Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Plant Research
Alia Wofford - Elizabeth City State University
Photoperiod response and temperature can vary at different elevations and can in turn cause fluctuations in the flowering time. The Common Yellow Monkey Flower, Mimulus guttatus, is found in the Western United States. These flowers have the ability to grow in various climates. They have adapted to their environment to respond to cues such as temperature, day length and nutrient availability to time flowering correctly which will increase the plants ability to survive and reproduce. Mimulus is a model plant for the study of flowering time and photoperiod response; recent studies in the Blackman Lab have found a direct correlation between photoperiod response and elevation. As the elevation increases a higher photoperiod response has been observed. Our objective was to determine if temperature alters the correlation between photoperiod and elevation. By manipulating the temperature and photoperiod we are able to determine if these environmental factors affect flowering time in different elevation plants.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): LSAMP NSF University of Virginia NC - VA Alliance for minority participation.
Faculty Advisor: Nicholas Kooyers,