Beetles and yeast – an unexpected combination, but nonetheless they are topics of interest to some in the Life Sciences Building.
Meredith Blackwell, a Department of Biological Sciences professor, said she and other professors and students have been researching the effects of species of yeast in beetle guts for the past four years.
Blackwell said the project came about partly because she is a mycologist, whose main interest is fungi.
“This research is focusing on the relationship between fungi, particularly yeast, and beetles,” she said. “We’re finding undiscovered species of yeast and finding out how these species are dispersed between different interests.”
The study uses mushrooms as one source of information to find out how they become concentrated forms of fungi, Blackwell said. Researchers involved are trying to determine whether the yeast is airborne or if it is coming from insects directly.
She said learning more about how relationships such as this work is important because learning how things are broken down or how microbacteria are transfered can help the understanding of how the environment works, or even about evolution.
She said beetles have an integral part in the process of breaking down trees, and yeast is important to the insects because it helps them digest wood.
“Beetles need that enzyme in their guts to digest that or they wouldn’t be able to eat anything,” Blackwood said. “Could you imagine what it’d be like to step over all those trees if they weren’t broken down?”
Sung-Oui Suh, a biological sciences post-doctorate resident, has been on the research team since the start of the project. He said learning more about the interaction between beetles and insects will eventually lead to other discoveries.
“We do projects like this so we can apply to use them for human beings, and it can help with inventing new drugs and cures,” Suh said.
The research study not only will contribute to knowledge of insects and yeast, but it also provides opportunities for students eager to get hands-on experience.
Christina Dang, a biological sciences freshman, started working on this project as part of her scholarship requirements to work on campus.
She said she chose to work in the Life Sciences department because it pertains to her major, and she wanted to have the experience.
“It has a lot to do with my major, and it puts me in the circle of things with Dr. Blackwell and Dr. Suh,” Dang said. “I get to set up a network to point me in the right direction. I can learn about this in class, but I’m actually doing it.”