Research Spotlight: Lauren Megahan
Lauren Megahan, a rising senior at the University of San Diego studying biology and finance, is performing research in the Department of Biology alongside mentor Assistant Professor of Biology Wilnelia Recart González, PhD, and other USD students in the lab. Her research is focused on Phacelia parryi, a native California plant, and how its pollination and seed reproduction respond to different water levels, simulating drought conditions.
Megahan got involved in this lab through taking Recart Gonzàlez’s ecology class. She enjoyed being her student and the environment that was fostered in the classroom and was excited to have the opportunity to learn more from Recart Gonzàlez in the lab.
Megahan spends a lot of time in the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology greenhouse, where she is currently hand-watering and repotting the P. parryi. Eventually, the seedlings will have sprouted enough for Megahan to utilize the irrigation system she made. From there, her research will primarily be checking on the plants and performing data collection.
During her time on this project, Megahan has seen firsthand how difficult it can be to work with the P. parryi. Having a 30% mortality rate, they require a lot of attention and lengthy preparation. Megahan walked through the process, explaining that you must soak the seeds in acid for 18 hours, let them fully dry, and then you can plant them. Even with this process, the success rate is quite low, meaning Megahan must plant and replant often and has 100 P. parryi plants currently growing.
Megahan and Recart Gonzàlez hope to understand if high water vs. low water will determine the success of native California plant species. With San Diego currently experiencing a drought, the goal of this research is to see if the native plants will still be able to pollinate and reproduce in low water conditions and experiencing climate change. If the research supports that low water conditions decrease pollination and reproduction, the next steps are working towards protecting California native plant species to ensure reproductive success. This research is important because pollination is essential for plant reproduction, and drought stress is becoming more prevalent every day with global climate change.
Megahan's advice for students looking to get involved in any research field is to reach out to professors! She recalls her experience and explains that she cold-emailed 15 professors in the biology department before landing in Recart Gonzàlez’s lab. She noted that so many professors at USD are encouraging and want to have students in the lab, so reaching out is the first step towards getting research experience.