Assessment of Fungal Diversity in an Acidic Lake through Use of Traditional and Molecular Techniques
Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Niyogi, Dev
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Funding Source
Missouri S&T Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) Program; Freshwater Ecology Lab
Abstract
In this project I compared traditional and molecular approaches to assess diversity of aquatic fungi in an acidic lake. Leaves were deployed for colonization at four sites in Finger Lake State Park, located near Columbia, Missouri. The land once housed a coal mine, and one small lake, “Red Lake,” remains acidic. Sites included an extremely acidic seep (pH 3), a site in Red Lake (pH 3.5), a site downstream from Red Lake (pH 3.5), and a nearby neutral lake (pH 7). For the traditional approach, I examined fungal spores microscopically, and grew fungi from leaves in an attempt to isolate pure cultures. For the molecular approach, DGGE analysis was done using DNA extracted and amplified from leaves and pure cultures grown in the lab. Traditional and molecular analyses yielded different results, due in part to biases in the traditional methods. Based on the molecular analysis, diversity decreased as acidity increased.
Biography
Amber is a junior in the Biology department. She participates in undergraduate research in the Freshwater Ecology Lab and is a work study student for the Microbiology Lab. Amber is a member of Phi Sigma and the iGEM design team.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
06 Apr 2011, 9:00 am - 11:45 am
Assessment of Fungal Diversity in an Acidic Lake through Use of Traditional and Molecular Techniques
Upper Atrium/Hallway
In this project I compared traditional and molecular approaches to assess diversity of aquatic fungi in an acidic lake. Leaves were deployed for colonization at four sites in Finger Lake State Park, located near Columbia, Missouri. The land once housed a coal mine, and one small lake, “Red Lake,” remains acidic. Sites included an extremely acidic seep (pH 3), a site in Red Lake (pH 3.5), a site downstream from Red Lake (pH 3.5), and a nearby neutral lake (pH 7). For the traditional approach, I examined fungal spores microscopically, and grew fungi from leaves in an attempt to isolate pure cultures. For the molecular approach, DGGE analysis was done using DNA extracted and amplified from leaves and pure cultures grown in the lab. Traditional and molecular analyses yielded different results, due in part to biases in the traditional methods. Based on the molecular analysis, diversity decreased as acidity increased.
