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| Title |
Anti-Herbivore Properties of Bromelain
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| Type of Resource |
still image
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| Date Created |
2009-05-13
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| Digital Origin |
born digtal
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| Rights Statement |
http://digital.uwyo.edu/copyright.htm
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| Keyword (topic) |
Bromelain
Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
insect control
Drosophila melanogaster
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| Series Title |
Undergrauate Research Day 2009
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| Creator(s) |
Collins, Levi
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| Contributor(s) |
Brown, Dr. Greg
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| Publisher |
University of Wyoming
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| Place of publication |
Laramie, Wyoming
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| Language |
eng
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| Summary |
Bromelain refers to a group of proteolyitc enzymes produced by the pineapple (Ananas comosus) that have the ability to break down, or digest proteins. The concentration of bromelain found in pineapple leaves, stems and fruits is much higher than is needed for primary metabolic functions, thus bromelain can be placed into a distinctive category of plant secondary metabolites. When the function of secondary plant chemistry is unknown, as it is with bromelain, they are generally thought to mediate some interaction between the plant and one or more factors within the environment. We hypothesized that bromelain has anti-herbivore activity, specifically for insects. To test this hypothesis we performed controlled, replicated in vitro experiments where fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, were cultured on a food media containing bromelain in known concentrations, including the concentration reported for ripe pineapple fruits. Following standard culture duration, all control and treatment populations were censused for numbers of adults, pupae, larvae, and eggs. Analysis of these data suggests that bromelain has no negative influence on fruit fly reproduction and development, thus not supporting our hypothesis.
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| Handle |
http://hdl.handle.net/10176/wyu:203
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| Notes |
From - Undergraduate Research Day 2009 - Celebration of Research - Abstracts
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