| The Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) posits that organisms will adjust behavior or growth in order to maximize energy input. Utilizing the woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), I devise a theory implicating Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the between-patch (exploration) component of nutrient foraging in clonal plants.;My preliminary studies with F. vesca demonstrate that they are able to forage for light, but not applied nutrients in patchy environments, a finding contradictory to clonal plant literature. I conclude that it is not the nutrients to which the plants respond, but rather an indication of nutrient richness via VOC emissions. Studies performed in the 10th street greenhouse at Indiana University suggest that exposure of F. vesca to unsterilized field substrates affects biomass allocation patterns in a manner indicative of nutrient foraging (i.e. increased allocation to roots, decreased allocation to above-ground organs). Furthermore, I show that stolon trajectory is altered in response to exposure to unsterilized field versus sterilized substrates, with stolons selectively extending into the unsterilized substrate. Time-lapse data support my findings.;Through collaboration with the Institute for Pheromone Research at Indiana University, I performed head-space SPME, gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry on experimental substrates and qualitatively characterize the volatiles emitted from unsterilized versus sterilized substrates. I find that application of commercially available volatiles in ratios similar to those emitted from substrates produce similar results to my stolon trajectory experiments, supporting my theory which connects VOCs and nutrient foraging.;In the final chapter, I explore a connection between writing ability and performance in an upper-level, team and case based physiology course at Indiana University. My research determines that students trained to write in the discipline possess an advantage over their colleagues as demonstrated by exam and course performance. I suggest implementation of a discipline-specific intensive writing requirement into curricula to more authentically prepare students for post-graduate work. |
