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Home > Contents
of Proceedings > Volume 20
Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching
Volume 20
Florida State University, June 9-13, 1998
Editor: Susan J. Karcher (Purdue University)
Chair of Host Committee: Anne Lumsden
1. Size and Shape in Biology by Thomas F. Colton (current
address: Department of Integrative Biology,
University of California) -- [abstract]
[full text]
Online scaling tutorial
2. Non-Invasive Recording of Giant Nerve Fiber Action
Potentials from Freely Moving Oligochaetes by Charlie
Drewes (Department of Zoology and Genetics, Iowa State University)
[abstract] [full
text]
3. The Scientific Method: An Introduction Using Reaction
Time by Bob Kosinki and John Cummings (Biology Program,
Clemson University) [abstract]
[full text]
4. Developmental and Physiological Aspects of the Chicken
Embryonic Heart by Elizabeth R .McCain (Biology Department,
Muhlenberg College) and Jacqueline S. McLaughlin (Department
of Biology, Pennsylvania State University at Lehigh at Lehigh
Valley) [abstract]
[full text]
[online
version at Penn State Lehigh Valley]
5. Demystifying Hardy-Weinberg: Using Cellulose Acetate
Electrophoresis of the Lap Locus to Study Population
Genetics in White Campion (Silene latifolia) by
Patricia A. Peroni (Department of Biology, Davidson College)
and David E. McCauley (Department of Biology, Vanderbilt University)
[abstract] [full
text]
6. Red Mutant Hunt with Saccharomyces cerevisiae
by Brad Williamson (Olathe East High School) [abstract]
[full text]
7. Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Parameters
of Enzyme Activity by John H. Williamson and Malcolm Campbell
(Department of Biology, Davidson College) [abstract]
[full text]
8. A "Discovery Lab" Investigation into Gene Regulation
Using the Lac Operon by Robert Moss (Wofford College)
[abstract] [full
text]
9. Spectrophotometry and Hemoglobinometry by Gilbert
Ellis (School of Natural and Health Science, Barry University)
[abstract] [full text
not available]
10. Optimal Foraging: Balancing Costs and Rewards in
Making Foraging Decisions by Thomas E. Miller (Department
of Biological Science, Florida State University) [abstract]
[full text]
11. Experimental Evaluation of Community Structure in
Aquatic Ecosystems by James M. Bader (Department of Biology,
Case Western Reserve Universtiy) [abstract]
[full text]
12. Outdoor Classroom Learning Station Techniques at
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge by Robin M. Will (St.
Marks National Wildlife Refuge) [abstract]
[full text]
13. The Roles of Living Marine Organisms and Field Work
in Teaching Invertebrate Biology by Anne Rudloe (Gulf
Specimen Marine Laboratory) [abstract]
[full text]
14. Ecosystem Analysis in a Cypress Swamp and Surrounding
Uplands by Ann S. Lumsden (Department of Biological Science,
Florida State University) [abstract]
[full text]
15. Doing your Own Science: A Model for Student-based
Inquiry by William F. Herrnkind and Charles D. Bowling
(Department of Bilogical Science, Florida State University)
[abstract] [full
text]
16. Collecting and Preparing Plant Specimens and Producing
an Herbarium by Loran C. Anderson (Deoartment of Bilogical
Science, Florida State University) [abstract]
[full text]
17. Computers in the Classroom: Designing and Producing
Customized Instructional Multimedia by Ruth E. Beattie
(T.H. Morgan School of Biological Sciences, University of
Kentucky) [abstract]
[full text]
Appendix A: Abstracts of Mini Workshops
Abstracts (Vol. 20)
Exercises in Physiology and Neurobiology
1 -- Size and Shape in Biology
Thomas F. Colton [full
text]
Key Words: allometry, scaling, isometric, allometric, body
size, shape, stress, heterochrony.
