Category: Introduction to Biology

Graphing Practice

Graphing Practice

Introduction

  • Graphing is an important procedure used by scientists to display the data that is collected during a controlled experiment
  • Line graphs must be constructed correctly to accurately portray the data collected
  • Many times the wrong construction of a graph detracts from the acceptance of an individual’s hypothesis
  • A graph contains five major parts:
    a. Title
    b. The independent variable
    c. The dependent variable
    d. The scales for each variable
    e. A legend
  • The title: depicts what the graph is about. By reading the title, the reader should get an idea about the graph. It should be a concise statement placed above the graph.
  • The Independent Variable: is the variable that can be controlled by the experimenter. It usually includes time (dates, minutes, hours), depth (feet, meters), temperature (Celsius). This variable is placed on the X axis (horizontal axis).
  • The Dependent Variable: is the variable that is directly affected by the independent variable. It is the result of what happens because of the independent variable. Example: How many oxygen bubbles are produced by a plant located five meters below the surface of the water? The oxygen bubbles are dependent on the depth of the water. This variable is placed on the Y-axis or vertical axis.
  • The Scales for each Variable: In constructing a graph one needs to know where to plot the points representing the data. In order to do this a scale must be employed to include all the data points. This must also take up a conservative amount of space. It is not suggested to have a run on scale making the graph too hard to manage. The scales should start with 0 and climb based on intervals such as: multiples of 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, or 100. The scale of numbers will be dictated by your data values.
  • The Legend: is a short descriptive narrative concerning the graph’s data. It should be short and concise and placed under the graph.
  • The Mean for a group of variables: To determine the mean for a group of variables, divide the sum of the variables by the total number of variables to get an average.
  • The median for a group of variables: To determine median or “middle” for an even number of values, put the values in ascending order and take the average of the two middle values.    e.g.    2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10     Add 4+5 (2 middle values) and divide by 2 to get 4.5
  • The mode for a group of variables: The mode for a group of values is the number that occurs most frequently.     e.g.   2, 5,  8, 2,  6,  11    The number 2 is the mode because it occurred most often (twice)  

Procedure 1:
Using the following data, answer the questions below and then construct a line graph.

 

Depth in meters Number of Bubbles / minute Plant A Number of Bubbles / minute Plant B
2 29 21
5 36 27
10 45 40
16 32 50
25 20 34
30 10 20

 

 

1. What is the dependent variable and why?  

2. What is the independent variable and why?

3. What title would you give the graph? .

4. What are the mean, median, and mode of all 3 columns of data? 

a). Depth :                      Mean____________Median__________Mode________ 

b). Bubble Plant A.:        Mean ____________Median_________Mode________ 

c). Bubbles Plant B:        Mean ____________Median_________Mode________

Graph Title: _________________________________________________________

Legend: ______________________________________________________________ 

Procedure 2:
Diabetes is a disease affecting the insulin producing glands of the pancreas. If there is not enough insulin being produced by these cells, the amount of glucose in the blood will remain high. A blood glucose level above 140 for an extended period of time is not considered normal. This disease, if not brought under control, can lead to severe complications and even death. 

Answer the following questions concerning the data below and then graph it.  

 

Time After Eating hours Glucose mg /dL of Blood Person A Glucose mg /dL of Blood Person B
0.5 170 180
1 155 195
1.5 140 230
2 135 245
2.5 140 235
3 135 225
4 130 200

 

 1. What is the dependent variable and why?

2. What is the independent variable and why?

3. What title would you give the graph?

4. Which, if any, of the above individuals (A or B) has diabetes? 

5. What data do you have to support your hypothesis? 

6. If the time period were extended to 6 hours, what would the expected blood glucose level for Person B? 

Title: ________________________________________________________________

Legend: ______________________________________________________________

Summary:
1. What conclusions can be determined from the data in graph 1?

2. What conclusions can be determined from the data in graph 2?

3. Can the data in each of these graphs be used to construct other types of graphs?

4. If so, what other graph types can be constructed?

 
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Chapter 1 Worksheet BI

 

Biology – Science of Life

 

Section 1-1            Themes of Biology 

1. How many species of organisms are estimated to inhabit the Earth? 

2. About how many species have actually been identified? 

3. When did the first life forms probably arise on Earth? 

4. What was the first organism like? 

5.  What is an organism? 

6. Most unicellular organisms can only be seen with a __________________________.

7. Where did these first cells live? 

8. Over time, organisms _____________ and new kinds of _______________ arose from ___________ of organisms and came to inhabit every _______________ of the Earth. 

