Oleander (Nerium Oleander): Naughty by Nature

The Challenge: Dive into the science, history, and importance of a plant of your choosing. You can pick up a plant from any field trip, from a plant product in the supermarket, from our lectures, from a science documentary, or from another source. It can be a plant that means a lot to you or something you just want to learn more about.
For example: If you pick a fresh food item at the grocery store: look at the sticker on it. Describe if it is a drupe, berry, pome, etc... What variety is it? (the sticker will say typically) Is that variety known for a particular trait? (SweeTango is known for that saccharine crunch plus a lemony tang!) Is that variety a hybrid of two older varieties (Honeycrisp and Zestar)? Do the numbers on the sticker mean anything? Where did it come from? (Grown in Washington, bred in Minnesota! But apples are originally from Afghanistan) How has it been used historically? (cider!) Was it used medicinally? How does its cultivation impact farmers? The planet? Does it have an interesting economic history? Etc. Have fun, and dive into it!
Key question: How have humans influenced this plant, and how has it influenced us?
● Read and cite six relevant and appropriate articles. (if you’re unsure about a source just ask!) You can use either or both of the two papers provided if they are aligned with your subject. The total number of peer-reviewed cited papers should be 6 or more.
● Use your research to write a 5-page essay detailing the human and botanical impacts of your chosen plant,
● Use the list below for ideas, though not every plant will hit every point (for example, if you pick a plant that has not been domesticated, don’t write about domestication)
o Where is it native? Where did it originate?
o Interesting aspects of its biology/ecology
o When was it domesticated?
o Is it being bred/ genetically engineered?
o What is its economic history? Does it have a major economic impact today? o Does it have any medicinal uses, and are they substantiated? Was it used for
medicinal purposes in the past?
o What are its impacts on sustainability? Land use? Water use? o Is it associated with a social cost? (eg. impacting laborers)
● Your essay can include the reason you chose the plant and its impact on your life, but the majority should be a factual account of the plant and its role in society (or society's role for the plant...)
Format and length requirements:
1) Abstract (100-150 words)
2) Main Body: 5 pages double-spaced (Introduction, Discussion, Conclusion)
o 12-point Times New Roman font
o 1-inch margins
o In-text citations should also follow Plant Physiology or Plant Cell format (author
last name, second author last name (followed by et al. if more than two authors), year published). See the example citation list In-Text section below.
3) Cited Sources section should be at the end (minimum of 6 sources: the 2 provided and 4 you find on your own) formatted according to Plant Physiology or Plant Cell citation format (see example citation list below, and Canvas for details)
4) Citations are not included in the 5-page limit.
Structure:
● Title
● Abstract
● Introduction ● Discussion
● Conclusion
● Cited Sources
2) It can be helpful to use a citation manager, like Mendeley, for keeping track of and citing peer-reviewed papers- there is even an extension for Word so you can automatically add citations there.
Example citation list (PDFs on Canvas): (You can use your own citations total of six or more or you can include one or both of these if they are relevant)
In-text:
(Bergougnoux, 2014) (Sen and Samanta, 2015)
In the ‘Cited Sources’ section:
Bergougnoux V (2014) The history of tomato: from domestication to biopharming. Biotechnol
Adv 32: 170-189
Sen T, Samanta SK (2015) Medicinal plants, human health, and biodiversity: a broad review.
Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 147: 59-110