Exciting and important research projects are happening at the Alma College Ecological Station known colloquially as the Bog. Within the boundaries of the approximate 220-acre property, there is a diverse composite of ecosystems including a lake, swampland, highlands, old and new forest growth, and more.

That type of ecosystem is not common, said Associate Biology Professor and department chair Dr. Brian Doyle, so for us to have that as part of our campus is special. We consider it to be a fantastic resource for our students, for learning, for research, to get outside, get dirty, and see some cool, interesting plants that some students have never seen before like [carnivorous] pitcher plants and sundews.

Doyle shared how students repeatedly express that the Bog is a place that leaves a lasting impression. While it is fundamentally a space intended for biological research, we want to make sure that as many students as possible can have that experience, even non-biology students. That’s why Alma showcases the Bog by offering an introductory biology class available to all Alma College students.

When some people get down in the weeds, it can mean they have trouble focusing on the big picture. They get lost in the details.

Alma College biology research students, however, can quite literally get down in the weeds, focus on the details, make discoveries, and help others see what’s possible—like stopping cancer with a plant found in the woods.

Mayapple plants, found in the shade of deciduous woods, resemble an umbrella when mature. A single flower on the stem may turn into a soft yellow fruit when ripe. The leaves and rhizomes of Mayapple plants contain podophyllotoxin, which is highly poisonous when ingested. However, that same chemical is known to have medicinal properties. It’s actually prescribed as a topical medication for warts and it is a precursor from which the chemotherapeutic drugs etoposide and teniposide are made.

Cancer develops when cells divide uncontrollably, but podophyllotoxin derivatives can stop the cell division; offering a life-saving solution.

The main source of pharmaceutical podophyllotoxin is actually a species from south Asia. It produces more podophyllotoxin than the American Mayapple, but it has been over harvested and become scarce. The American Mayapple is being considered as a potential alternative. While research on the leaves and roots of the plant is extensive, Doyle explained that he is not aware of any research on the fruit or on the concentrations of podophyllotoxin in it. This is surprising, because the fruit is considered to be edible when ripe. One reason for the lack of research may be that it is very difficult to collect the fruits. They are small and green and they increase in size a little bit and then they’re gone. To collect ripe fruit is certainly a challenge.

The students at Alma College have been taking on that challenge.

Could the fruit have potential health benefits, or is it toxic? Doyle said, It’s a question worth answering.

Our hypothesis is that the concentrations will be very low in the fruit, compared to the roots and rhizomes. We’ll see. It’s not to say there couldn’t be other toxins in the fruit when it’s ripe.

As a small, liberal arts college that’s very focused on handson learning with students, one advantage that we have is the luxury of being able to take our time and do work that is maybe somewhat labor intensive, like collecting these Mayapple fruits year after year…work that others wouldn’t be willing to dedicate the time, the effort, and resources to doing.

Doyle also said, With regards to hands-on skills Alma students learn, another major difference is that an undergraduate student assigned to a research opportunity at a larger university is less likely to be intimately involved in the research. They are more likely to just be making solutions, counting cells, or washing dishes. But here, the students are taking more of a leadership role in the research projects.

Biology major Jaden Packer is a junior who has been involved in the research for a couple years. He said, It was surprising to me how much control the students have over the research.

Doyle said, In the case of the students doing research with me, they are really doing every aspect of that. I kind of point them in the right direction and help them with trouble shooting and problem-solving and with charting a plan for the research, but they are very much involved in every aspect of conducting that research. I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of a college like Alma College. The students benefit from having an experience that is much more authentic.

Packer said, We have access to so many incredibly interesting and complex scientific tools that I would never have been able to access elsewhere. This experience opened a lot of doors for me that I didn’t even know were there before.

Lucie Troyer, Alma College senior and summer researcher said, We are actively prepping, making, and testing extracts of American Mayapple plants. What excites me is that we are testing for something that no one else has looked for previously.

Overall, research that results in publication is typically a years-long process, but even work that students do over the summer can contribute to the overall findings.

We’ve made a ton of progress, Packer said.

Besides developing critical thinking and laboratory and field skills, students are doing original research that leads to presentations at conferences and ultimately publication in journals peer-reviewed by other experts in the field. Students are doing real scientific research and may get their name included on a publication as a coauthor.

There is certainly the opportunity for mentoring [at Alma College] that you wouldn’t get at a larger institution, said Doyle.

Our students work directly with PhD professors, whereas at a larger institution, students may have less access to the faculty and may be more likely to have interactions with graduate students or teaching assistants instead.

Doyle teaches students about medicinal plants at the Bog. Students identify the plants there and then research how the plants were used in traditional Native American medicine. The students prepare plant extracts, and test for various biological activity to see if they have antimicrobial, antioxidant or anticrustacean effects, for example.

It has been shown that there is a correlation between toxicity to brine shrimp, small aquatic crustaceans, and toxicity to cancer cells.

So that’s something that we started to doing early on, said Doyle, and that’s one thing that my students are doing in the lab now. The shrimp are exposed to botanical extracts overnight and you count how many are still alive the next day.

Students developed a method for analyzing podophyllotoxin concentration and harvested the Mayapple fruits and collected leaves and rhizomes from plants every week throughout the summer. The aim is to measure changes in podophyllotoxin concentration as the fruit ripens, not just in the fruit, but in other parts of the plant as well.

Troyer, who is majoring in Environmental Science and plans to continue as a researcher after graduation, said, I think this experience is doing a very good job at giving me the skills I need to go forward into this field of study.

Doyle said, Some people are surprised to learn that most modern medicines are derived from nature in one way or another. The Mayapple is a great example of that and is growing in our backyard.

And a new discovery may be right around the corner thanks to our Alma Scots.