Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
Faculty Sponsor
Rob Swanson
College
Arts and Sciences
Discipline(s)
Biology
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-25-2024
Abstract
Rising soil salinity levels are emerging as a significant challenge due to factors such as irrigation practices, climate change-induced sea level rise, soil degradation, and anthropogenic factors such as road salting. Investigating salt tolerance mechanisms in plants is crucial for agricultural sustainability, as high soil salinity inhibits crop growth and reduces yield, threatening global food security. We wondered if certain genes within the plant Arabidopsis thaliana could be linked to higher salt tolerance as understanding the genetic and physiological basis of salt tolerance in an extensively studied plant could guide the development of resilient crop varieties capable of thriving in saline environments and may have implications for drought resistance. Using two Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes, Columbia (Col) and Landsberg (Ler), we compared the effects of water without a stressor (control) and water with NaCl treatment (variable) as well as comparing the results of the ecotypes with each other. Our results showed the following statistical differences: Water retention in the Col control vs Ler control, with Col control retaining more water than Ler control (p=3.34 E-10); Water retention in Col control vs Col treatment, with Col control retaining more water than Col treatment (p=1.33 E-11); Water retention in Ler control vs Ler treatment, with Ler control retaining more water than Ler treatment (p=2.14 E-11); Water retention in Col treatment vs Ler treatment, with Col treatment retaining more water than Ler treatment (p=0.0053). The results indicate that there are genes present within Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes that could lead to water retention when in the presence of soil salinity stress. Following the parent ecotypes, recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were used to further study the correlation in genes to water retention. Fifteen RILs were studied, and an ANOVA was run. With the RIL dataset, a QTL map was generated. Future research involves a more in-depth look of these gene regions in both ecotypes.
Recommended Citation
Suprenant, Alyssa; Brasseur, Jodie; and Goss-Peirce, Lilli, "The Genetics of Salt Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis" (2024). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 1298.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1298
