Bio+Birdies

flat =Members:=

@Danielle
=Cell Size Lab:=

This picture shows the agar before we put it in the solution. The cubes are white/clear in color.
 * Cube Size ||  Area of Cube  ||  Volume of Cube  ||  Surface Area to Volume Ratio  ||  Distance of Diffusion  ||  Rate of Diffusion  ||
 * 3x3x3 ||  54cm2  ||  27cm3  || 2;3 || .5cm || .05 cm/min ||
 * 2x2x2 ||  24cm2  ||  8cm3  || 3;2 || .5cm || .05 cm/min ||
 * 1x1x1 ||  6cm2  ||  1cm3  || 6;1 || .5cm || .05 cm/min ||

This picture shows the agar after we put it in the solution. The color has now changed to a purple/pink.

This picture shows the agar after we cut it in half. The purple/pink color is still present but only for .5cm into the cube. After .5cm, the color changes to a light pink.


 * __Calculating Surface Area__**

L: length of cube W: width of cube
 * Formula**: SA= L x W x # of sides
 * Number of sides of the cube

We were first given a cube of agar which measurements are 3cm long, 3cm wide, and 6cm high. After we got our cube, we had to cut it into three other cubes. The biggest cube measuring at 3cm long, 3cm wide, and 3cm high. The second biggest cube we cut was 2cm long, 2cm wide, and 2cm high. The smallest cube was 1cm long, 1cm wide, and 1cm high. Once they were cut and the measurements were added to the chart, we had to find surface area. Using the formula we took the measurements in the chart and multiplied them by 6, which was the number of sides for each cube. The surface area of the biggest cube is 54cm2, the surface area of the second biggest cube is 12cm2, and the surface area of the smallest cube is 6cm2.

__Biggest Cube__ SA= L x W x # SA= 3 x 3 x 6 SA= 54cm2 __Second Biggest Cube__ SA= L x W x # SA= 2 x 2 x 6 SA= 24cm2 __Smallest Cube__ SA= L x W x # SA= 1 x 1 x 6 SA= 6cm2


 * __Calculating Volume:__**

L= Length W= Width H= Height V= Volume Before putting the agar in the solution to dye it, we figured out the volume of each “cell” by using the formula above. The smallest “cell” was 1cm wide, 1 cm long, and 1 centimeter high when we measured it. Multiplying it’s length, width, and height together we got the volume of 1cm3.The second cube we measured was 2cm long, 2cm wide, and 2cm high; after multiplying it’s length, width, and height we got 8cm3. Lastly, we measured the biggest “cell” which was 3cm wide, 3cm long, and 3cm high. The biggest “cells” volume was 27cm3. We added all the volume measurements to the chart.
 * Formula**: L x W x H = V


 * __Rate of Diffusion:__**

R=rate of diffusion d= distance the material diffused in cm t=time
 * Formula:** R=d/t

We let the agar cubes soak in the liquid solution for 10 minutes (NOTE: liquid is clear in acid, pink in base). After taking the cubes out of the solution and cutting the 3x3cube, 2x2cube, and 1x1cube in half, it was visible how far the liquid diffused in each cube, as the solution was pink in color and we could see how far it diffused in the once clear agar cubes by how far the pink went in. In each cube, no matter the size, the liquid diffused 0.5cm into the material. So, to calculate the rate of diffusion, we took the distance (0.5cm) divided by the time (10min) and found that the material diffused 0.05cm per minute, as shown below.

R=d/t R= .5/10 R= 0.05 cm per minute

=Protists=



Interesting Facts:

1. Elodea plants are widely used as aquarium vegetation.

2. In places such as Asia and Australia, the elodea is considered a noxious plant.

3. Eloda are native to the United States.

4.Some of their common names are waterweed and ditch moss.

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 * The elodea has a small white flower that blooms at the surface of the water and is attached to the plant by a delicate stalk. Besides the flower the elodea is completely under water
 * In fall the delicate stalks brake away from the parent plant, float away, root and spread to start new plants. This rapid reproduction causes some people to find it evasive.
 * They generally reproduce asexually by the steam fragments because male elodea plants are uncommon.
 * The leaves teeth are only visible under magnification.