9. Define biology. 

10. Name several things that the study of biology would include. 

11. The study of biology is unified by ___________________________. 

12. Name 6 unifying themes of biology. 

13. What is a cell? Where are they found? 

14. What is the difference between a unicellular & a multicellular organism? 

15. Cells are ___________________ but highly _______________________.

16. Are all cells alike? Explain. 

17. All cells are surrounded by a ____________ & contain _____________  instructions. 

18. Genetic instructions are used by cells to make new __________ and new cell ________________. 

19. How do new cells produced by unicellular organisms compare to the parent unicellular organism? 

20. How do mature multicellular organisms begin their life? 

21. If multicellular organisms begin their life as one cell, how do they have so many cells? Explain. 

22. Give an example of an organism maintaining a stable internal environment. 

23. Define homeostasis and tell whether it occurs in unicellular&/or multicellular organisms. 

24. Genetic information is passed to offspring during _______________________.

25. What molecule contains the cell’s hereditary information?

26.  How does DNA exist in multicellular organisms? In unicellular organisms? 

27. What is a gene?

28. In multicellular organisms, each body cell has an _____________ copy of its DNA.

29. Does each cell in a multicellular organism use all the genes on its DNA? Explain. 

30. Explain sexual reproduction. 

31. When a sperm joins with an egg to make a fertilized cell, what happens next to this cell? 

32. New organisms from sexual reproduction have _______________ material from both parents.

33. Explain asexual reproduction. 

34. Name a unicellular organism that reproduces by asexual reproduction.

35. New cells or organisms from asexual reproduction have ____________ genetic information. 

36. What is evolution? 

37. Do individuals or populations evolve? 

38. What is the driving force for evolution? 

39. Explain natural selection and give an example. 

40. Competition for what types of resources drives natural selection? 

41. Why is it so important to a species for members to survive? 

42. Organisms that survive and reproduce are ones with ________________ traits.

43. Define ecology. 

44. What are ecosystems and give an example? 

45. Name 3 things organisms must get from the environment to survive. 

46. What has been the effect of man’s activities on many ecosystems? 

47. Living things are _______________ and need a constant supply of _________________.

48. What process supplies energy for organisms on Earth? 

49. Define autotroph. 

50. Autotrophs trap _________ and use this energy to combine __________ and  _________ into__________ and starches. 

51. Define heterotrophs. 

52. Give an example of an autotroph.

53. Give several examples of heterotrophs. 

54. How do heterotrophs get their food? 

Section 1-2            World of Biology 

55. List 6 characteristics shared by all living things. 

56. All living things composed of  _________________.

57. Cells may be specialized in _________________ organisms. What does this mean?

58. What is always true about cell size?

59. Living things are organized at what 2 levels?

60. How are cells organized in multicellular organisms?

61. Define metabolism. 

62. The energy from metabolism is used for ___________, ___________, and _______________ of organisms. 

63. What is homeostasis and give an example? 

64. Is growth a characteristic of living and nonliving things? Explain.

65. What 2 things must occur for living things to grow?

 

 

66. Define cell division.

 

 

 

67. Define development.

 

 

 

68. Explain why development is necessary for multicellular organisms?

 

 

 

69. Is reproduction essential to the survival of a species? Explain.

 

 

 

70. Sexual reproduction produces offspring ______________________ to the parents.

 

71. Have all organisms been identified? Explain.

 

 

Section 1-3            Scientific Method

 

72. Scientists solve problems using the ___________________________.

 

73. The first step of the scientific method is when scientists make ___________________ of the natural world.

74. Define data.

 

 

 

75. What does a scientist usually employ in making their observations?

 

 

76. What is quantitative data?

 

77. What is sampling & why is it used by scientists?

 

 

 

78. What 2 things must be true for samples to be useful?

 

 

79. To be useful, data must be _____________________ into ____________________,

 

       ______________________, and _____________________, or maps.

 

80. Once an observation is made, the second thing a scientist must do is to develop a(n) ___________________________.

 

81. Define hypothesis.

 

 

 

82. All hypotheses must be __________________ to give supporting evidence.

 

83. What is a prediction & how are they usually written?

 

 

 

84. What is an experiment?

 

 

 

85. Name the 2 groups in a controlled experiment.

 

 

86. Both groups in an experiment are identical except for ___________ factor called the

 

       ___________________.

87. Name the 2 types of variables in a controlled experiment.

 

 

 

88. After data is collected and organized, it must be __________________ to tell if it is reliable.

 

89. If experimental data does not support the hypothesis, what should be done?

 

 

90. What is a scientific model?

 

