The Effects of Water Stress and Apical Auxin Receptor Coverage on Phototropism in Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana was first grown in the environmental chamber. The water tray and soil were kept moist for all plants as seedlings. They were kept in16 hours light and 8 hours of dark condition until they developed 4 true leaves. At this point, watering of one group of plants ceased in order to create a water stressed environment for this group. The other group continued to receive regular watering via hydrobubbles (the watering tray was kept dry). Select individuals’ apical meristems were covered with white out in order to block the auxin receptors (a total of 10 would be examined during the experiment). The two groups were then added to a secluded area where they were provided with blue light positioned on the left side for 16 hours a day. Each day the plants were rotated, the set of plants in front from each treatment (dry and watered) faced the light, during the rotation the two groups closest to the light were moved to the back, the next two being moved forward (as seen below). Every day the water for the regularly watered treatment was checked, hydrobubbles were used water in order to maintain a slow release of water to the plants (shown as the pink spheres in some of the images). The angle of 10 covered and 10 uncovered plants was measured at 3 different dates during the experiment to see the effects of water stress and auxin receptor coverage on phototropism