Effect of Light on the Number of Flowers/ Berries Per Cluster on Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) in Provo Canyon: Provo,

Utah, U.S.A. Laurel C. Anderson, 761 East 820 North Apt. 231, Provo, Utah 84604, November 2013, Email: laurela@ifiber.tv Abstract: Bittersweet Nightshade is a perennial shrub that favors light. Its leaves grow in a manner as to face the light and the flowers grow in the opposite direction. Measurements of berries on local Nightshade plants were taken in Provo Canyon, each plant differing in the amount of natural light received during a 24 hour period. Nightshade shrubs were examined and the number of berries, or flowers, per cluster were recorded along with the amount of sun each plant receives in order to determine the correlation between the amounts of light a plant receives to the number of berries per cluster it produces. The average number for each group was 5.25 berries per cluster for the group of plants which were mostly shaded, 10.67 berries per cluster for the group of plants which were half-shaded, and 11.25 berries per cluster for plants in a group that was mostly sunny. The highest amounts in each group was 10 berries per cluster for the mostly shaded group, 13 per cluster berries for the group that was half-shaded, and 19 per cluster berries for the mostly sun group. The amount of light appears to have an effect on the growth of berries per cluster. As the amount of light increases, the number of berries per cluster also tends to increase. Key Words: Reproduction, groups, growth, natural light Introduction: Bittersweet Nightshade is a perennial shrub (Hitchcock et al. 1959). It is a plant that favors light. The leaves grow in a manner to face the light, while the flowers face the opposite direction. It is a plant native to areas in Northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. Though, it has spread over the whole world and can now even found on the American continent. It has a strong tendency to spread, so it is often now seen as a weed. The plant itself can be distinguished in multiple ways. The flowers of the plant are purple and grow in a star-shaped formation (figure 1). The berries which develop from these flowers are bright red in color and develop in clusters of 3 to 20. There are multiple clusters per plant and the amount in each cluster varies slightly.

The berries of the plant are poisonous, but the plant can be used for medicinal purposes (Hooper and Chandler, 1984), (Bakshi et al. 2008). This plant can be found in various canyons in Provo, Utah, including Provo Canyon. The plants growth is greatly affected by light, though it can grow in varying degrees of total natural light available (Gauhl, 1976). However, not much research has been done on the direct effect light has on the growth of the clusters of berries. The number of berries per cluster correlates directly with the amount of sun that the plant receives, as the plant receives more light the number of berries per cluster increases overall. Methods and Materials: For this study, trips to Provo Canyon in Provo, Utah were taken to gather information on the effect of the amount of natural light available to a plant on the growth of the number of berries per cluster. Before the trip was made, those participating in the research familiarized themselves with the plant and its appearance, so they could easily identify it and not mistake other plants for it. The researchers studied the shape of the leaves which actually has three parts to it. The main body of the leaf is the center part. It is in the shape of a large tear drop, with the tip pointing away from the stem. On both sides of the main body are two smaller parts, in the same tear drop shape. They are located at the base of the leaf, also with their tips pointing away from the main part of the leaf (figure 3). Researchers also studied the color of the bright red berries (figure 2), as the plant produces berries in the fall when the research was completed (Young and Young 1992). In order to gather information, researchers walked along trails in Provo Canyon, looking for the plant. When Bittersweet Nightshade was identified, the amount of light available to the plant would be estimated (with options being mostly shaded, half-shaded (which was used as the control), and mostly sunny) by its surroundings, including any cliffs or other plants that were nearby and act in a way to block some of the natural light from reaching