This exercise explores the functional implications of body
size and introduces the concepts of isometric and allometric
scaling and the relationships among lengths, areas, and volumes
in organisms of different sizes. Each lab group chooses a
different set of related biological specimens varying in size,
devises hypotheses about whether shape changes with size and
how that might affect function, and tests their hypotheses
by measuring lengths, areas, or mass. The data are log-transformed
and analyzed by linear regression, the slope of which indicates
whether scaling is isometric or allometric. Each group presents
their results to the class at the end of lab. Specimens studied
include mussel shells, ruminant jaws, feline skulls, dog and
wolf skulls, human feet, and femurs of mammals and dinosaurs.
Individual exercises focus on the relationship of body size
to stress on skeletal elements, the use of lever mechanics
to analyze the power of jaws, the relationship of brain size
to body size, and the role of heterochrony in evolution.
Go to: Online
scaling tutorial
2 -- Non-Invasive Recording of Giant Nerve
Fiber Action Potentials from Freely Moving Oligochaetes
Charlie Drewes [full
text]
Key Words: Lumbriculus, escape reflex, annelid,
neurophysiology, blackworms.
Printed circuit board grids are used to obtain multi-channel
recordings of spikes from medial and lateral giant nerve fibers
in freshwater oligochaetes, Lumbriculus variegatus,
in response to tactile stimulation. After only a few minutes
of preparation, all-or-none giant fiber spikes, with exceptional
signal-to-noise ratio, are reliably detected along the body
surface of intact worms without need for anesthesia, dissection,
restraint, micromanipulation, or microscopy. This investigation
involves: (a) mapping of giant fiber sensory fields; (b) quantification
of normal and "supernormal" conduction velocity; and (c) analysis
of spike frequency and directionality. Information about building
or acquiring all components in the recording set-up is available
from the author.
3 -- The Scientific Method: An Introduction
Using Reaction Time
Bob Kosinski and John Cummings
[full text]
Key Words: reaction time, scientific method, hypothesis,
null hypothesis, chi-square.
Student learn the basics of experimental design and statistical
analysis by making a hypothesis about reaction time, gathering
data with software that allows a variety of reaction time
tests, and then analyzing the results using a chi-square median
test (also included in the software). Finally, they write
a report. Testing reaction time creates a high level of student
interest, and the median test is relatively easy to understand.
However, the students learn that answering even the simplest
questions requires a thoughtful experimental design and adequate
replication.
EXERCISES IN DEVELOPMENT
4 -- Developmental and Physiological
Aspects of the Chicken Embryonic Heart
Elizabeth R. McCain and Jacqueline S. McLaughlin
[full text]
Key Words: chicken, heart, development, physiology.
Both in vivo and in vitro techniques are used
to investigate the development of the vertebrate heart using
the chicken embryo as a model system. Simultaneously, the
students are exposed to the physiology of embryonic blood
flow, the electrical circuitry of the developing heart, and
the effects of reproductive toxins on heart rate. Classical
embryological microtechniques, explantation of the embryo,
surgical removal of the beating heart, and isolation of the
heart chambers are conducted. Student teams devise a hypothesis
concerning the effects of caffeine or alcohol on the in
vivo or in vitro heart rate.
EXERCISES IN GENETICS AND BIOCHEMISTRY
5 -- Demystifying Hardy-Weinberg: Using Cellulose
Acetate Electrophoresis of the Lap Locus to Study Population
Genetics in White Campion (Silene latifolia)
Patricia A. Peroni and David E. McCauley
[full text]
Key Words: population genetics, Hardy-Weinberg,
electrophoresis, cellulose acetate, Silene latifolia.
This laboratory allows students to use the Hardy-Weinberg
Equilibrium Theory and its assumptions as research tools.
Students are provided with seedlings from several populations
of the perennial herb white campion (Silene latifolia)
and formulate questions regarding the population genetics
of these collections. (e.g., Do small populations deviate
more from Hardy-Weinberg than large populations?) They then
use cellulose acetate protein electrophoresis to obtain genotypes
of individuals for the leucyl amino peptidase (Lap)
locus. Chi-square tests are used to compare the observed genotype
frequencies with those predicted by Hardy-Weinberg.
