Biology 131 Laboratory Objectives

Metric Measurements	Animal and Bacterial Cells	Flowers	DNA, RNA, Protein Synthesis
Microscope	Plant Cells	Fruits	Mendelian Genetics
pH	Photosynthesis	Pollination and Seeds	Daphnia Physiology
Organic Chemistry	Leaves	Ecological Measurements	Human Physiology
Diffusion and Osmosis	Stems	Animal Diversity	Human Anatomy

Metric Measurements

Be able to

• Name the metric units used in measuring length, volume, and mass
• use a metric rule to measure in millimeters, centimeters, and meters
• convert a metric measurement between meters, centimeters, millimeters, and micrometers
• properly read a graduated cylinder and use it to measure volume of liquids and solids
• convert between liters and milliliters, and milliliters and cubic centimeters
• use a Dial-o-Gram balance to measure the mass of an object to +/- 0.01 g
  • see how to use the Dial-o-Gram balance
• calculate the density of an object using data obtained from the equipment listed above
• explain some of the possible sources of error in using the measuring implements in this unit
• explain why some objects float on liquids and others sink in the same liquid
• describe the relationship between linear and volumetric measurements and perform the necessary calculations to determine them
• describe density as the relationship between volumetric and mass measurements

The Microscope

Be able to

• carry, set up, use and store a compound microscope
• identify the parts of a compound microscope by name and function
• prepare a wet mount
• focus a microscope to give a clear, sharp image
• place a slide on the stage and find the object with all objectives
• calculate the total magnification of an object given the powers of the objective and ocular lenses

pH

Be able to

• list the renge of pH values and indicate the regions of acidity, alkalinity, and neutrality
• use litmus paper, pH paper, and a pH meter to determine the pH of a solution
• explain what pH is with regard to the H⁺ ion concentration
• tell when it is appropriate to use each of the above means of measuring pH
• tell what the advantages and disadvantages of each of the above means are
• distinguish between qualitative and quantitative tests
• define acid, base, and buffer, and explain the function of a buffer
• study the ways to measure pH

Organic Chemistry

Be able to

• list the four main classes of organic molecules found in cells
• use the tests for sugar, starch, lipid, and protein and interpret the results
• identify which reagents are used for each test
• classify an unknown substance based on these tests
• Review the Organic Chemistry lab
• See some 3-D structures of biologically important organic molecules

Diffusion and Osmosis

Be able to

• define diffusion, osmosis, and concentration gradients
• define a semipermeable and selectively permeable membrane
• explain how dialysis tubing works
• explain how the molecular weight affects the rate of diffusion
• explain how a gel affects the rate of diffusion of molecules
• state the relationship between membrane permeability and molecular size
• define hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic, and use the terms to describe the results of an experiment
• explain why water molecules diffuse out of the hypotonic solution and into the hypertonic solution

Go to the online lab review for diffusion and osmosis.

Animal and Bacterial Cells

Be able to

• identify the following kinds of cells: squamous epithelium, blood, adipose tissue, and bacterial cells (bacilli, cocci, and spirilla)
• recognize and identify cell structures as shown in the lab manual
• understand the similarities and differences between animal and bacterial cells
• distinguish between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
• be able to use and spell the specialized terms in this unit
• measure cells using an ocular micrometer
• Online lab review for animal cells and bacterial cells

Plant Cells

Be able to

• identify the plant cells you studied
• identify the prominent cellular organelles
• identify the process of plasmolysis and explain it
• identify cyclosis and explain it
• distinguish between plant and animal cells
• be able to use and spell the specialized terms in this unit
• measure cells using an ocular micrometer
• Online lab review

Photosynthesis

Be able to:

• Explain what the color change of bromthymol blue actually measures
• Explain why bromthymol blue can be used to indicate the presence or absence of CO₂
• List the chemical products of the light-dependent reactions
• List the chemical reactants and products of the light-independent reactions
• Identify a positive and negative reaction, and a control tube.
• Review the structure of the chloroplast

Leaves

Based on external and microscopic morphology, be able to:

• Identify monocot and dicot leaves

For dicot leaves, be able to identify:

• simple and compound leaves
• smooth, notched, or lobed leaf margins
• alternate, opposite, or palmate arrangement of leaves/leaflets
• palmate and pinnate veination
• stomata, guard cells, pallisade layer, epidermis

Try the Online Leaf Quiz. You will need your Lab Manual or Tree Finder

Use the Tree Finder to identify common dicot trees

Stems:

Be able to:

• identify bud scars, terminal buds, bud scales, lateral (or axial) buds, nodes, internodes, leaf scars, vasular bundle scars, petiole, lenticle
• determine the age of a plant stem from its appearance
• epidermis, xylem, phloem, and vascular cambium of monocots and dicots (where present)
• meristematic regions for primary and secondary growth
• use a dichotomous key to identify common twigs
  • Go to the online twig quiz

Flowers

• Identify and give the functions of:
  • bracts, receptacle, sepals, petals, pistil, stigma, style, ovary, carpel, ovule, filament, anther
• Identify an unknown flower as coming from a monocot or a dicot

Fruits

• Identify a fruit as belonging to one of the classes: (pome, drupe, etc)
• Identify the floral parts that are prominent in common fruits
• identify the three parts (cotyledon, hypocotyl, radicle) of embryonic plants
• identify the endosperm of monocots and dicots

 Pollination and Seed Dispersal

• explain the process of pollination and fertilization, and identify the structures involved
• give examples of animals and the kind of flowers they pollinate
• determine the method of seed dispersal for common seeds

Ecological Measurements:

Be able to:

• explain how to use each of the instruments in this exercise
• explain how a sling psychrometer works
• explain how transpiration affects the temperature in a forest
• interpret data similar to that which you took in the field
• predict the effect of environmental factors on the organismal diversity of an ecosystem
• predict the effect of organisms in an ecosystem on environmental factors

Organismal diversity:

Be able to classify the organisms we worked with in lab to Kingdom, Division/Phylum, and, for the arthropods, to Class

Visit the Animal Diversity page to see some of the animals you may need to classify.

Molecular Biology

• Identify the components of a nucleotide (sugar, phosphate, base)
• Identify the purine bases and the pyrimidine bases
• Match the complementary RNA and DNA bases with each other
• Identify RNA and DNA based on the sugar and on the base composition
• Identify the start and stop codons in an mRNA molecule
• Construct a complementary strand of RNA or DNA, in the correct orientation
• Review DNA synthesis
• Review RNA synthesis
• Use a codon chart to read a strand of mRNA
• Identify the active (transcribed) strand of DNA
• Review the translation lab
• See the 3-D structures of bases and other organic molecules

Mendelian Genetics

• Identify two homologous chromosomes, either in a diagram or from a karyotype
• From a picture, identify the stages of meiosis
• Identify the stages of meiosis in which pairing (synapsis), chromosome segregation, and chromatid separation occur.
• Identify, from a picture, meiotic or mitotic chromosomes
• Predict the number of chromosomes that will result from a given cell undergoing mitosis or meiosis
• Explain what is meant by a dominant or recessive allele
• Work genetics problems dealing with:
  • monohybrid crosses, test crosses, crosses involving two or three genes, complete dominance, codominance, incomplete dominance
• Explain the difference between sister chromatids and homologous chromosomes
• Identify, from a karyotype, a normal male, normal female, Down syndrome, Kleinfelter male, or Turner female.
• Identify the diploid number based on a gamete, and a gamete number based on a somatic cell
• Identify stages of mitosis from slides
  • View the mitosis slides from lab.
• Practice genetics problems at the Biology Project's online page
• Review meiosis from the lab

Physiology

• Define a double-blind experiment
• Identify the major structures of the Daphnia
• Given information about a drug, state a hypothesis about its possible effects.
• Identify the control and experimental portions of this exercise.
• Draw conclusions about the identity of the drug given background information and experimental data.
• Give the most common effects of the drugs used in this exercise.
• Go to the Daphnia Lab Page

Human Anatomy

Go to the Human Anatomy slides of models from lab

Human Physiology

Go to the Human Physiology lab prep

Human Genetics

See the human genetics phenotypes

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Go to Dr. J's Index

Go to the Intro page