Honors Thesis Archive
| Author | Destiny L. Paulen |
|---|---|
| Title | The Impact of Simulated Sulfuric Acid Precipitation (H2SO4) on Five Different North American Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Growth Characteristics |
| Department | Biology |
| Advisor | Matthew Collier |
| Year | 2021 |
| Honors | Departmental Honors |
| Full Text | View Thesis (12272 KB) Note: This is a very large file; it may be easier to download the file to your computer and open it from there. |
| Abstract | Acid precipitation is a prevalent issue that has been shown to have negative effects on several plant species. The growth characteristics of the North American dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) were analyzed after 6 weeks of exposure to either distilled water, simulated “normal” rain of pH 5.6, or simulated acid rain at pH 4.2 or 4.4. No significant difference was found in the number of leaves produced plants in the treatment groups (P = 0.153), or whole plant dry weight (P = 0.964), leaf dry weight (P = 0.488) or root dry weight (P = 0.797). Across the treatment groups a significant difference was revealed in the examination of longest leaf length (P = 0.006). Visible morphological effects such as necrosis, chlorosis, and leaf degradation were also observed in plants treated with simulated acid rain. The negative effects of acid rain may extend to the often pollutant-resistant dandelion. |
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