The first article that I would like to bring to your attention is a study published in 2014 by Drs. Heidi Appel and Rex Cocroft. Their scientific study is quite fascinating, bringing forth new developments in our understanding of not only particular species of plants, but to some degree our ecosystem as a whole.
The report uses a plethora of scientific jargon that is commonly used in this area of study and throughout the paper. The first of these is playback. The playback describes the “music” or “sound” that the plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, is exposed to, In this case, it is designed based on the feeding behavior of the P. rapae Caterpillars. More specific to the plant itself are two of the main chemicals that are released as defense mechanisms: glucosinolates and polyphenol anthocyanins. According to the report, there is a strong negative correlation between between induced glucosinolates and caterpillar growth rate. Therefore, it can best be described as one of the means of defense. Anthocyanin is a naturally producing chemical in plants. However, as they are placed in stress-induced situations, the amount increases, giving the plant a more red-like color. The more stress, the more red.
The study indicates two potential hypothesis to help explain why playback of chewing vibrations resulted in the systemic priming of glucosinolates and anthocyanins. The first attributes this to the fact that vibrations propagate throughout the plant, hinting that these are used as an early warning system, resulting in the priming of systemic leaves. Alternatively, the vibrations in the playback leaf could have resulted in what could be akin to a domino effect. As that leaf is exposed to playback, it in turn produces a triggered systemic signaling in the form of airborne volatiles, phloem-borne signals, or electrical signals.
Appel and Cocroft do an excellent job in providing the details leading up to and during the experiment, constructing a solid foundation on which they continue to deliver their argument. That the vibrations produced by herbivory induce a chemical response that acts as a defense mechanism. They provide statistics regarding the conditions in which they controlled the temperature of the leaves, where they were acquired, and their age. The same is true for the caterpillars. The experiment is very well controlled.
Science Comprehension and Material Understanding: Arguments and Theses 
This explanation was clear and creative with the blog-style writing while still being formal – well done.
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I love how you used the scientific terms from the study but explained them super clearly so your “audience” could understand.
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I like how you flow the whole article and give the audience a clear idea about this experiment. However, I do think there are a few things that you can improve on. Since science communication paper is usually towards the general public, you can be more specific on certain science terms. For example, Arabidopsis thaliana, a lot of audiences might not know what it is, explain it. You could say Arabidopsis thaliana, which is generally considered to be a lab rat of the plant world. Also words like induced glucosinolates, it would give the audience a better sense if you can explain it clearly.
“The playback describes the “music” or “sound” that the plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, is exposed to, In this case, it is designed based on the feeding behavior of the P. rapae Caterpillars. ” (I don’t really get this sentence, you may wanna rephrase it, also pay attention to the punctuation.)
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I think you did a good job explaining the steps Appel and Cocroft went through to design this experiment, but you also could have further explained a few of the terms like glucosinolates and polyphenol anthocyanins.
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I like how you cleary explained chemical defense, the reactions are an interesting aspect of the study.
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The article is very detailed, and many experiments have explained very clearly the responses of plants to the vibrations of insects and other animals. And the analysis of the data in these articles is also very specific.
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I liked the use of the scientific names, but maybe explain them more as most people won’t know what Arabadopsis Thaliana is, or what P. Rapae caterpillars are. Overall your article was well written and provided a clear explanation of the experiment and it’s rests
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Results*
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I liked the way you explained the experiment, but I think you could have a stronger introduction and conclusion. Maybe using a hook in the introduction or elaborating on the effects of the experiment in the conclusion would help pull readers in.
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It is good to mention the specific chemical substances. So why not describe the experiment?
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Well done on providing a thoughtful and descriptive review of Appel and Cocroft’s study. You provided a thorough examination to background and techniques relevant to the study.
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I liked how you explained the main goals of the experiment while providing specifics of the study clearly in your post. Good job.
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I feel the conclusion needs to be more summarized because there’s some sentences that could be combined together because it seems awkward in that part of the blog. However, the body paragraph overall is a decent explanation on the phenomenon.
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