It has long been suspected that toxic chemicals released by plants into the soil may function as natural herbicides to inhibit the growth of neighboring plants. If this is the case, such chemicals could influence important ecological processes such as successional changes in plant communities over time, and nutrient cycles. Recently, it has been proposed that the success of certain invasive plants might be due to the chemical toxins they produce. One of the major barriers to evaluating these ideas has been the difficulty of analyzing the release of these chemicals in the soil. This project focuses on the development and application of new polymer-based materials that can trap these chemicals as they are released in the soil, allowing these toxins to be isolated and measured. This research will provide an inexpensive tool for other scientists to use in investigating these problems.
The broader implications of this project are two-fold. First, understanding how chemicals released by plants do or do not function as natural herbicides may suggest new ways to manage and control certain invasive species that have caused widespread damage to natural and managed land. In agriculture, such chemicals might be used as more ecologically-sound replacements for synthetic herbicides. Second, this work will be conducted by undergraduate students working under the mentorship of a faculty member at an undergraduate college. The instrumentation provided by the grant will enhance the scientific education of many students not directly involved in this work, and the training of undergraduate students in research methods will prepare them for careers in advanced scientific research.
