Planting Science - Members: View: Caston Draper

Caston Draper

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Profile

Time Zone

Mountain
Organization

University of Utah
Role

Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online
Research Interests (300 words)

my current research surrounds Archaeobotany. Archaeobotany is the study of ancient human interactions with food plants like corn, and potatoes. My lab specifically researches plant starches found at archaeological sites that are deposited by food processing. Using starches we can better understand the plants used by ancient humans and their past diets. When viewed under the microscope, starches have distinct qualities depending on the plant they came from, and can often be used to identify the plant without even seeing it. This is really important because most plant parts are not preserved in the archaeological record.

Beyond achaeobotany I am also interested in general botany/ plant science. In my future, I will probably end up studying this subject in Graduate School. One topic that excites my is Plant mycorrhizal interactions, or plants interacting with fungi in the soil. These relationships have many interesting applications in the ecology of plants.
Profile Question 1

What is the coolest thing you have discovered or learned about plants?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

Plant adaptations are amazing! plants live in nearly every environment in the world and can withstand some really harsh conditions. I think a great example of this are Halophytes or salt tolerant plants. Some plants especially in the Chenopodiaceae family can withstand very high soil salinity levels, because of special adaptations like salt secreting glands and succulent leaves. As the climate changes these plants could play a role in future agriculture!
Profile Question 2

When and why did you decide to go into a science career?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

I always knew I wanted to go into a STEM field, but it took me a while to settle on plant science. After going through 2 years of undergrad I finally realized I could study and find a job for pretty much anything I wanted, as long as I keep going to school and learning more things. If you find something you love you'll never work a day in your life so I chose a science career. I love the sense of community in science, plus the idea of learning something that nobody else knows is always exciting and possible!
Profile Question 3

What is your favorite plant? Why?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

This is a tough one so I will actually pick three plants as my favorites.

My most favorite weird plant is Salicornia europaea, or pickleweed. This plant almost looks like it came from outer-space. This is a salt tolerant Halophyte, it has succulent modified leaves. This plant is very salty, it even tastes salty.

My favorite plant with human significance is the Sego Lily, Calochortus nuttallii. These are in the lily family, and so are onions. This plant is very beautiful when it blooms and its tubers were eaten for thousands of years by Native Americans, especially in times when food was scarce.

Finally my favorite tropical plant is Anthurium veitchii. This plant is just very beautiful and fun to look at. They can also get really big when grown in ideal conditions.
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Caston Draper

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