Swensen: Research in Biology Summer 2012 and Fall 2012 Projects

Susan Swensen   Section 2

INTRODUCTION

My research addresses evolutionary questions about a variety of organisms, but focusing on plants and the evolution of plant interactions with other organisms (e.g. bacteria, insects).  Much of the work involves DNA analysis in the lab, including extracting DNA from plants and insects, amplifying genes of interest using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing, computer-based analysis of data, and phylogeny reconstruction.

I am always open to students who would like to design their own research questions, but most of the time, students choose to work on a project that is part of my research.  If you have a specific project you would like to pursue, please see me and we can work on your idea for a project.  The following are the projects I have already defined for students: 

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF CUCURBITACEAE AND THEIR FRUIT FLY PARASITES

Current possible projects in my lab address evolutionary questions about the squash family (Cucurbitaceae) and its parasites.  These projects are focused specifically on two genera of tropical cucumbers (Gurania & Psiguria) that have bright red or orange flowers that are parasitized by fruit flies in the genus Blepharoneura.  I am involved in reconstructing the phylogeny of the plant hosts as well as the insect parasites to better understand how these groups diversified.

     * How does the phylogeny of host plants compare to the phylogeny of flies that live on the plants? 

     * Do the currently defined species of plants form distinct groups in DNA-based phylogenies? 

     * What genes will be useful in reconstructing phylogeny in closely-related plant hosts? 

This work is in collaboration with Dr. Marty Condon, a biologist from Cornell College (Iowa) who has studied this system for many years.  If funding is available, there may be opportunities for travel to the tropics for collecting, or to Iowa to meet with collaborators.

SOIL BIODIVERSITY ANALYSIS
An ongoing project in the lab (in collaborations with Peter Melcher) has been a project to assess the microbial diversity in the soils beneath the alternative landscape plots on the north lawn on CNS.  This project involves DNA extraction from soil samples and quantitative PCR to amplify DNA from specific groups of microorganisms.  The qPCR profiles will be used in a comparative fashion to assess levels of biodiversity of different types of microorganisms and to compare soils beneath the native plantings and the lawn.

PROJECTS IN SUSTAINABILITY 

 Several projects are available (for credit) that focus on a variety of issues relating to sustainability.  In the past, students have worked on projects involving energy use in our building, a pilot green roof for CNS, and a greenhouse gas inventory for Ithaca College.  If research of this type interests you, please make an appointment to see me and we can discuss possible projects.

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