Here, I have included my research interests, detailed my journey into and within research, and included background information and methods for my undergraduate Honors Thesis.
Research
Research Interests
Ethnoecology & Evolution: systematics, plant-animal mutualisms, molecular and computational phylogenetics, biogeography, climate change and conservation
Economic & Ethnobotany: evolution of psychoactive compounds in angiosperms, medicinal plants and pharmaceutical relevance, human-plant coevolution and sacred flora
My Research Journey
August 2020 // Started at LSU as a Biology major
Having loved AP Biology in high school, I decided to declare a major in Biological Sciences as a freshman at LSU. Unaware of the opportunities outside of medicine and swayed by familial pressures, I began on the pre-medical school track.
September 2020 // Joined the Lagomarsino Lab
I joined Dr. Lagomarsino's lab during my first semester at LSU, having no prior experience in botany or research, but wanting to expand my knowledge and skillset. My first project involved analyzing morphological traits in Palicourea!
May 2021 // Added a Religious Studies major
My freshman year, I took my first Religious Studies course, "Theories of Religion"–by accident! I'm unsure how this course got added to my schedule, but I'm so glad it did! Upon my professor's suggestion, I added my second major!
Fall 2021 // Classes, classes, classes
I reaffirmed my love for genetics and fascination with chemistry, while learning lots of new things in my "Religion and Parapsychology" class. Simultaneously taking biology and religion classes allowed me to make connections between my two majors that I had never considered, and I became especially interested in entheogens and the role of plants in religious practice and belief.
Spring 2022 // Learned more about hallucinogenic plants
While continuing my work with Palicourea, I began to explore my fascination with the intersection of botany and religion. I learned as much as I could about psychoactive plant compounds and gravitated toward hallucinogens.
June 2022 // Attended NOAA Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program Summer Academy
In pursuing another of my passions, conservation, I applied to participate in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program Summer Academy, an intensive workshop discussing climate adaption, climate justice, and related research in the Southern United States. Through participating in discussions with biologists, geologists, and environmental scientists, I was exposed to the interdisciplinary nature of climate science, and I began to consider the ecological and conservational implications of my research in evolutionary biology.
Fall 2022 // Determined my thesis project
After a summer of further exploring my interests in psychoactive plant compounds, religious significance, and conservation, I started sedulously considering my next project in the lab. Eventually, I settled on my current Honors Thesis project deciphering the evolutionary history of Psychotria viridis.
January 2023 // Started P. viridis project
Though my research had largely been done in the R terminal up to this point, I was so excited to get into the lab! January 2023 marked the beginning of an intensive semester of DNA extractions in the lab.
April 2023 // Gave my first talk
I gave my first ever talk at LSU's Discover Day, an annual undergraduate conference for the presentation of research and creative projects.
May - June 2023 // Colombia
Living in rural Colombia aside locals gave me the incredibly valuable opportunity to learn about local plants, their spiritual significance, and conservation efforts.
July 2023 // Colombia workshop
Following my solo travels, I participated in an amazing workshop, "Phylogenomics in the Andes," where I learned basics of botanical field work and enhanced my genomic data analysis skills.
July 2023 // Botany 2023
The first professional conference I attended, and the first that I presented at!
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 // Waiting and writing
Awaiting my genomic data, I got a head start building on the data analysis skills necessary for my research and writing my thesis.
Prior research on P. viridis...
primarily focuses on its DMT content and hallucinogenic properties. Despite its cultural importance, little is known regarding for how long, where, and by which people the plant has been used. Beyond oral histories, there is little evidence alluding to the evolutionary or domestication history of the plant.
Ayahuasca...
is a brew with hallucinogenic properites that is made by combining a plant with DMT with one that inhibits enzymes in the stomach that would otherwise prevent the the uptake of the DMT. It is often consumed ceremonially, traditionally by Indigenous groups in Central and South America, and is revered for its purgative effects and ability to invoke vivid sensory experiences. Though varying in their functions, ayahuasca ceremonies widely encourage cosmic, cultural, and environmental interconnectedness.
Psychotria viridis...
is a plant in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) that is native to the Amazonian lowlands and cultivated throughout Central America and northern South America. It has a high concentration of the hallucinogenic chemical N, N–Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) which accounts for its importance as a traditional component of ayahuasca.
With much support from Google Scholar, my coursework, my professors, and my research mentor, I have developed research questions, hypotheses, and experimental methods toward the completion of an undergraduate honors thesis in pursuit of College Honors in Biology. I am investigating genetic variation within the plant species Psychotria viridis– a main component of the religiously-significant, hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca– as it relates to geographic dispersal of indigenous groups and ceremonial usage of the plant. In short, my thesis will be a phylogeographic study of this species and an accompanying analysis of how human activities have affected the cultivation, dispersal, and chemical makeup of the plant.
Honors Thesis Project
The goal of my study...
Image sourced from iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/287466-Psychotria-viridis).
Image sourced from iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/287466-Psychotria-viridis).
Image sourced from ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-10/the-new-age-of-ayahuasca/7257244).
... is to provide insight into the genetic variations across geographic regions and cultural significance within the species Psychotria viridi by reconstructing the spatial and temporal patterns of its population structure. In order to determine genetic variation within the species, DNA extraction via destructive sampling of herbarium specimens will be utilized. Subsequent analyses will be run to determine genetic structure, relatedness, and origins. Research into cultural use of the plants will be utilized concurrently to determine significant ethnobotanical relationships.
Estrella-Parra, E. A., Almanza-Pérez, J. C., & Alarcón-Aguilar, F. J. (2019, May 27). Ayahuasca: Uses, Phytochemical and Biological Activities. Natural Products and Bioprospecting, 9(4), 251–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-019-0210-5
Methods...
Taxon Sampling
Sampling of herbarium specimens sourced from Missouri Botanical Garden
DNA Extraction
Extraction of genomic DNA from herbarium specimens
DNA Sequencing
Cleaning/Processing of Genomic Data
Third-party target region sequencing
Filter, call, and annotate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
Phylogenetic Inference
Genetic Cluster Analysis
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Approximate relative relatedness of samples
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Assess haplotype diversity/richness and population differentiation
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assess historical gene flow & degree of admixture between taxa
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Infer effective population size through time
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Ascertain abiotic driving forces of differentiation using environmental niche modeling