6 -- Red Mutant Hunt with Saccharomyces
cerevisiae
Brad Williamson [full
text]
Key Words: yeast, saccharomyces, UV-induced mutations,
adenine.
Mutant hunts are the epitome of open-ended investigations.
Every hunt can lead to potentially unknown mutants. In this
investigation mutations are induced in haploid yeast (Saccharomyces
cerevisiae) with ultraviolet radiation (UV-C). The survivors
are screened for red adenine mutants, which are then characterized
for nutritional requirements. Mutants produced in both mating
types of yeast are crossed to determine patterns of inheritance.
Since two separate adenine mutants express the red phenotype,
the inheritance pattern is unexpected if both mutants are
present. Participants will conduct the entire protocol of
this investigation in a time-shortened format.
7 -- Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Parameters
of Enzyme Activity
John H. Williamson and A. Malcolm Campbell
[full text]
Key Words: Enzymes, isocitrate dehydrogenase, spectrophotometry,
student research.
Four Introductory Biology laboratory meetings are devoted
to student research on properties of a model enzyme, isocitrate
dehydrogenase. During the first laboratory meeting (not presented
here), students learn how to use micropipets, make solutions,
spectrophotometry, absorption spectra and how to establish
and use standard curves. During the second and third laboratory
meetings, students perform experiments to test hypotheses,
analyze their data, propose new hypotheses and design research
protocols to test these new hypotheses. Three-hour laboratory
sessions allow adequate time for discussion, independent thought,
repeating experiments, and even doing additional experiments
if students desire. A computer graphing program is used to
organize their data for oral presentation of their experiments
and interpretations to their peers, during the fourth laboratory
meeting.
8 -- A "Discovery Lab" Investigation into
Gene Regulation Using the Lac Operon
Robert Moss [full
text]
Key Words: lac operon, beta-galactosidase, gene regulation,
lactose.
This lab introduces students to the difficult concepts of
gene regulation, as well as to experimental design and how
to design controls. Students first use various sugars and
an enzyme assay for beta-galactosidase to identify three unknown
strains of E. coli bacteria: a wild-type strain, one
lacking repressor (i-), and one lacking the beta-galactosidase
gene (z-). They then design and perform their own controlled
experiments to study various aspects of the system. Participants
will prepare samples with bacteria and sugars, lyse the bacteria,
and perform the enzyme assay. We'll discuss the gene regulation,
experiment design, and expected pitfalls during the incubation
steps. Participants will receive stab vials of the bacterial
strains used.
9 -- Spectrophotometry and Hemoglobinometry
Gilbert Ellis [full text
not available]
Key Words: spectrophotometry, hemoglobinometry, Lambert-Beer
law.
The major objective of this presentation is to review the
principles of the Lambert-Beer Law and its application to
spectrophotometric determinations in the laboratory. Through
the use of a dye, Safranin-O, a stock solution will be used
to demonstrate the concepts of concentrations through dilutions
and the calculation of a standard curve. An absorption spectrum
will be analyzed for the species of Safranin-O, and further
calculations of unknown concentrations of the solution will
be determined. Methodologies for use in the clinical arena
will be demonstrated by the use of the cyanomethmoglobin determination
for human hemoglobin. Exercises in Ecology and Botany
10 -- Optimal Foraging: Balancing Costs
and Rewards in Making Foraging Decisions
Thomas E. Miller [full
text]
Key Words: optimal foraging, marginal value theorem,
computer program BEE, foraging costs, foraging benefits, foraging
simulation.
Foraging ecology studies the behaviors of all organisms as
they obtain resources. Most resources are distributed patchily
in space, with clumps of high-resource and low-resource areas.
Individuals make decisions that balance the costs of moving
between patches with the benefits of going to another area.
The first section of this laboratory uses a computer simulation
program to illustrate the decisions foragers must make in
choosing among resource items. The second section has students
act as foragers in an outdoor experiment in which students
test mathematical predictions about foraging behavior, while
actually foraging for items in buckets.
11 -- Experimental Evaluation of
Community Structure in Aquatic Ecosystems
James M. Bader [full
text]
Key words : trophic cascade, bottom up, community structure,
keystone predator.