 

91. What is an inference?

 

 

 

92. How is a theory formed?

 

 

93. Define theory.

 

 

94. What is the difference between a field biologist and a laboratory biologist? Do they both use the scientific method?

 

 

 

 

95. What do scientists do with the results of their scientific studies?

 

 

 

Section 1-4            Microscopes & Measurement

 

96. What is a microscope?

 

 

97. What is the difference between resolution & magnification?

 

 

 

 

98. When would a microscope be used?

 

 

99. Do all microscopes have the same magnification & resolution?

 

100.  Draw and label the parts of a light (LM) microscope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101. Tell the function of each of these parts of an LM — stage, light source, objective lens, ocular lens, & nosepiece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

102. To view specimens with a light microscope, they must be placed on a _______________

 

         and be ________________ so light will pass through to the lenses & your eyes.

 

103. What is the power of magnification & explain how it is determined?

 

 

 

104. Light microscopes can only magnify up to ______________ before the image becomes blurry.

105. What type of scope is used to view viruses & cell parts?

 

106. What produces an image with the electron microscope?

 

 

107. Name the 2 main types of electron microscopes.

 

108. What is the highest magnification for the TEM? For the SEM?

 

 

109. Can electron microscopes be used to view living cells?

 

110. What type of scope gives a magnified view of an object’s surface?

 

111. What is the standard unit of measurement used by scientists?

 

112. Name the SI base units, what they measure, & give their abbreviations (table 1-1, page 23)

 

 

 

 

 

 

113. The SI system is based on units of __________ with designated _________________.

 

114. Give the SI prefix for these base units — 1000, .01, .001, .000001, .000000001, & .000000000001.

 

 

 

 

 

115. Give the SI unit for area, volume, and time.

 

 

Introduction Notes

Introduction

All Materials © Cmassengale

Study of Life  

  • First life forms arose on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago  
  • Single-celled, microscopic organisms (living thing) appeared first & floated alone in seas  
  • Over 40 million species (types of organisms) exist with only about 2 million identified 
  • Many organisms are unidentified & new species are still discovered  
  • Biology is the study of all living things and how they interact with each other & their environment  
  • Over long periods of time, species changed or evolved so that new species arose from earlier organisms & came to inhabit almost every part of the earth (bacteria living in thermal vents, parasites living inside another organism, etc.)  
  • Organisms must adapt to their specific environment to survive & reproduce

 

Unifying Themes of Biology 

 The six unifying themes include:  

  1. Cell Structure & Function
  2. Stability & Homeostasis
  3. Reproduction & Inheritance
  4. Evolution
  5. Interdependence of Organisms
  6. Matter, Energy, & Organization

Cell Structure & Function  

  • Cell is the basic unit of structure & function  
  • All organisms are made of one or more cells; Unicellular (one celled) or Multicellular (Composed of more than one cell)  


UNICELLULAR AMOEBA

  • Cells are small but highly organized; they contain specialized structures that carry out the jobs of a cell called organelles  


CELLULAR ORGANELLES

  • There are many different kinds of cells, but all cells have similarities
  • All cells are surrounded by a cell membrane, contain cytoplasm, and have DNA (the genetic information for making new cells or cell structures)  
  • New cells made by unicellular organisms are identical (clones) to the parent cell that produced them – asexual reproduction  
  • Multicellular organisms begin life as one fertilized cell (sexual reproduction), but the cells multiplied and underwent differentiation (changed structure & function) to become many different kinds of cells  

Stability & Homeostasis  

  • All organisms maintain stable internal conditions such as body temperature & water content
  • Stable level of internal conditions called homeostasis  

Reproduction & Inheritance  

  • All organisms reproduce new organisms like themselves by transmitting hereditary material to their offspring  
  • DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a large molecule containing the hereditary material of the cell


DNA MODEL

  • In unicellular organisms like bacteria, DNA exists as a single loop or chromosome in the cytoplasm  


BACTERIA

  • In multicellular organisms, DNA is enclosed in a membrane known as the nucleus 
  • Genes are short segments of DNA the carry the instructions for a single trait of an organism  
  • DNA of a cell contains all of the genes (instructions) it will ever need  
  •  All body cells have a complete set of DNA (genome), but different types of cells use certain genes from the set; example: Muscle cells have the genes to make thyroxine, but they don’t use these genes  
  • In sexual reproduction, an egg (ovum) is fertilized by a sperm to form a zygote so the new organism is made of cells with hereditary information from both parents  
  • In asexual reproduction, cells copy their DNA & split so all new cells are identical  