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 * Provides habitat in winter months to many water species. Many underwater plant species do not provide a good habitat in winter months



**Rotifer (Vorticella)**

2. Rotifers can develop into adults by rehydrating from rainwater.
 * 1) Female rotifers are more common than males.- Males only live a few days or even a few hours, due to the fact that they do not possess a mouth. Females, however, do not really need male rotifers or reproduction, as they clone themselves by producing eggs that don’t need fertilized.

3. They go through a quiescent embryo phase that enables rotifers to live years without water.

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5. Flagellum and cilia are very alike. Flagellum are one or few, long, hair-like structures that are found on most unicellular organisms. Flagellum are mainly used for movement and sensing other organisms but they also make water currents that carry oxygen and nutrients. Cilia are many, slender, hair-like structures on organisms. They are found on nearly all mammalian cells. Compared to flagellum, cilia are much smaller in size. They are about 1-10 micrometers in length and less that one micrometer in width. Cilia act as sensory antenna for the cell. They are also used to move and bring in food particles. The flagellum and cilia both help protect the cell from other microorganisms and they make water currents that carry food and oxygen. The outside of the flagella and cilia is the plasma membrane that goes around the axoneme complex that is connected to the cell’s basal body. The axoneme is made of a single central pair of microtubules, which is part of the cytoskeleton, surrounded by a ring of nine pairs of microtubules.


 * 6**. There is a significant difference in the elodea and the elodea with added salt water. The elodea with added salt water is exposed to a hypertonic solution in which there is more solute outside the cell than inside the cell. Thus, the water moves out of the cell and causes it to shrink. We know this because of plasmolysis where the cytoplasm pulls away from the cell wall due to the water loss of osmosis. With this, the elodea with added salt water is smaller than the regular elodea. The elodea, on the other hand, is exposed to an isotonic solution in which there is the same amount of fluid inside and outside the cell. Water would then move in and out of the cell in equal concentrations. In conclusion, the main difference between the elodea and the elodea with added salt water, is that the elodea with added salt water is smaller than the elodea.

=Enzyme Lab= Danielle

The chart for the enzyme lab represents the reaction that happens to foods when hydrogen peroxide is added. We took 3 samples of each food, pureed corn, peas, liver, and beef, and filled each well in a spot plate half full of the food and half with peroxide at different temperatures. With cold, room temperature, and warm hydrogen peroxide, we carefully placed drops of peroxide in each well of the same food and took pictures of the results. On a scale of 0-5, we rated how much the foods bubbled. Zero obviously means that there was no reaction and five means the most effective reaction, with 2,3, and 4, being rated in between. In conclusion to our results, the vegetables, corn (though corn is technically a grain) and peas, did not bubble or display a reaction. However, the meats, liver and beef, had noticeable reactions, as we rated them at least 1-5 on the chart.

Maggie Prutznal

1=Cold Hydrogen Peroxide 2=Room Temperature Hydrogen Peroxide 3=Warm Hydrogen Peroxide

Beef:






Liver:






Ryan

Green Peas: Before-

After-

Corn: Before-

After-

//Donna Jean Roberts//

=//Biomolecules in Food Lab//=
 * Biomolecules in Foods Chart:**

Danielle Bower

To test for starches, we conducted a test using iodine. With individual test tubes, we added 1 dropper full of the substance to each and added 3-5 drops of iodine. If the color changed from orange/brown to blue/black at room temperature, then the substance tested positive for starches. The potato, processed oatmeal, and green banana all tested positive. Using the Biuret test, we tested for protein. Again, we added 1 dropper full of Biuret solution to 1 dropper full of the food substance. We were, also, not to heat the tubes. The results were not as immediate as the other tests, as we had to wait about five minutes to determine whether the color changed from blue to mauve, meaning it contained protein. The potato and the egg yolk were the only foods that tested positive for protein. Finally, to see if the foods contained fats and oils, we used the Sudan IV test. In this test, we only used one half dropper full of the substance and added 5 drops of Sudan IV stain. When the drops were added, the test tube had to be tilted and slowly brought back up to upright position for an accurate result. It was crucial not to heat or shake the test tube. To see if the substance is positive, we had to look for a deep red color at the interface of the food substance with the dye. With the help of Ms. Maine, we concluded that the egg yolk and the oatmeal possessed fats and oils. In the foods that we tested, I have to say the ones that surprised us the most were the green banana and the oatmeal. For example, the green banana only contained starches. This we thought was strange as we thought a banana would contain protein. However, with Danielle’s research, we concluded that one could find small traces of protein in a banana but since the banana was so diluted with water, the chances of the protein showing were slim. The oatmeal was also a shock as we had the impression that it contained simple sugars and proteins. This is due to the fact that it is processed oatmeal and most processed foods generally contain simple sugars, most likely, to stimulate the taste buds and get people wanting more. We thought it would contain proteins but it did not show up in the test. So, as you can see, one needs a variety of foods to achieve a healthy diet with many biomolecules necessary for life.
 * 2.** In the foods-potato, egg yolk, processed oatmeal, and green banana-we were testing for simple sugars, starches, fats, and proteins. We conducted 4 tests on each of the foods to determine if they tested positive or negative for the substances. In the Benedict’s test, we tested for simple sugars in each of the foods by placing 1 dropper full of the pureed food in a test tube and 1 dropper full of the Benedict’s solution. Then, we heated the tube in a water bath for 3 minutes, and if the color changed from blue through green to a yellow/orange/ red, then the food tested positive for simple sugars and if it did not change these colors, then it obviously tested negative. In the experiment, we found that the only food that contained simple sugars was the potato, as the rest of the foods tested negative.
 * Maggie Prutznal (pasted by Ryan Young)**


 * 3.** After looking at all of the other lab groups in the different classes that tested the same foods, there were some differences in their charts compared to ours. The lab groups we looked at were the Three Amigos and 1 and The Ice Cream Squad.

For the egg yolk in the all three tests-Benedict’s, Sudan IV, and Biuret- all the groups agree, but there was a disagreement between the Ice Cream Squad in the Iodine test. They thought it was positive meaning it contained starch, but the group the Three Amigos and 1 agreed with us, saying it was negative meaning it did not contain starch. This difference could be because of the amount of iodine; time tested (more watered down), and there was also a misunderstanding of the color change. They believed it had starch due to the presence of the color brown, but in the procedure it states that to contain starch the color change is from orange/brown to a black/blue.

For the green banana, out of the four tests, there were only two tests different and both were in The Ice Cream Squad’s data. They disagreed with the two tests Benedict’s and Sudan IV but the Biuret and the Iodine tests were the same. They believed for the Benedict’s test it was positive, meaning it contained simple sugars and we had negative. The Sudan IV test was positive, meaning it contained fats and oils, and we had negative. Some reasons for the differences in the Sudan IV test is that they possibly didn’t tilt it or after the substance was added they could of brought the test tube up too quickly. The test tube could have been shaken and/or the substance they had could have been thinker of thinner than ours. The differences in the Benedict’s test could be caused by the substance time being heated longer/shorter, the temperature of the water they soaked it in, amount of Benedict’s added, and the time the experiment was tested.

For the potato there was only one difference in the Benedict’s test between The Three Amigos and 1 and us. In the other three test-Sudan IV, Biuret, and Iodine test- all the other lab groups agreed with our data. In the Benedict’s test, which tests for simple sugars, they have negative but we have positive. They have negative, meaning the potato does not have simple sugars present but we have positive, meaning it does contain simple sugars. The differences in the test could be caused by the time the substance was tested, the temperature of the water it was soaked in, amount of Benedict’s added, and amount of time soaked.

For the processed oatmeal there were two differences, one difference per group. The Three Amigos and 1 in the Sudan IV test, which tests for fats and oils, had negative but we had positive. The difference in this test could be caused by them possibly not tilting it correctly after the substance was added by bringing the test tube up too quickly, shaking the contents, and/or the substance they had could have been thinker or thinner than ours. The Ice Cream Squad in the Benedict’s test, which tests for simple sugars, had positive but we had negative. The difference in this test could have been because of the substance time heated was longer/shorter, the temperature of the water they soaked it in was different than ours, amount of Benedict’s added, and the time the experiment was tested.
 * Donna Jean Roberts (edited by Danielle Bowser)**

=Water Inquiry=

Soapy Water (Maggie and Donna) Hypothesis- If we place drops of soapy water on a penny, then we can make an educated guess that 25 drops will fit on one of the sides, however, that there will be a difference in the amount of water placed on each side.