Community interactions in aquatic ecosystems are a major area
of ecological research as the relative contributions of "top
down" and "bottom up" forces are considered. This laboratory
introduces a number of models of community structure and their
primary assumptions. We will consider the central concepts
inherent to each model and attempt to develop predictions
derived from them. We will focus most of our efforts on two
of the more popular models, nutrient loading and the trophic
cascade. During this laboratory, we will analyze the nutrient
levels, phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrate, and
fish populations in three different systems. We will then
consider the outcome of these analyses in light of the predictions
generated from each model.
12 -- Outdoor Classroom Learning
Station Techniques at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
Robin M. Will [full
text]
Key Words: environmental education, habitat, food chain.
In environmental education, activities should provide participants
with opportunities to acquire knowledge, values, attitudes,
commitment and skills needed to improve and/or protect the
environment. Basic ecological concepts covered by outdoor
classrooms include: everything has a home; everything is becoming
something else; everything depends on something else; diversity
is essential for life; and, humans can change the balance
of nature. Both individual and group activities were used
which highlight various learning styles. At St. Marks National
Wildlife Refuge, most of the over 5,000 students on-site for
outdoor classroom activities are in the K - 9th grades. The
activities presented are geared for these grade levels.
13 -- The Roles of Living Marine
Organisms and Field Work in Teaching Invertebrate Biology
Anne Rudloe [full
text]
Key Words: marine invertebrates, perwinkle snail, sand
dollar.
The intertidal marsh periwinkle snail Littorina irrorata
is used to demonstrate behavioral adaptation to cyclic
environmental variation. Specifically, on a rising tide, the
snails climb up blades of marsh grass, Spartina alterinflora,
remaining above the rising water level and avoiding predators
such as blue crabs. When the tide falls, the crabs descend
to the exposed sediment to feed. In the lab component, participants
will observe the response of freely moving snails to varying
water levels, and will graph the vertical distribution of
the snails over time. In a subsequent field exercise, they
will observe the animals in a natural environment and may
photograph them for later use as classroom illustrations of
the animals in their habitat. Participants will want to wear
shoes that can get wet and muddy.
14 -- Ecosystem Analysis in a Cypress
Swamp and Surrounding Uplands
Ann S. Lumsden [full
text]
Key Words: cypress swamp, ecosystem, sampling techniques.
One simple approach to ecosystem analysis involves observing
the various plants and animals encountered and measuring the
physical factors that affect them. In this workshop, participants
will go by bus on a field trip to the Tallahassee Museum of
Natural History, located on Lake Bradford, and study the cypress
swamp that borders the lake. The class will be divided into
small groups, and all will participate in (1) a plant walk
to identify representatives of major plant groups and discuss
ecological processes in plant communities; (2) terrestrial
sampling to measure physical environmental factors and to
use transect, quadrate, and soil-coring techniques to sample
the organisms; (3) an animal walk to identify animals associated
with the swamp ecosystem and discuss life histories, habits,
and roles in the food web; and (4) aquatic sampling to measure
physical factors and to use a plankton net, bottom dredge,
dip net, and a seine net to sample aquatic organisms.
15 -- Doing your Own Science: A Model for
Student-based Inquiry
William F. Herrnkind and Charles D. Bowling
[full text]
Key Words: scientific investigation, hypothesis testing,
experimentation, inquiry, marsh habitat.
The goal of this exercise is to introduce students, through
actual experience, to the process of scientific investigation,
from original observation, development of multiple hypotheses,
and hypothesis testing through experimentation and further
observation to data evaluation and drawing inferences. Here
we describe how we guide students through these processes
during an exercise in a coastal salt marsh habitat and make
suggestions for modifying this approach for other kinds of
habitats.
16 -- Collecting and Preparing Plant Specimens
and Producing an Herbarium
Loran C. Anderson [full
text]
Key Words: preserved plant specimens, herbarium, field
collection.
