Circadian Rhythms in Arabidopsis thaliana

Circadian rhythms are indigenous patterns set by cues from the environment. For many organisms, including Arabidopsis thaliana, it is not clear which traits are set by circadian rhythms, or if the circadian rhythm has a direct correlation to the fitness of an organism. Matthew Rubin began working on this uncertainty using special seeds infused with luciferase on a specific segment of DNA. Using specific cameras, exact circadian rhythms were determined by how the plants lit up. Many characteristics were also measured under natural settings to compare circadian rhythms to the fitness of each individual plant. As a student in WySTEP, I was to integrate this research into some aspect of the class I'm student teaching for. This information was infused into a DNA unit as a real world experience of genetic engineering being done right now.