(Danielle and Ryan)

=Light Intensity=



In our tests to create the maximum ATP, we have concluded that a wavelength of 425 nm is the ideal wavelength for all of the light intensities, as the maximum ATP was reached. The best conditions to have the most ATP is the highest light intensity, 200lux, with a wavelength of 425, as the maximal percent of ATP is 100%. The worst conditions would be to have a light intensity of 0lux as the results for the maximum ATP would obviously be 0. Along with this, we discovered if the wavelength was set at a constant 425nm, then the light intensity’s maximum ATP would increase by 10% as the light intensity increased by 20lux each time. For example, if the light intensity is 20lux, then the max. ATP is 10%, if the light intensity is 40lux, then the max. ATP is 20%, and so on (keeping in mind that the set wavelength is 425nm). As a group, our results all correspond with the fact that a 425nm wavelength is the best condition for maximum ATP because the ATP obtained in the other tests did not come close to the ATP obtained with 425nm.

=Primary and Secondary Productivity= Questions: What is the meaning of net productivity? Why is the productivity lower in places with more sunlight and less precipitation? Why do the places of large amounts of water have the same and low productivity? Why is the productivity of the field of alfalfa and a tropical rain forest the same? It appears most crops on the list have a higher number of net productions than natural ecosystems. Why is this? Why would a coastal marsh have so much more net productivity compared to the ocean close to the shore? Why does a Lawn in Washington D.C. have a higher Net Productivity than a Corn field in the U.S., and Rice paddies in Japan?

Statements: With looking at these numbers and information, the Bio Birdies have gathered that the more vegetation (grasses, plants, etc.) there is in an ecosystem, the greater the net productivity.

The desert, for example, has the lowest net productivity as there is not a lot of plants and vegetation growing in a desert.

The moisture seems to have an effect on net productivity, but what causes this is not clear.

The Sugar cane in Hawaii has the highest Net Productivity at 25,00 kilocalories per year.

The Open Ocean and Clear (oligotrophic) Lake have the same Net Productivity at 800.

=DNA Cheek Cells:= > DNA isn’t very soluble in alcohol so when the alcohol is added the DNA stays in between the sports drink and the alcohol. > We can see the DNA in the simple lab exercise because when a lot of DNA is extracted from many cells it is easy to see and looks like mucous bunched together.
 * 1) ** What are the 5 elements that make up DNA? **The five elements that make up the nucleic acid of DNA are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
 * 2) ** What is the function of DNA from day to day? **From day to day, the function of DNA is to direct the functioning within the cells of the body. DNA is like the “instruction manual” that holds directions for the cells and their jobs. DNA is located in the nucleus and mitochondria of the cell.
 * 3) ** Describe how long strands of double-helical DNA fit into the nucleus of a single cheek cell. ** Through DNA packing long strands of double-helical DNA can fit inside the nucleus of a single cheek cell. The DNA in cheek cells wrap themselves around proteins called histones, nine histones loop and coil to form nucleosomes. The nucleosomes stack together to form chromatids and the chromatids form loops and coil to form chromosomes. After this process long strands of DNA can fit inside the nucleus of cells.
 * 4) ** What was the purpose of using the detergent as a cell lysis solution? ** The detergent breaks apart the lipid bilayer of the cheek cells membrane and that is why it is used as a lysis (disintegration of a cell) solution. A detergents hydrophobic (water fearing) tails interact with the hydrophobic tails of the lipid bilayer and in turn the bilayer is disrupted and breaks apart. So, the detergent gets ride of the lipid bilayer so that the DNA is released.
 * 5) ** Why does the DNA become visible once the alcohol is added? **
 * 1) ** If DNA is so thin, how is it that we are able to see it during this simple lab exercise? **
 * 1) ** Why is DNA referred to as your genetic fingerprint? ** DNA is referred to as your genetic fingerprint because there is no one in the world that has the exact same DNA as you. The same thing applies to fingerprints.
 * 2) ** Give some examples of how DNA is used everyday. ** DNA is used everyday in many ways. Some of them include solving crimes, cloning, testing certain diseases, and tracing someone’s ancestry.