Blog 9: Intro to Genetics Experiment

Olivia, Lucia, and I have decided to do our genetics experiment using fast plants. We chose this model organism because fast plants are easy to use while carrying out an experiment, and we designed a good experiment that we feel confident about. From preliminary research, we have decided to plant Wisconsin Fast Plants Purple Stem (Hairy seed, high anthocyanin expression) in our lab. We are unsure of exactly how many we are going to plant right now, but we do know that we want to have four different groups. Our variable that revolves around our experiment in Phosphorus. After doing research, we concluded that Phosphorus is the element that makes Wisconsin Fast Plants Purple Stem have purple stems. Therefore, our hypothesis is that the more Phosphorus in the soil that the fast plants are growing in, the more purple the stems will be. We are going to control the Phosphorus quantities by using a fertilizer that is 14-14-14 (NPK: 14% Nitrogen, 14% Phosphorus, 14% Potassium). We will put three fertilizer "seeds" in each plant and add more Phosphorus in different amounts. We are in the process of ordering raw Phosphorus and will measure it by weight before adding it in with the soil and 14-14-14 fertilizer. We are unsure of what form the raw Phosphorus is going to come in so that is why we are going to measure it by weight, whether it is a solid or liquid. The four groups I mentioned above will include a: Neutral group (only fertilizer- no added Phosphorus), minimal added Phosphorus, medium added Phosphorus, and large amount of added Phosphorus. As we go into more depth of experiment design, we may add or alter the groups of fast plants we are going to test. I'm hoping that we will be able to see a distinct difference between the plants that get more Phosphorus. More details and progress to come soon!

Blog 8: Evolutionary Tree

This is the modified evolutionary tree we created while studying the mammalian hibernation patterns of the Ursidae family (the bear family). Mammalian hibernation is defined as a type of hibernation that has a specialized, seasonal reduction in metabolism that is concurrent with scare food and cold weather. Therefore, bears that perform mammalian hibernation hibernate during the coldest periods of wintertime. If they did not, they would have a slim chance of surviving the brutal weather that winter brings. Our hypothesis was that bear hibernation is not ancestral. Therefore, it is not a trait found in the common ancestor.

Our data supports our hypothesis; bear mammalian hibernation is not ancestral. According to our data, only the Brown and American Black bear demonstrate mammalian hibernation; the Sun, Sloth, Andean bear, and Giant Panda do not mammalian hibernate to any extent; the Polar Bear and Asiatic Black Bear perform some characteristics of mammalian hibernation, but they do not fully mammalian hibernate. Clearly this behavior is not found in the common ancestor and therefore did not evolve over time. However, we discovered a reasonable answer as to why two bears in the Ursidae family fully mammalian hibernate, four do not at all, and two semi do. The bears that hibernate are bears that live in geographic regions where the winters are extremely cold. Thus, they hibernate for a few months in order to survive the winter months. They crawl into dens and remain in a tight ball until their hibernation period is over. The heart rate drops as well as the body temperature during this time. The bears that do not hibernate are bears that live in somewhat tropical regions where there is not a harsh winter. Therefore, there is no reason to hibernate if there is both food available and temperatures that don't reach below freezing all year round. For the two bears that semi-hibernate (the Polar and Asiatic black), it's slightly different. It's cold year round where Polar bears live, so the specie is already accustomed to surviving the cold temperatures. With that said, they do not perform mammalian hibernation like the Black and Brown bears do but rather remain in their dens for relatively long periods of time (several months). Asiatic black bears live in several different areas of southern Asia where there are two different climates with different temperatures. Therefore, only bears in the northern part of the region in their habitat mammalian hibernate whereas the bears in the southern part do not; some will sleep the whole winter, and some will sleep only during the harshest parts of it.  From our data, we concluded that bears use mammalian hibernation as a defense against the cold, harsh winter months. If bears live in areas where there aren't tough winters, then they don't hibernate. Therefore, the trait didn't start in the common ancestor (the Giant Panda according to our evolutionary tree) but emerged as the different bear species did. 

