The Effects of Coleomagilla maculata and Lumbricus terrestris on Brassica Rapa Defense Mechanisms and Functional Traits
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Botany
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Plants have a defense growth trade-off, which means the more energy plants dedicate to their functional traits, the less energy their defense mechanisms receive (Schwarz et al., 2023). Invasive earthworms can lead to an imbalance of resources needed for plant survival (Thouvenot et al., 2024b). The purpose of this study was to see if the addition of an invertebrate species could offset the negative effects experienced by plants in the presence of invasive earthworms, therefore allowing a plant to remain in equilibrium. It was hypothesized that in the presence of Coleomagilla maculata and Lumbricus terretris, Brassica rapa plants would yield similar results to the control measured by plant response (soil pH, leaf nitrogen concentration, soil moisture, and plant height), as if only in the presence of Lumbricus terretris. The rationale for this project comes from the fact that a minimal amount of research has offered a satisfactory explanation to combat invasive earthworms' negative effects on plant species. Three units were organized by control, earthworms only, and earthworms and lady beetles, and plant response was measured daily. Results were not able to be conducted due to a procedural error, but an ANOVA test would have been run to gather inferential statistics. Experimentation concluded that Coleomagilla maculata can be beneficial to plants with invasive earthworms, but with minimal effect.
Recommended Citation
Brooks II, Nicholas, "The Effects of Coleomagilla maculata and Lumbricus terrestris on Brassica Rapa Defense Mechanisms and Functional Traits" (2026). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 47.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2026/all/47
Location
Furman Hall 108
Start Date
3-28-2026 9:30 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effects of Coleomagilla maculata and Lumbricus terrestris on Brassica Rapa Defense Mechanisms and Functional Traits
Furman Hall 108
Plants have a defense growth trade-off, which means the more energy plants dedicate to their functional traits, the less energy their defense mechanisms receive (Schwarz et al., 2023). Invasive earthworms can lead to an imbalance of resources needed for plant survival (Thouvenot et al., 2024b). The purpose of this study was to see if the addition of an invertebrate species could offset the negative effects experienced by plants in the presence of invasive earthworms, therefore allowing a plant to remain in equilibrium. It was hypothesized that in the presence of Coleomagilla maculata and Lumbricus terretris, Brassica rapa plants would yield similar results to the control measured by plant response (soil pH, leaf nitrogen concentration, soil moisture, and plant height), as if only in the presence of Lumbricus terretris. The rationale for this project comes from the fact that a minimal amount of research has offered a satisfactory explanation to combat invasive earthworms' negative effects on plant species. Three units were organized by control, earthworms only, and earthworms and lady beetles, and plant response was measured daily. Results were not able to be conducted due to a procedural error, but an ANOVA test would have been run to gather inferential statistics. Experimentation concluded that Coleomagilla maculata can be beneficial to plants with invasive earthworms, but with minimal effect.