Evolution  

  • Populations of organisms change over time or evolve (Theory of Evolution)  


DARWIN – THEORY OF EVOLUTION

  • Natural selection or “survival of the fittest” is the process that drives evolution  
  • Organisms with favorable traits are better able to survive & reproduce  
  • The survival of organisms with favorable traits causes a gradual change in populations of organisms over many generations  
  • Evolution by natural selection is driven by competition for resources such as food, habitat, mates  

Interdependence of Organisms  

  • Ecology is the study of the interaction of organisms with each other and their environment  
  • Sunlight is the ultimate energy for all organisms  
  • Energy from the sun is passed from one organism to another; producers (plants) to herbivore (plant eater) to carnivore (meat eater) to decomposers (break down dead organisms)  


ENERGY FLOW IN A FOOD CHAIN

  • Abiotic (nonliving factors) such as air, water, energy, soil, temperature, & minerals are also needed for survival  
  • Biotic factors include all living things on earth (plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms)  
  • Biosphere supports life & includes the biotic (all organisms) & the abiotic (all nonliving factors) on earth  
  • Organisms respond to their environment by:
    * Fleeing
    * Adapting
    * Dying
  • Most organisms can survive a temporary change, but permanent change can lead to extinction (dinosaurs)  
  • Thousands of species are listed endangered (population so small could become extinct)  
  • Human interference is the main cause for endangerment & extinction
    * Pollution of land, air, and water
    *Hunting for sport, food, and commercial products also threatens the survival of many organisms
    * Clear-cutting rain forests
    * Diverting rivers & lakes
    * Draining wetlands (everglades)
    *Global Warming  
  •   Endangered organisms can be protected & returned to larger population size (American Bison almost wiped out –60 million to 250 in 90 years- now several thousand herds)  


AMERICAN BISON

  • Species is a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can interbreed & produce fertile offspring  
  •  Extinction of any species upsets the balance of nature (Almost extinct Pacific Yew tree found to contain chemical used to treat cancer)  


PACIFIC YEW TREE

Matter, Energy, & Organization  

  • Organisms are highly organized, maintain internal order, & require a constant energy supply
  • Plants & unicellular organisms with chlorophyll capture sunlight through photosynthesis & store it in food to be used by other organisms  
  • Autotrophs or producers use sunlight, water, & carbon dioxide to make glucose (energy rich sugar) & oxygen – photosynthesis  

  • Heterotrophs (consumers) feed on producers or other consumers to get energy & release carbon dioxide  

   Biology affects life in many ways  

  • Biotechnology uses organisms to make products needed by people (human insulin made by bacteria)
  •   Fossils fuels (coal, oil, & natural gas) provide energy & materials such as nylon & polyester  


OIL DRILLING

  • Animal products such as wool, silk, and leather make clothing  
  •  Wood provides energy & shelter for us, but endangers other animals (spotted owl) when forests are cut  
  • New medicines, better water treatment & garbage disposal improves our health
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Chapter 1 AP Objectives

 

 

CHAPTER 1          INTRODUCTION: THEMES IN THE STUDY OF LIFE
OBJECTIVES
Exploring Life on Its Many Levels

1.  Briefly describe the unifying themes that characterize the biological sciences.

2.  Diagram the hierarchy of structural levels in biological organization.

3.  Explain how the properties of life emerge from complex organization.

4.  Describe the two major dynamic processes of any ecosystem.

5.  Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

6.  Describe the basic structure and function of DNA.

7.  Describe the dilemma of reductionism.

8.  Discuss the goals and activities of systems biology. List three research developments that have advanced systems biology.

9.  Explain the importance of regulatory mechanisms in living things. Distinguish between positive and negative feedback.

Evolution, Unity, and Diversity

10. Distinguish among the three domains of life. List and distinguish among the three kingdoms of multicellular, eukaryotic life.

11. Explain the phrase “life’s dual nature of unity and diversity.”

12. Describe the observations and inferences that led Charles Darwin to his theory of evolution by natural selection.

13. Explain why diagrams of evolutionary relationships have a treelike form.

The Process of Science

14. Distinguish between discovery science and hypothesis-based science. Explain why both types of exploration contribute to our understanding of nature.

15. Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative data.

16. Distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning.

17. Explain why hypotheses must be testable and falsifiable but are not provable.

18. Describe what is meant by a controlled experiment.

19. Distinguish between the everyday meaning of the term theory and its meaning to scientists.

20. Explain how science is influenced by social and cultural factors.

21. Distinguish between science and technology. Explain how science and technology are interdependent.

 
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