Class Presentation: Orange County High School Arabidopsis Presentation

Hypothesis Statements:

Wild Type Control Hypothesis:

With no mutation or variable, the plant will grow at an average rate, meaning the plants will grow average bolt heights, rosette diameters, and number of siliques. They will also maintain the life span of about 6 - 8 weeks as nothing has changed. 

Wild Type Experimental Hypothesis:

If there's a 2mM molarity level of KCl added to Arabidopsis thaliana then it experience increased bolt height, rosette diameter, and silique count because the KCl is a supplement increasing water movement throughout the xylem and phloem as well as increasing photosynthesis productivity.

Mutant Control Hypothesis:

The mutant control Arabidopsis thaliana will not experience any changes to normal growth. The mutant control will be indistinguishable from the wild type control. The removal of the aap6 gene will have no effect.

Mutant Experiment Hypothesis:

If there is a 2mM molarity level of KCL added to the mutant Arabidopsis thaliana, then the plant will experience average levels of growth, similar to the control group, wild type experimental, because the lack of aap6 will prevent the positive effects from taking place.

Explanation of Variable:

Our experiment had two variables, the Potassium Chloride supplement and the AAP6 mutation.

Potassium chloride is a common fertilizer used by many farmers and gardeners around the world. It provides essential potassium to plants as well as increasing root function and photosynthesis productivity. We made our 2mM solution by mixing a ratio of .4ml of .5 molarity KCl with .96ml of water.

The mutation in our mutant Arabidopsis thaliana plants is the removal of the AAP6 gene. Standing for Amino Acid Permease 6, AAP6 plays a vital role in transporting amino acids and other nutrients between the phloem and the leaves of a plant. Turning off the AAP6 gene can protect the plants defense against certain infections.

The independent variables included the presence of the AAP6 mutation and the addition of the potassium chloride. The dependent variables were the qualitative data that we collected and the rosette diameter, bolt height, and silique counts. 

Variable Background:

Potassium Chloride is found and used in many different types of fertilizers. This variable is involved in processes such as protein synthesis, starch production, and photosynthesis. The significance of the variable in this project is to determine optimal fertilization to enhance crops productivity along with their quality. It is also meant to help them tackle environmental stressors like drought and diseases.

The reason potassium chloride is such an important macronutrient for the functions of a plant is because it aids in photosynthesis, water regulation, stress resistance and strength, nutrient transport, and improves overall growth and health of plants. However, too much or too little is not good for the plant. With a potassium chloride deficiency, a plant will experience negative impact on the overall growth of the plant, the development of fruits, cause it to weaken physically and also weaken against stressors. High levels of potassium chloride are also not beneficial blocking the intake of vital nutrients and causing deficiency and imbalance.  

AAP6 is a specific gene in the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana that codes for an amino acid permease. Amino Acid Permease 6 is necessary in the transport of amino acids and other nutrients from the phloem to the cells of the plant leaves. Scientists removed AAP6 from Arabidopsis because, when removed, it starves leaf based omycete infections by keeping the infection from feeding on the plants amino acids and nutrients, as they are contained only in the phloem without the transport permease of AAP6. 

Understanding the effects of potassium chloride when met with the AAP6 gene is important because it helps us to understand how plants function, to improve how we grow things, and applying it to bigger, everyday areas like gardening and agriculture.

Thank You Virginia Tech!

Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to do research and collect data for you all! We are very grateful for the chance to improve our scientific understanding!

- Orange County High School BRVGS Third Block