Mentor/s
Dr. LaTina Steele
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
In recent years coastal restoration efforts have been at the forefront of reestablishing resilient salt marsh environments, which are essential in preventing coastal flooding and conserving biodiversity. However, the role of snail herbivory and plant chemical defenses in salt marsh restoration has been understudied. We aimed to determine if snail grazing patterns were linked to plant phenolic content in two naturally-occurring and two restored S. alterniflora populations by collecting 20 whole S. alterniflora stems from four locations in Connecticut: Milford Point (natural), Chaffinch Island Park (Guilford; natural), Stratford Point (two restored populations, one planted in 2015 and another planted in 2017). Leaves were separated and photographed, frozen at -80°C, lyophilized, ground, and stored at -80°C. We also conducted snail surveys at each location. ImageJ was utilized to calculate leaf area and grazed area for each leaf. The Folin-Denis assay was conducted to measure total reactive phenolics in each leaf. Data analysis is underway. We expect lower phenolics in the more heavily grazed S. alterniflora leaves and more evidence of snail herbivory in areas with higher snail densities. Understanding interactions between S. alterniflora and herbivores may prove useful in selecting appropriate plant strains to maximize the success of future restoration efforts.
College and Major available
Molecular & Cellular Biology BS, College of Arts and Sciences
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-28-2023 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-28-2023 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Prize Categories
Best Multidisciplinary Research or Collaboration, Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Best Writing
Patterns of Snail Herbivory and Phenolics in Restored and Natural Spartina alterniflora Populations in Long Island Sound
Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons
In recent years coastal restoration efforts have been at the forefront of reestablishing resilient salt marsh environments, which are essential in preventing coastal flooding and conserving biodiversity. However, the role of snail herbivory and plant chemical defenses in salt marsh restoration has been understudied. We aimed to determine if snail grazing patterns were linked to plant phenolic content in two naturally-occurring and two restored S. alterniflora populations by collecting 20 whole S. alterniflora stems from four locations in Connecticut: Milford Point (natural), Chaffinch Island Park (Guilford; natural), Stratford Point (two restored populations, one planted in 2015 and another planted in 2017). Leaves were separated and photographed, frozen at -80°C, lyophilized, ground, and stored at -80°C. We also conducted snail surveys at each location. ImageJ was utilized to calculate leaf area and grazed area for each leaf. The Folin-Denis assay was conducted to measure total reactive phenolics in each leaf. Data analysis is underway. We expect lower phenolics in the more heavily grazed S. alterniflora leaves and more evidence of snail herbivory in areas with higher snail densities. Understanding interactions between S. alterniflora and herbivores may prove useful in selecting appropriate plant strains to maximize the success of future restoration efforts.
Students' Information
Amanda Kailher, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Honors, 2023