Profile

• Time Zone

  Central

  
  
• Organization

  Louisiana State University

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  As a phd student, i am studying how a group of bellflowers from latin america have evolved through time. These flowers in particular have a special relationship with sicklebill hummingbirds where the extremely curved beak of the hummingbird matches perfectly with the extremely curved shape of the flower. The hummingbirds use the flowers for nectar and the flowers use the hummingbirds to facilitate pollination. However, some flowers in this group have lost extreme curvature and can no longer be pollinated by sicklebills. my aim is to understand when & How these flowers have developed traits that either helped them maintain this relationship or lost this relationship with sicklebill hummingbirds. Thus, I study the bellflower's genetics, Distribution, and traits related to pollination.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

  My favorite plant is the Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera). Not only are they great trees for city environments, but the flowers are vivacious, and the leaves are sort of shaped like cat faces (I love cats!). In addition, It was the first plant I learned to identify when I worked at an arboretum, and where I lived on the arboretum grounds there was a Tuliptree outside my window. When I moved into my first apartment in Louisiana, I saw a Tuliptree outside my window and took it as a sign of good luck.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is the coolest thing you have discovered or learned about plants?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

  I think the coolest things about plants is how adaptable they are. They can modify themselves or expand their range in order to survive. For example, there are plants that smell like rotten meat to attract flies.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is best about being a scientist?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

  I think the best thing about being a scientist is being able to travel and share my research with people from all over the country/world. I have been to many places I never would have had the opportunity to go if it wasn't for research and I've met a lot of great people along the way who do incredible research.

  
  
• Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

S.H.I.E.L.D Janet K. Mansaray Nov 27, 2023

Yes! The changes in pH provide insights into the metabolic activity of the algae balls. 

• pH Going Up: Indicates active photosynthesis, "breathing" or the uptake of CO2 of the algae balls.
• pH Going Down: Suggests cellular…

more

Yes! The changes in pH provide insights into the metabolic activity of the algae balls. 

• pH Going Up: Indicates active photosynthesis, "breathing" or the uptake of CO2 of the algae balls.
• pH Going Down: Suggests cellular respiration, the release of CO2.

Mullet Mafia Janet K. Mansaray Nov 27, 2023

Hey Mullet Mafia, thanks for your responses! You're definitely on the right track. High-intensity light, especially certain wavelengths in the spectrum, can cause photobleaching. This is a phenomenon where pigments in the leaves (such as…

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Hey Mullet Mafia, thanks for your responses! You're definitely on the right track. High-intensity light, especially certain wavelengths in the spectrum, can cause photobleaching. This is a phenomenon where pigments in the leaves (such as chlorophyll) break down or lose their color due to excessive light exposure. The white appearance may suggest a loss pigments. I can't be certain this happened in your experiment but it is a possibility among many! In science, we often try to dig deeper into why our results turned out the way they did and support these ideas using reliable sources. 

W.L.X3 Janet K. Mansaray Nov 20, 2023

Hey Decklan, Excellent answer about chlorophyll! happy to hear about the progress of your experiment. It's possible that the green light used in your experiment was not completely ineffective in driving photosynthesis, and the spinach disks…

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Hey Decklan, Excellent answer about chlorophyll! happy to hear about the progress of your experiment. It's possible that the green light used in your experiment was not completely ineffective in driving photosynthesis, and the spinach disks were still undergoing some level of photosynthetic activity. What other factors do you think could have been contributing to this?