Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

1997 & 1998
Division of Natural Sciences, Carthage College
Chandra LeGue

"Benedict Prairie: An Ecological Study of Staphylinidae, Chrysomelidae, and the Disappearing Prairie Habitat"

Abstract:
Benedict Prairie is a small, railroad-remnant prairie southwest of Kenosha, Wisconsin, which offers a rich plant and insect biodiversity to indicate its worth as a preserve. My research was performed to determine which species of the Staphylinidae and Chrysomelidae beetle families might be restricted to a prairie habitat, but has presented an in-depth look at why the conservation of native habitats is important. Dr. Walt Suter and I made efforts to map the prairie, identify the flora, and collect insects throughout the summer of 1998. The specimens of our targeted families were curated, identified to genus, and their collection habitat and time analyzed. Conclusive evidence that any of the beetle species we collected at Benedict Prairie are restricted to this habitat has proven hard to come by. Some of the Staphylinidae that we collected are known generalists, and most others have not been studied enough to know which habitat they prefer. Several Chrysomelidae species are linked to prairie restricted plants found at Benedict's and thus may be classified as restricted to this habitat. However, many of these also seem to be generalists that are not mentioned in other prairie studies. The care taken in this study to focus on the relationships between plants, specific habitat, and beetle species has enabled me to conclude that without the conservation of this prairie, many of the native plants and beetles found within its borders would not otherwise be living in this agriculture dominated landscape.

Sam Rajkowski
Worked with Dr. Patrick Pfaffle developed a procedure for the purification and characterization of yeast topoiomerase I expressed in E. coli. The procedure involved inducing the recombinant cells to overproduce the protein, breaking the cells open, precipitating nucleic acids and proteins, and separating components using chromatography on hydroxylapatite. Each step in the procedure showed and increase in specific activity of the protein. Enzyme will be used for future research projects studying DNA topology and its role in biological function.

Kristin Yost
Kristin also is working Dr. Pfaffle to study the activity of two thermostable enzymes that catalyze the polymerase chain reaction, a process which exponentially amplifies a specific sequence of DNA. Previous studies claimed that one enzyme, Stoffel DNA polymerase, was much more tolerant of magnesium concentration in the reaction buffer compared to the more commonly used Taq DNA polymerase enzyme. The results of the project have shown that the Taq enzyme is just as effective as the Stoffel enzyme over a broad range of magnesium concentrations, given the proper buffer conditions.