The REU program in Molecular Ecology brings 6 highly qualified undergraduate students to Towson University in alternate years to engage in state-of-the art research integrating the fields of ecology and molecular biology. Successful applicants will work in one of three lab groups, consisting of students with interest in ecology, molecular biology/genetics, or both, and a pair of faculty mentors. Each group will use molecular approaches to address ecological questions pertaining to the biology of plants and animals. Students will live in Towson University residence halls and receive financial support in the form of a stipend, funds for housing, a basic meal plan and travel. The program is 10 weeks long with the option for a second summer of support. Students will participate in a class designed to prepare them for the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). In addition, all participants are expected to publish the results of their studies. Students with limited opportunities at their home institution or from groups under-represented in science are especially encouraged to apply. More information is available by contacting Don C. Forester at dforester@towson.edu, or by visiting http://wwwnew.towson.edu/biology/.
Our program provided a 10-week undergraduate summer research experience from 2007 through 2011. The goals were to help students develop skills in the design, execution and interpretation of experiments in the field of molecular ecology and to improve their written and oral communication skills. The intent was to encourage and facilitate a career choice in scientific research. Students worked closely with faculty mentors. In addition to the research, the program included four or five research seminars each year to help the students gain an appreciation for the wide range of research fields available in biology, enhance their communication skills and reinforce the interrelationships between apparently disparate fields. Students participated in workshops in scientific ethics, applying to graduate school and presentation preparation. Students also attended a multi-week graduate entrance exam preparatory class. In the third week, after lengthy discussions with their mentors and an extensive literature review, students attended an off-site retreat where they presented a 20 minute oral overview of their project and its goals to the program participants. At the conclusion of the summer, program teams of students presented a public poster session highlighting their results. The projects were: 1. Peccaries Effect on Population Structure of Physalaemus petersi. The population dynamics of a species’ can be affected by numerous factors: habitat destruction, over hunting, and ecosystem engineers. This project focused on one type of Amazonian ecosystem engineer, the peccary (Tayassuidae). A genetic study of the neotropical frog, Physalaemus petersi, in Peru was undertaken to examine the possible affects peccaries have on their population structure. Unfortunately, governmental delays in transport of the materials from Peru appear to have damaged the DNA and we were unable to complete the analysis. 2. Microbial diversity of wood-eating catfish and the production of cellulolytic enzymes by that microbial community. The objectives of the study were to examine the different microbial communities located in the Panaque nigrolineatus gastrointestinal tract using molecular and traditional culture based tools and to determine whether bacterial components of the gut flora of Panaque nigrolineatus produce enzymes capable of digesting cellulose. The investigation revealed a number of novel microbial species capable of degrading cellulose and demonstrated that the fish were dependent upon those microbial organisms to digest the cellulose. 3. DNA Barcoding of Pheidole nominal species and morphospecies. The primary goal of this project was to examine the morphological and molecular diversity of ants from the genus Pheidole in South America. Our initial data indicates that DNA barcodes may help in the discovery of cryptic species. 4. Morphological and molecular examinations of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi found in urban, suburban and rural forests. One of the reasons for a reduction in native plant diversity and an increase in exotic plant species in urban environments may be a decrease in richness or diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Our comparisons indicate reduced diversity in urban soils. 5. Investigations of larval movement of the Northern Dusky Salamander, Desmognathus fuscus. Desmognathus fuscus reach its highest population densities in small headwater streams and declines in number as streams become increasingly larger in size. We used genetic markers to assess population structure of Northern Dusky Salamander across a watershed. Initial results indicate no genetic differentiation between populations, suggesting the free movement of animals between those populations. 6. The molecular evolution of GNBPs in a subsocial cockroach (Cryptocercus). This project used molecular evolutionary approaches to investigate the selective pressures acting on external immune system proteins in Cryptocercus. We found a very low diversity within the population suggesting very strong selective pressures. 7. Dung Beetle microbiota. Dung Beetle consume cellulose rich animal dung. We hypothesized they are able to feed on this nutritionally unbalanced diet due to the presence of mutualistic microbes. Microbial DNA was extracted from wild-caught beetles and analyzed. We found a variety of microbes that can degrade cellulose. 8. Phylogenetics of the highly variable genus, Cyphostemma. We examined 28 species in order to correlate biogeography and growth form within the genus. Analysis indicated this group as an intact genus. Within the genus, plants from Madagascar and Mauritania are a highly related group within a larger group of African species that are genetically distinct from members of the genus elsewhere in the world. 9. Gene flow among Solidago sempervirens. The Seaside Goldenrod grows only along shores of bodies of saltwater. We examined populations isolated by the Chesapeake Bay and the Delmarva Peninsula to determine if they prevent the flow of genetic material between populations. Gene flow across the bay appears possible while gene flow across the Peninsula is restricted. 10. Exploring the use of microsatellites in Lorandersonia Phylogenetics. We attempted to use genetic information from closely related genera to obtain microstatellite sequences from species in Lorandersonia. This is the first step to developing a useful genetic tool to study the relationships among the species of genus.
