Thursday, December 11, 2014
Check Out my Other Blog!
Here's a link to my other blog. It is a blog about an Ecology Service Learning Project I completed in the fall semester. I did this project with three of my classmates and we did a cooking demo! Fine Feasting with Four Freshmen
John's Seed Story
This past week, I got the opportunity to sit down with my teammate, John, and talk to him about his experience with this semester-long experiment.
(KC is me [Katie Carley] and JM is John)
KC: What have you learned throughout the course of the Story of the Seed Project?
JM: Well, I have learned a lot about the various biogeochemical cycles. I also learned a lot about what a plant needs to survive and how it gets the things it needs. I studied a lot of biodiversity and genetics of plants. I also realized how many factors can affect my plant, both abiotic and biotic. I also was surprised to find out what a big role my plant plays in the ecosystem.
KC: Did you learn anything specific about our plant, Romanesco broccoli, or Brassica oleracea, for that matter?
JM: I learned about a large variety of brassica oleracea. I previously did not know what Romanesco broccoli or Brassica oleracea was, so it was cool to be learning about that for the first time. I knew what broccoli was, but I didn't know there was such a variety of it. It has so many relatives!
KC: Have you had any memorable moments? Things that made you laugh?
JM: I liked raising our seed into a growing plant. I also enjoyed planting it in the big garden ad watching it grow. I had a lot of fun and memories from all the early mornings in the garden. It was really to be planting with all my friends.
KC: Did anything you did during the experiment surprise or amaze you?
JM: I was surprised at how fast my plant grew without me really tending to it in the garden. I am sad to say this, but I was shocked to find a that another species of Brassica oleracea invaded my plant's area and overtook it. It was a tragic day for us. However, it was a learning experience. It amazed me how competitive plants can be for space in the garden.
KC: What made you pause, and think a little deeper? Did anything you were studying interest you to research it further?
JM: A question that slipped into my mind was "why do plants instantly know to grow upwards?" However, I now know why it does this. It is because of its genetic code. Its code tells it to grow upwards towards the sun. For example, in our beginning experiment, we had a test subject that had hardly any soil in it, therefore making it lower than all the other test plants. Because of this, it ended up growing taller than some of the other test subjects.
KC: Do you have any questions about the things you observed or experienced in the garden?
JM: As a matter of fact, I do. I would like to know how a species of plant with no defense mechanisms could survive with a common predator. For example, cabbage moths would create large holes in my plants leaves. Yet, it would still survive. Another question I have is to why my plant lost to the kohlrabi. Even though, my plant started off larger than it.
KC: Any final remarks?
JM: I would like to thank my partner, Katie, for helping me with my experience with the Story of the Seed.
(KC is me [Katie Carley] and JM is John)
KC: What have you learned throughout the course of the Story of the Seed Project?
JM: Well, I have learned a lot about the various biogeochemical cycles. I also learned a lot about what a plant needs to survive and how it gets the things it needs. I studied a lot of biodiversity and genetics of plants. I also realized how many factors can affect my plant, both abiotic and biotic. I also was surprised to find out what a big role my plant plays in the ecosystem.
KC: Did you learn anything specific about our plant, Romanesco broccoli, or Brassica oleracea, for that matter?
JM: I learned about a large variety of brassica oleracea. I previously did not know what Romanesco broccoli or Brassica oleracea was, so it was cool to be learning about that for the first time. I knew what broccoli was, but I didn't know there was such a variety of it. It has so many relatives!
KC: Have you had any memorable moments? Things that made you laugh?
JM: I liked raising our seed into a growing plant. I also enjoyed planting it in the big garden ad watching it grow. I had a lot of fun and memories from all the early mornings in the garden. It was really to be planting with all my friends.
KC: Did anything you did during the experiment surprise or amaze you?
JM: I was surprised at how fast my plant grew without me really tending to it in the garden. I am sad to say this, but I was shocked to find a that another species of Brassica oleracea invaded my plant's area and overtook it. It was a tragic day for us. However, it was a learning experience. It amazed me how competitive plants can be for space in the garden.
KC: What made you pause, and think a little deeper? Did anything you were studying interest you to research it further?
JM: A question that slipped into my mind was "why do plants instantly know to grow upwards?" However, I now know why it does this. It is because of its genetic code. Its code tells it to grow upwards towards the sun. For example, in our beginning experiment, we had a test subject that had hardly any soil in it, therefore making it lower than all the other test plants. Because of this, it ended up growing taller than some of the other test subjects.
KC: Do you have any questions about the things you observed or experienced in the garden?
JM: As a matter of fact, I do. I would like to know how a species of plant with no defense mechanisms could survive with a common predator. For example, cabbage moths would create large holes in my plants leaves. Yet, it would still survive. Another question I have is to why my plant lost to the kohlrabi. Even though, my plant started off larger than it.
KC: Any final remarks?
JM: I would like to thank my partner, Katie, for helping me with my experience with the Story of the Seed.
Katie Carley's Seed Story
For the past semester I have been working with Katie Carley in our Story Of The Seed project. Even though I have been working with her for about three months I still don't know how she feels or what she has learned from this project. However today I finally have the chance to interview the elusive Katie Carley.
