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Root Phenolic Carbon Chemistry From Genetically Modified Poplars, Lauren N. Hoover, Timothy Filley

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels are plant-derived fuel sources, and are being developed as renewable energy to meet increasing global energy demand. Some biofuels use genetically modified plants with altered lignin chemistry to be less of a barrier for the extraction of cellulose. The lignin structure of stems and leaves of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are known, however, root structure is often not characterized. Plant roots are thought to be the main contributor of carbon to soils during degradation and therefore the chemical composition of roots have a large control on the chemistry of soil organic matter. The potential impact of biofuel GMO’s on …