Mackenzie Singer

4/25/19

Objective:

The purpose of this lab was to vote on a logo, create a final abstract, and complete our final poster so that they are ready to be presented.

Procedure:

1. Vote on a logo
2. Put soil metadata into the class spreadsheet
3. Label soil samples
4. Create a final abstract
5. Finish up the poster and make necessary changes

Data:

Abstract:

Ciliates play a major role in the food web which impacts all hierarchies of life. There is vast biodiversity in the rhizosphere of Earth, containing ciliates and other microorganisms (1). Little is known about the abundance of organisms that reside in the soil of terrestrial environments. This study was conducted to determine the diversity of soil ciliates in the rhizosphere on Baylor University’s campus. The process included collection, extraction, and amplification of ciliate DNA from the soil samples (2). The sample was retrieved from a Quercus Virginiana tree on Baylor’s campus in sandy loam soil. Our PCR for the 18S V4 primer resulted in a positive DNA band although the DNA concentration was not completely pure. Our results indicate that there is a large concentration of ciliates in the rhizosphere of trees on Baylor University’s campus.

Storage:

Soil tubes were placed in the rack.

Conclusion and future steps:

This lab was very productive in finishing up the posters. We finished them and submitted them for printing. Future steps will be to present these posters at the symposium. We also voted on a logo so that we can make cool stuff to wear.