This is a proposal to purchase equipment for nucleic acid studies and for the purification and preparation of subcellular components. The equipment will be applied to research topics including gene regulation in plants, translational regulation in spermatozoa, melanization in insects, phylogenetic relatedness of environmentally active soil bacteria, and the effect of deforestation on genetic variation in trees of tropical rainforests. This equipment will also benefit undergraduate and graduate student training, as well as a Secondary School Educator Teacher Enhancement Program.
