Honors Theses
Exploring Secondary Metabolite Profiles of Sloth Algae
Abstract
In this experiment, we are investigating the composition of the secondary metabolites in sloth algal cultures. Additionally, we are investigating the effects of secondary metabolites in sloth algal cultures on insects. The three outlets of investigation include insect avoidance tests, sending samples to the Natural Center for Natural Products Research, and analyzing sequencing data with AntiSMASH to identify secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. While our data from the Drosophila fly tests were inconclusive, we found that our samples contain many different gene clusters for terpenes, NRPS, PKS, RiPPs, which are volatile compounds with a wide array of biosynthetic functions. This research can be used in the future to explore the effects of these volatile secondary metabolites on insects including the ones found in algal cultures located in the hair of Bradypus variegatus sloths.