Blog 7: Intro to Evolutionary Tree Project

For the second bio research project of the year, Emma and I have decided to study the evolution of bears by analyzing and researching bear evolutionary trees and cladograms. To start, we have begun preliminary research on common bear behaviors. We discovered that most bears have very good sense of smell (their strongest sense), they see and hear well, and they can run at least 37 mph. Additionally, all mothers are very protective of their cubs, their intelligence is comparable with those of the great apes, and bears treat other bears like they would humans. Most bears are also not ferocious and have a fairly calm temperament. However, some characteristics tend to vary among the different bear species. Furthermore, we have decided to specifically research hibernation and how it changes for different bears. According to our tree, there are eight bear species. We did some research on each species and wrote down whether or not they hibernate fully, semi, or not at all. Here is what we have found:
Asiatic Black– semi-hibernate
Polar– do not hibernate
Sun– do not hibernate
Sloth– do not hibernate
American Black– do hibernate
Andean (Spectacled)– do not hibernate
Giant Panda– do not hibernate
Brown– do hibernate
We are going to do more research and are hoping to discover by the end what made some bears not hibernate anymore or start hibernating. Was it environmental or gene related? Are the bears that do hibernate closer to the common ancestor? Do the bears' common ancestor(s) hibernate? We hope to answer these questions and know more about bear hibernation and how it evolved. Will keep updated as we continue to research!

Blog 6: All About Cladograms

What are cladograms and evolutionary trees?

In science, biologists frequently use evolutionary trees to study organisms. Evolutionary trees, similar to cladograms, are essentially diagrams that show the evolution of organisms. The evolution is mainly based on similarities and differences between the characteristics of the organisms. Cladograms are basically the same as evolutionary trees; however, they do not show the ancestral aspect of organisms like the evolutionary trees do. Cladograms focus more on the relations of an organism. Therefore, the organism's descendents are not present or how it has changed over time. With that said, many single cladograms can be found in evolutionary trees. Evolutionary trees add the change over time aspect to the diagram. And both diagrams are based on phylogeny: the study of evolutionary relationships.

How can scientists use these?

Scientists can use cladograms and evolutionary trees to analyze organisms and the relationships they have with other organisms. They take into account various variables like molecular evidence, biochemistry, fossils, and DNA in order to create evidence for evolution. By looking at organisms' ancestors and descendents, they can have a better understanding of certain characteristics and predict why and how they change over time. After all, the relations among organisms change constantly. Therefore, it is useful to have a consistent and uniform diagram that can help keep track and analyze those changes by classifying organisms and their similarities and differences in character with others.

Example? 

 
Here is an example of a very simple cladogram. It is normal to have a straight line and have other lines connect off of it. The letters on the main line (in this case: A, B, C, F, G, H) are the characteristics of the organisms. Most cladograms are set up this way with the characteristics on the main line with the organisms branching off of it. *the letters D and E are an exception* For this cladogram, you are supposed to classify the characteristics with the appropriate organism. However, most cladograms give you the characteristics and organisms for efficiency purposes.

While doing this exercise, it is important to look at the characteristics and classify them with the organisms. The only organisms that has a curly antennae is the butterfly, so letter H corresponds with number 8. All the organisms and characteristics are different. However, when you look at just the organisms, they share similar characteristics and look related. For example, the dragon fly and the butterfly and the ant and the spider. In order to make a cladogram, it is important to determine characteristics that organisms share in common then to establish characteristics that make them unique.

Answers:
1. F
2. C
3. A
4. G
5. E
6. D
7. B
8. H

*Why is this not an evolutionary tree? Because it does not show the ancestry of the organisms.

Source:
Cladogram Analysis. (n.d). Retrieved November 8, 2014. http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/cladogram.html#.VF5vVIfVm8E

Blog 5: Background Info on Experiment

Our experiment using milkweed is coming along! We are on our fourth day of watering the plants almost about a buck full of water a day (25 cm full). While we continue to carry out our experiment by watering the plants and hoping that mother nature will allow the season's first frost to hold off for another week, we have also began to study more of the facts and info on milkweed.

Milkweed flowers bloom from June to August. They can grow up to six feet tall and our found in fields, along roads, and in gardens. Their seeds are spread in the fall by wind and will produce new roots, sprouts and plants. Many people view milkweed as a weed, but they do have purpose to other organisms! They are important for several biotic factors in the ecosystem where milkweed is found. However, milkweed is most significant for monarch butterflies. The milky sap found in the stems of the plant have both Cardiac and Glycosides poisons that are poisonous to humans, but the monarch butterfly caterpillars eat the leaves, and the poison stays in them as they become butterflies. Therefore, the Monarchs are poisonous to predators, which gives them protection.

