BIOL 114: The Effect of Soli Nutrition on Arabidopsis thaliana growth and development

Arabidopsis thaliana has been found thriving in the cracks of concrete and asphalt roads and sidewalks, demonstrating this species ability to survive under conditions of high compactions and reduced nutrient availability. It has previously been researched that Arabidopsis thaliana have genes that could play a part in their ability to survive nutrient deficient conditions. The aim was to determine the effects of soil type on plant growth and determine whether the mutant gene 66010 plays a role in this stress response. To test this hypothesis, thirty-two pots were separated into four different groups of eight pots. Sixteen of these pots were filled with Miracle-Gro potting soil, and the other sixteen pots were filled with an aggregate soil mimic. Four seeds were planted into each pot, totalling to eight pots each of the mutant in the potting soil, wild type in the potting soil, mutant in the aggregate soil, and wild type in the aggregate soil. For six weeks, the number of leaves and the rosette diameter of each plant was measured. The mutant and wild type plants growing in the potting soil had grown larger and fuller, but had not bolted much, the wild type growing in the aggregate were small and the leaves were dark in color, and had not bolted, but the mutant growing in the aggregate, while small and dark, had bolted. This shows that when exposed to these stress-inducing conditions, the mutant gene 66010 helps the Arabidopsis thaliana survive and grow larger compared to the wild type, and the mutant gene 660010 allows for the Arabidopsis thaliana to bolt more successfully in comparison to the wild type when growing in stressful conditions.