Me: What are some things that you have learned or surprised you throughout our project?
Katie: I learned about the genetic diversity of plants and why species from the same family can look so different. I also leaned how much work it takes to keep a plant alive and healthy. So from the beginning of the project I learned what brassica oleracea, so I found it cool that a lot of the vegetables I eat come from the same family. I found it fascinated how big of a role my plant plays in the bio- geo chemical cycles.
Me: What has made you laugh?
Katie: It made me laugh about how little I knew about my plant. I also enjoyed being in the garden working with my friends. But mostly, I just had a lot of fun on this project.
Me: What made you stop and think deeply about our plant?
Katie: It was puzzling to me as to why the kohlrabi plant was growing so close to ours. It made me think how it got there and how it would survive. This incident made me think about all the adaptation our plant needs to survive.
Me: Do you have any questions about what you saw?
Katie: I'm curious to know why how all of the large amount of caterpillars got into the garden. I also would like to know if they like a specific plant. Another question I have about the garden is I have to wonder how many plants are in one garden box. Based on observations I had seen many plants and weeds in one box and I want to know how many different species there are. I also want to know which plants are dominant, "the winners of the competition".
Me: What are some things that you have learned or surprised you throughout our project?
Katie: I learned about the genetic diversity of plants and why species from the same family can look so different. I also leaned how much work it takes to keep a plant alive and healthy. So from the beginning of the project I learned what brassica oleracea, so I found it cool that a lot of the vegetables I eat come from the same family. I found it fascinated how big of a role my plant plays in the bio- geo chemical cycles.
Me: What has made you laugh?
Katie: It made me laugh about how little I knew about my plant. I also enjoyed being in the garden working with my friends. But mostly, I just had a lot of fun on this project.
Me: What made you stop and think deeply about our plant?
Katie: It was puzzling to me as to why the kohlrabi plant was growing so close to ours. It made me think how it got there and how it would survive. This incident made me think about all the adaptation our plant needs to survive.
Me: Do you have any questions about what you saw?
Katie: I'm curious to know why how all of the large amount of caterpillars got into the garden. I also would like to know if they like a specific plant. Another question I have about the garden is I have to wonder how many plants are in one garden box. Based on observations I had seen many plants and weeds in one box and I want to know how many different species there are. I also want to know which plants are dominant, "the winners of the competition".
Thursday, December 4, 2014
The Dynasty Of The Mighty Broccoli
The plant that me and my partner have been working is a species of brassica oleracea, Romanesco Broccoli. Basically it is a form broccoli. My plant has a green color and grows to be tall. It's stem isn't very wide making it easy to snap. It's leaves are also wide making easier to catch water. Because of some of these observations I can tell that were they lived they probably need a lot of sun light and water. There is just one problem with my plant. It is losing. What I mean by this is a cousin of our plant Kohlrabi is dominating our plant. Because of this it isn't getting all the resources it needs. However there is one good thing that comes out this. The Kohlrabi's leaves protect our plant from all of the caterpillars trying to eat ours.
Like I said before there are many varieties of brassica oleracea. The reason why there can be so many is due to the fact that some plants have a different phenotype. Phenotypes result from the different expression of the genes of the organism. The can also be affect by environmental factors. Because of this I can guess that were my form of broccoli grew wasn't very windy or stormy because it's stem would snap. You can actually learn so much about a plants ancestors just by studying the one you're looking now. Now I already know that my plant has evolved from cauliflower and a normal broccoli. Even though my plant if generations apart from that first romanesco broccoli plant it still displays their traits. This happens because when a two parent plants make a baby plant their genes and traits are passed on. Some times when two plants mix their genetic DNA may mix. This usually happens in a process called meiosis. The specific stage in meiosis were this occurs in Prophase one. It's were chromosomes cross over exchanging DNA. Something that can get mixed up are color or shape. As you can see below the shapes of the cauliflower and broccoli are almost similar. The part that is edible grows in tight clumps. This is because both the cauliflower and broccoli had dominate Alleles. For example the color of a cauliflower is white while an original broccoli is dark green. W represents the cauliflower dominant allele and the D represents the broccoli's allele. This results in co-dominance were both are shared and passed down or mixed phenotype.
+ =
Because of this mixing of DNA thats why they look the same or have the same characteristics. However they can still look different. One of the reasons why this happens is because they have to adapt to there environmental factors. From what started of as one broccoli now has many different types of descendants with different genetic makeups. They have this because of where they live or what kind of predators they encounter. This now results in a large genetic diversity. Pretty cool huh?!