Preparation of specimens is reviewed, including field collection
(selection of representative material) as well as helpful
hints on pressing, mounting, and storing samples. A brief
overview of the life history and taxonomy of ferns will be
given, and then participants will use dichotomous keys to
distinguish and identify ferns of north Florida.
INSTRUCTIONAL MULTIMEDIA
17 -- Computers in the Classroom:
Designing and Producing Customized Instructional Multimedia
Ruth E. Beattie [full
text]
Key Words: multimedia, computer, authorware.
Recent advances in multimedia technology have greatly increased
the use of this medium in course instruction. Many instructors
are producing customized instructional multimedia for their
own courses. This workshop will be divided into two sessions:
a 1-hour introduction/theoretical session which will include
a discussion of design considerations in the development of
interactive instructional multimedia; and a 2-hour hands-on
session where participants will design and produce a small
interactive multimedia package using the authoring software
Authorware. Participants should have basic keyboarding
skills (typing, cutting, copying, and pasting). Prior knowledge
of Authorware is not required.
Mini Workshop
- Sensory Biology: Examination of Electroretinograms
from Photoreceptors in Insects by Wayne L. Silver (Department
of Biology, Wake Forest University) and James C. Smith (Department
of Psychology, Florida State University)
[full text]
- Diffusion Potentials Across an Artificial Membrane
by Kimberley Christopher (Department of Biological
Sciences, University of Alberta)
[full text]
- Measuring
Genetic Variation in Zebra Mussels Using Protein Electrophoresis
by Corey Goldman (Department of Botany and Zoology,
University of Toronto) [full
text]
- Unifying the Curriculum: IDH as a Model Enzyme
by A. Malcolm Campbell (Biology Department, Davidson College)
[full
text]
- A Simple, Quick, Inexpensive Assay for Mycorrhizal
Associations in Common Plants by Robert D. Hebert
and William H. Outlaw, Jr., Karthik Aghoram, Ann S. Lumsden,
Kimberly A. Riddle , and Rudiger Hampp (Department of Biological
Science, Florida State University)
[full text]
- Polymerase Chain Reaction1 Mutagenesis and Automated
DNA Sequencing by Melanie L. Sims, Victor V.
Tryon, Barry T. Nall (University of Texas Health Science
Center-San Antonio), and Christy MacKinnon (University of
the Incarnate Word) [full
text]
- The Dirt Lab: An Open-Ended Investigation Into An Environmental
Problem by Charlene M. Waggoner, Dan Wiegmann, and Julia
McArthur (Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green
StateUniversity) [full
text]
- Introduction to Biological Variation, Hypothesis Testing,
and Probability--an Example Using the Winged Seeds (Samaras)
of the Box Elder Tree (Acer negundo) by Peter
V. Minorsky and R. Paul Willing (Deparment of Biological
Sciences) [full
text]
- Planarian Behavior: A Student-Designed Laboratory Exercise
by Linda T. Collins and Brent W. Harker (Department of Biological
and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga)
[full
text]
- Teach Ecology Concepts with Mud Dauber Nests by
Robert W. Matthews (Department of Entomology, University
of Georgia) [full
text]
- WOWBugs: Newest Insect in the Curriculum by Robert
W. Matthews (Department of Entomology, University of Georgia)
[full
text]
- Efficiency of Arm Movement: A Study of Leverage, ATP
Utilization, and Sarcomere Shortening in the Brachium
by Harold L. Wilkinson (Department of Biology, Millikin
University) [full
text]
- What is the Role of Salt in Taste? by Karen McMahon
(Faculty of Biological Science, The University
of Tulsa) [full
text]
- Presentation of an Online Invertebrate Zoology Site
and an Invitation to Participate in its Continuing Development
by M. Fryer and M.A. Asson-Batres (Department
of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University)
[full text]
- Microsoft Personal Web Server by Karin Readel
(Departmen of Biological Sciences, DePaul University)
[full
text]
- An Introduction to the University Library System or
"How Many Original References Do We Need?" by
Louise McBain (Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Alberta), Randy Reichardt (Science and Technology Library,
University of Alberta), and Donna Wakeford (Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Alberta)
[full text]
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