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BIOL 111L: Cell Biology Lab Week 13 and 14 - Bacteria Lab Name_________________________________________________
Pages 1 – 2 MUST be completed BEFORE you come to lab the week of April 22 – 24. Since we will be working with Bacteria in lab you will not be able to have your books, computers or phones out on the lab benches during lab.
Introduction Bacteria are single-celled organisms that are found virtually everywhere in and around us. As biologists, we work with bacteria in the lab for many different purposes - from researching the characteristics of an infectious organism that causes illness to using genetically engineered bacteria to produce a specific protein. Most of what we know about the basic functions of cells, such as DNA replication and expression of genes into proteins, was first studied in bacteria. This short lab series is designed to give you exposure to working safely with bacteria in a lab setting, to test factors that influence growth of bacteria, and to demonstrate the usefulness of bacteria in the modern biology lab.
Lab Safety Read the biosafety document and answer the following questions:
- What are 7 things you must do when you enter the lab?
- What must you do before you leave the lab?
Model organisms Resources to help answer the following questions:
National institute of General Medical Sciences. Using Model organisms to Study Health and Disease. Available from: http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/modelorg_factsheet.aspx
Nobel laureate, Jacques Monod, said, “Once we understand the biology of Escherichia coli, we will understand the biology of an elephant.”
- What does Monod’s statement mean with respect to using model organisms in experiments?
- What are some features that make model organisms desirable to work with in biological sciences?
Antibiotic resistance Resources to help answer the following questions:
Genetic Science Learning Center. "What Is An Antibiotic?." Learn.Genetics. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/antibiotics/
Genetic Science Learning Center. "Antibiotic Resistance." Learn.Genetics. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/resistance/
Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. Tufts University. General Background: About Antibiotic Resistance. Available from: http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/about_issue/about_antibioticres.shtml
- What is an antibiotic (also called antibiotic agent)?
- How do antibiotics work (in general)? Why do antibiotics affect bacterial cells but not human cells?
- What does it mean for an organism to be antibiotic resistant?
Bacterial growth Even though bacteria seem very different from us, we actually share many of the same basic needs for survival and growth.
- Come up with at least 3 things that bacteria need to live.
- How do bacterial cells reproduce?
Your Experimental Design:
Question:
Hypotheses Null:
Alternative:
Materials:
Sketch of your experimental design (make sure to include the number of samples you will use): (*hint: one plate can contain up to 4 treatments, including a control)
Data Table: (you will be measuring percent coverage of the bacterial plate in each of the treatment areas of each plate)
Instructor/TA approval of design: ________________________________________________________ If your experimental design is approved, you may gather your supplies and set up your experiment – Your group MUST first get a demonstration of how to plate your bacteria before you can get started.
Group received demonstration – Instructor/TA signature:_____________________________________ Week of April 29 – May 1
Collect data and analyze results
- Follow the lab’s safety procedures for working with bacteria.
- Gather your C. violaceum plates and measure the percent coverage of the experimental area of your plate; this will represent growth of bacteria in each of your treatments. You will need a transparency with centimeter squares for this measurement.
- Record your data in your data table.
- Once you have analyzed your data, create a mini-presentation on PowerPoint to communicate your results to the rest of the lab. a. You will present your methods, results, and discussion today in lab b. Digital cameras are available for you to take pictures of your plates c. You will use a table to show percent coverage d. Be able to discuss the environmental variable you chose and the effects of that variable on cell growth
Presentation Checklist
___Title – should be descriptive and accurately portray your experiment.
___Question and Hypotheses – be sure to include your question and hypotheses in your presentation.
___Methods – what was your experimental design? How did you control for your variables?
___Results – include a table of your results, explain the results
___Conclusion – how does your experimental variable affect cell growth? Include references – textbook, peer-reviewed literature (these will need to be found BEFORE presentation day!). What are future considerations for this research?
___Literature Cited – include the full citation for your sources