the Bittersweet Nightshade. All the clusters on the plant were used for results. The number of berries per cluster were numbered by counting the physical berries on the plant itself, and stems where it was apparent that a berry used to be there, but had either fallen off or been eaten by an animal of some sort. These results were tallied and recorded in a notebook. Once sufficient data was gathered, the results were compared and averaged. The average differentiation was also found. Results: From the completed research, it was found that the average number of berries per cluster on the plants that were mostly shade, the ones that received the least amount of light, was 5.25 berries per cluster, with an average margin of error of + 1.5 berries as shown in table 1. Also, the mode of this group was 4 berries per cluster in this group. The highest number of berries per cluster found on plants within this group was 10 berries. The group that was considered halfshaded received an average amount of light. These results included an average of 10.67 berries per cluster, with an average margin of error of + 1.9 berries. The mode within this group was 11 berries and 12 berries. The highest amount of berries found in a cluster on a plant with this amount of light was 13 berries. Finally the last group received the most light of all three groups. It had an average of 11.25 berries per cluster with an average margin of error of + 3.25 berries. The mode of this group was 9 berries, though it had 19 berries for its highest number in a cluster. Discussion: After reviewing the results I found that the amount of natural light the plant receives has an effect on the number of berries that grow on each cluster, thus proving the hypothesis that the amount of natural light available to Bittersweet Nightshade affects the number of berries grown on each cluster. Based on this study, the berries growing on plants that were in areas that were

mostly shaded had clusters totaling 10 or less. There was only one cluster out of 16 that actually reached 10 berries. Most clusters contained 3 to 6 berries, while clusters from the half-shaded group, the group which received an average amount of light were mainly within the range of 11 to 13 berries per cluster, with only one cluster being below 10 berries. This is an increase of 5 to 10 berries per cluster. The plants which grew in mostly sun had even greater numbers of berries in each cluster. Most berries fell within the group of 9 to 17 berries per cluster, which is an increase of about 4 berries from the group that received an average amount of light. This shows a tendency for the clusters to develop more berries when there is a greater amount of sunlight to use to convert into energy. It is assumed that this is due to more sunlight being available to these plants, which provides a greater amount of energy to be made through photosynthesis, which will produce clusters of flowers and then berries. These clusters of berries are the way Bittersweet Nightshade reproduces as the seeds for reproduction are contained in the berries. The more berries produced, the more potential for the Bittersweet Nightshade plants to spread elsewhere. Bittersweet Nightshade is used for medical purposes in narcotics, therefore society can benefit from more plants being produced. If society can find a way to maximize the number of plants grown then it can also maximize the amount of medicine produced from these plants. Therefore it is important for us to know in what way we can maximize reproduction of Bittersweet Nightshade so that we might obtain medication ingredients from these plants. The main way we can maximize reproduction is to find the way to produce the greatest amount of berries from these plants. According to the results of this study, to maximize the amount of berries produced, the plants should be grown somewhere with access to sunlight, due to the findings that Bittersweet Nightshade produces the greatest amount of berries per cluster when exposed to greater amounts of natural light. Also, from this information on Bittersweet Nightshade, we

might be able to infer the growth pattern for other plants that are of close relation to Bittersweet Nightshade. This could be useful information if these plants have some use in society. For example, if these plants have a beneficial property which can be used to combat illness or disease such as cancer, then there will be a need to maximize the amount available for societys use. In order to maximize harvest from such a plant, we must realize that the reproduction of it comes from the berries, which grow in larger clusters when exposed to greater amount of natural light. Acknowledgements: Thank you to Jocelynn Anderson for taking time out of her schedule to drive with me up to the canyon to perform this research. Id also like to thank Matthew Havican and Jocelynn for helping me conduct the experiment itself. Without their help, this experiment would not have been accomplished and I would be unable to complete my nature experience. A final thank you to Dr. Riley Nelson for assigning the nature experience which encouraged me to go out and learn more about the world around me.

Appendix: Table 1: A table depicting the results of the experiment. Mostly Shade Average number of Berries Per Cluster Average Margin of Error for Number of Berries Per Cluster Mode of Berries Per Cluster Highest Number of Berries per Cluster 10 Berries 4 Berries 11 Berries, 12 Berries 13 Berries 19 Berries 9 Berries +1.5 Berries + 1.9 Berries + 3.25 Berries 5.25 Berries half-shaded 10.67 Berries Mostly Sun 11.25 Berries

Figure 1: An example of the flower that grows on Bittersweet Nightshade.

Figure 2: An example of the berries grown from Bittersweet Nightshade.

Figure 3: An example of the leaves grown on the plant Bittersweet Nightshade

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