage will be noted.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will be responsible for setting up the experiments, including collection and artificially damaging the leaves, as well as collecting mud and water. This will be done with my help and supervision. The student will also be responsible for regularly photographing the experiments to record the shape of the damage at each time point. For the first week, the experiments will be photographed once a day. For 3 weeks after, they will be photographed twice a week. For the rest of the year, they will be photographed once a week. I will initially train the student in how to get the necessary photos, but after that the student will do the photography. The student and I will work together to measure the damage and assess shape distortion. The student will also do background reading to better understand the motivation for the project.
Desired Qualifications
None listed.