Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Scharf, Andrea
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Funding Source
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans) is a species of nematodes widely found on rotting plant material due to the presence of their primary food source, bacteria. These animals utilize pheromones for communication to signal larval stages to enter the dauer phase-a survival strategy enabling them to withstand periods of minimal to no food availability, thereby regulating their population size. This study investigates the role of pheromone signaling in population dynamics and survival strategies of C. elegans using a population dynamics experiment. We employ two strains: N2, a laboratory strain with intact pheromone signaling, and a mutant strain lacking the ability to signal via dauer pheromones. Both strains are cultured in liquid medium with fluctuating food supply to examine their growth and survival patterns. We hypothesize fluctuating population sizes in the N2 strain, characterized by cyclical rises and falls in response to the food supply, contrasted with more pronounced fluctuations in the mutant strain, reflecting an inability to regulate population size effectively.
Biography
Galayna Baur is a Junior in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry and very active on campus. She is the president of the National Society of Leadership and Success, an assistant to the chair of the Student Activity Financial Board, an active member of the Biological Honors Society Phi Sigma, Helix, and iGEM. Beginning of the year, Galayna joined the Scharf lab and is investigating pheromone communication in the roundworm C. elegans. In the future, Galayna plans to stay at Missouri S& T for her Master's degree.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Presentation Date
10 April 2024, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Included in
Are Pheromones Necessary to Survive?
Caenorhabditis elegans (C.elegans) is a species of nematodes widely found on rotting plant material due to the presence of their primary food source, bacteria. These animals utilize pheromones for communication to signal larval stages to enter the dauer phase-a survival strategy enabling them to withstand periods of minimal to no food availability, thereby regulating their population size. This study investigates the role of pheromone signaling in population dynamics and survival strategies of C. elegans using a population dynamics experiment. We employ two strains: N2, a laboratory strain with intact pheromone signaling, and a mutant strain lacking the ability to signal via dauer pheromones. Both strains are cultured in liquid medium with fluctuating food supply to examine their growth and survival patterns. We hypothesize fluctuating population sizes in the N2 strain, characterized by cyclical rises and falls in response to the food supply, contrasted with more pronounced fluctuations in the mutant strain, reflecting an inability to regulate population size effectively.
