Ronald E. McNair Program

Monroe Parker

SCHOOL: ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY    MAJOR: BIOLOGY    MENTOR: DR. ALFRED MIKELL    EXPECTED GRADUATION DATE: MAY 2000    ACHIEVEMENTS & ORGANIZATIONS: Alpha Kappa Mu Beta Beta Beta Biology Club Honors Student Organization NAACP National Dean's List National Merit Letter Pre-Med Club Saturday Academy Volunteer Student Leader United States Achievement Academy

Ecology is the study of the relationship of organisms and their environments.  In this research I examined three genera from the Carabid Family: the Brachinus, the Tiger Beetle and the Chlaenius.  These insects live near streams, rocks and under logs.  These specimens were isolated from the same beach on The Sardis Reservoir.  They are ectoparastic.  Beetles eat mites and insect larvae.  The Genus Brachinus is known as the Bombardier Beetle.   When these small insects feel threatened, they release Hydroquinone and Hydrogen Peroxide from a pair of glands in the tip of its abdomen.  An inhibitor is also added to this mixture to keep the chemicals from exploding inside this beetle.  When released all these chemicals are in the form of a gas.  This mixture is very caustic from the number of reactive oxygen species generating during the course of this reaction.

The focus of the study is to compare the bacteria found inside the
intestinal flora of these beetles with the bacteria found on their surfaces.  This comparison is necessary to determine if isolates from the Bombardier’s spray are different and adapted to this extreme environment. Also, the anaerobic process and the effects of oxidative stress on these amazing creatures were examined.  Oxidative stress can cause damage to a certain molecule or the entire organism.  It causes damage by reactive oxygen species.  Some examples of reactive oxygen species are free radicals and peroxides.  These substances are found in all aerobic organisms.  Once biochemical adaptations are established, they may well give us insights into coping with oxidative stress.