In terms of the environment, milkweed needs four of earth's elements in order to survive: earth/soil, water, air, and fire. It's an annual plant and obviously needs soil to grow in and keep it alive. We've discovered from our experiment that the roots are very long! Common milkweed can also live in dry or humid environments. This helps support our experiment because we have plants that we aren't watering every day and some that do. Whether or not that affects sap production, we don't know but hope to find out. The plants also need constant air circulation in order to find, so they are not found in forests or deep wooded areas. Lastly, the plants need heat because they bloom during the hottest times of the year (summer). And milkweed can survive in high temperatures.

We have not been able to find out a whole lot about sap production for milkweed but plan on discovering sap production for other plants that also produce sap. For example, Maple Trees. Do they produce more sap if they get more water? Living in Vermont, we used to tap, and it was always in the spring. A lot of the snow was melting, so the ground was becoming very moist, and it made it easy to get the sap. So maybe water affects Maple Trees, but the question for us is will it affect milkweed? More to come on that!

Some people view milkweed as an actual weed that isn't important, but Monarch Butterflies would beg to differ! Although the sap is poisonous for humans to eat, the sap has other claimed helpful and practical benefits. For example, it can heal warts with several applications and also as an instant band-aid because it's so sticky. According to flowersociety.org, milkweed was also used by Native Americans for inflammatory rheumatism. The sap contains latex as well, so it's clearly found in some glues!

More info and updates to come!
* Here's a picture of one of the plants that we are experimenting on.

Sources:

•  Common milkweed. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2014. http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/common_milkweed.htm

• Asclepias. (2014, December 9). Retrieved September 20, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias
• Milkweed. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2014. http://www.flowersociety.org/Milkweed-Plant-Study.htm#environ

Blog 4: Experimental Design

We have recently altered our experiment's design because we discovered that it is quite challenging to keep milkweed alive in our classroom! So we are still going to perform an experiment that will coordinate with our hypotheses but in a slightly different way. What we have decided to do is keep the milkweed outside in their natural "habitat" in order to carry out our experiment. During yesterday's class, we went outside and flagged ten plants using two different colors. To keep water as a variable in this experiment, we are going to water either the orange or yellow flagged plants (undecided still as to which one) for ten days straight, giving them four cups of water each day. After the ten days, we are going to go outside and measure each individual leaf that we are testing and see how much sap seeps out within fifteen seconds. Then we will graph our data and analyze it so determine whether it determines one or all of our hypotheses. My hypothesis is that the bigger the leaf, the more sap will come out, and the extra water will not affect how much sap is in the plant. It most likely will ran within the ten day period of our experiment, and we will have to consider that the plants we are not watering are still getting water but naturally. Even if it does rain, we will still water the plants we have decided to water so that they will still be getting more water than the other plants. We are going to start this experiment this Monday (9/15).

Blog 3: Nature Walk Hypotheses & Experiment

I should've seen it coming that after our lovely nature walk the other day we would be designing an experiment in the classroom to follow it up! There were a lot of fascinating parts of the temperate deciduous forest biome that we could've studied; however, one thing that sparked my particular interest on the nature walk was the milkweed. For starters, I had no idea that the sap contained latex! No wonder it is so sticky! I've also thought that the sap cures bug bites and minor cuts. Anyways, my group and I decided to carry out an experiment that has to do with how much sap comes out of a milkweed leaf. If it's a bigger leaf, does that mean that it has more sap to release? Or if it's a smaller leaf, will it have equal, less than, or more sap that a larger leaf? My hypothesis is that a bigger milkweed leaf will have more sap in it that will flow out than a smaller milkweed leaf. We also have to have a variable in our experiment, and we chose water. What we plan to do is try to keep the milkweed alive in the classroom (yes, take a shovel and a pot outside to dig up the plant and bring it back into the classroom) and water one milkweed plant more frequently than the other (we will water it enough for it to stay alive). Now if the milkweed doesn't live in the classroom, we'll have to alter our experiment design. We will cross that bridge when/if we get there! Bringing water into the experiment, I hypothesize that the water will not affect how much sap comes out of the milkweed leaves. Therefore, I think that the sap that comes out of a milkweed leaf will be the same amount as the same size of the milkweed leaf that has been frequently watered. We plan on testing how much sap comes out of each leaf by first measuring the length of it then holding it vertical for 10-15 seconds in a beaker and recording how much sap there is. In this experiment, we do have a biotic and an abiotic factor. The milkweed is the biotic factor, and the water is the abiotic factor. More updates to come in the next couple of weeks!