Analytical Chemical Analysis in an Ecological Context: a High Pressure Liquid Chromatography Workstation, Fluorometer and Spectrometer

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A plan is presented to study the mechanistic and ecological aspects of plant interactions with the abiotic environment; with microbes, including mycorrhizae; and with herbivorous insects. We request funds for a High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Workstation (Beckman Instrument Bioseparation Gradient HPLC "System Gold" (Model 126 Programmable Solvent Module and Model 166 Ultraviolet/Visible Detector) and a Bio-Rad Automatic Sampling System (Model AS-100) , a fluorometer Perkin Elmer model LS 50B "Luminescence Spectrometer" , and a spectrophotometer Hitachi U-1100 Spectrophotometer with sample sipper . These systems will be used to support research in three laboratories at the University of Colorado; all of which are involved in the analysis and quantification of a variety of chemical compounds important in ecological processes. In the laboratory of Professor Deane Bowers, research is focused on the analysis of plant and insect primary and secondary compounds that are important in tritrophic interactions (plants-herbivorous insects-natural enemies). Research in the laboratory of Professor Steve Schrnidt is in two major areas. In the first, biodegradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by microorganisms is studied; and the second is a collaborative project with Professor Russell Monson. This collaborative research studies alpine nutrient cycling at several levels: the processes and mechanisms of amino acid uptake by alpine plants, and amino acid uptake in relation to plant-microbe interactions, including mycorrhizae. The efforts of these three laboratories will be greatly enhanced by the availability ofthe requested equipment, which is presently unavailable, unreliable and out-of-date, or heavily used for research in other laboratories.