Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Potential Antimicrobial Properties Of The Cyanobacterium Microcoleus Vaginatus In Relationship To The Moss Bryum Argenteum, Crystal Erickson, Lloyd Stark

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Biological soil crusts play important ecological roles in arid desert regions. These crusts cycle nutrients, prevent wind/water erosion, and form the basis of food chains and soil formation in desert communities. Primary components of these structures include two desert moss species Bryum argenteum and Syntrichia caninervis, and Microcoleus vaginatus, a cyanobacterium. Our Phase I experiment strongly suggests that in an environment of intense light, a condition of stress to Syntrichia caninervis, there is an increase in shoot regeneration when cyanobacteria are present compared to when they are absent. Microcoleus is a highly motile species and our lab observations of fewer …