Like I said before there are many varieties of brassica oleracea. The reason why there can be so many is due to the fact that some plants have a different phenotype. Phenotypes result from the different expression of the genes of the organism. The can also be affect by environmental factors. Because of this I can guess that were my form of broccoli grew wasn't very windy or stormy because it's stem would snap. You can actually learn so much about a plants ancestors just by studying the one you're looking now. Now I already know that my plant has evolved from cauliflower and a normal broccoli. Even though my plant if generations apart from that first romanesco broccoli plant it still displays their traits. This happens because when a two parent plants make a baby plant their genes and traits are passed on. Some times when two plants mix their genetic DNA may mix. This usually happens in a process called meiosis. The specific stage in meiosis were this occurs in Prophase one. It's were chromosomes cross over exchanging DNA. Something that can get mixed up are color or shape. As you can see below the shapes of the cauliflower and broccoli are almost similar. The part that is edible grows in tight clumps. This is because both the cauliflower and broccoli had dominate Alleles. For example the color of a cauliflower is white while an original broccoli is dark green. W represents the cauliflower dominant allele and the D represents the broccoli's allele. This results in co-dominance were both are shared and passed down or mixed phenotype.
+ =
Because of this mixing of DNA thats why they look the same or have the same characteristics. However they can still look different. One of the reasons why this happens is because they have to adapt to there environmental factors. From what started of as one broccoli now has many different types of descendants with different genetic makeups. They have this because of where they live or what kind of predators they encounter. This now results in a large genetic diversity. Pretty cool huh?!
Our Broccoli is One of a Kind
For these past 15 weeks, I have been observing a Romanesco Broccoli plant, part of the Brassica oleracea family. Our plant is about two and a half feet tall with a light green stem and large dark green leaves. At the moment, out plant's stem is thin and weak, due to the space issue our plant must adapt to. Our plant is not as big as it should be and it is gradually being eaten by pesky caterpillars. If you look at the top two images, you can see how our plant is being dominated by the kohlrabi next to it. Our broccoli is the plant with a lighter green colored leaves. In the bottom picture, our plant is in the circled area. It is clear how much smaller it is than the other plants in the garden.
Romanesco broccoli comes from the Brassica oleracea, or wild cabbage, family. There is a large variety of Brassica oleracea plants, but each have a slightly different phenotype. This means that each plant from this family has different genes that allow them to store starch in different areas of the plant. Romanesco belongs to the Brotyrtis group, along with cauliflower and broccoflower. After the two years it takes to reach its maturity, our broccoli will become light green in color and have a fractal design its buds. Natural broccoli was said to be the first of the Brassica oleracea family to evolve from wild cabbage. Romanesco broccoli has some similar physical features as its ancestor. For one thing, it contains the same little florets on the buds of the flower. I am able to predict the kinds of traits the offspring will have through its parents. The parents' genes make up a baby plant and then traits from either parent will shine through. Romanesco broccoli, it is most likely a cross between cauliflower and broccoli. An example of one of the mixed traits is color. The color of a plant will, in most cases, be a dominant trait. If broccoli gave Romanesco a dark green allele (G), and cauliflower gave it a white allele (W), then there will be co-dominance. Since both of these traits being passed on from the parents (broccoli & cauliflower) are dominant, they will create a mixed phenotype. The dark green and the white mixed together to make a light green color. This is just one example of how the parent plants pass on their traits to their baby plant. The dominant allele will always show in the baby's phenotype. They acquire these traits through meiosis when the chromosomes one somatic cell crossover. The homologous chromosomes align and exchange genetic material. Each chromosome is now different. This is what happens when gametes form. Since gametes only have half the number of chromosomes, they will eventually pair with another gamete to form a somatic cell. In this newly formed cell, it will have chromosomes from both gamete cells (both parents). This will ensure that the baby plant gets traits from both parents. Our plant will pass on its trait the same way: gamete formation through meiosis, then two different gametes fusing together to create a diploid cell of unique genes. Our plant's offspring will not look like it because of meiosis. When the chromosomes crossover genetic material, they become unique chromosomes with different genetic material on each chromosome. This process ensures genetic diversity, and, therefore, our plant's offspring will look different. All of the plants in the garden are different, despite them all being from the Brassica oleracea family. They all have different genetic makeup, causing them to have different physical traits. These plants' genes could have evolved over time, due to adaptation, or they could have had similar, but different parents. Whatever the case, all of these plants' genes are part of the plant for a reason. Some species could have different genes to complete different functions for the plant. In conclusion, meiosis and crossing over leads to genetic diversity, which creates different plants. Many different polymorphisms came from just one ancestral species because of evolution, adaptation, and genetic variation. What started out as one broccoli plant, eventually became many broccoli plants. But, as we learned before, no two plants have the same genetic makeup. Some of the many broccoli plants, probably had to adapt to a new climate or area, giving it different traits to withstand the new ecosystem. These adaptations eventually became new species. This is how, along with genetic variations in the reproductive process, so many forms came from one ancestral species. Thank you, Broccoli, for giving us so many different variations.
Monday, December 1, 2014
Meiosis
Meiosis 1:
- Prophase 1- After the DNA duplicates, the chromosomes pair up with its corresponding homologous chromosome. Then the process of crossing over takes place.
- Metaphase 1- The chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell, and spindle fibers attach themselves to the chromosomes.
- Anaphase 1- The spindle fibers pull the homologous chromosomes to opposite ends of the cell.
- Telophase 1- The parent cell separates into two haploid daughter cells.
- Prophase 2- Each of the daughter cells have half the number of chromosomes as the original cell. The difference between prophase 1 and prophase 2 is that the DNA is not replicated before.
- Metaphase 2- The chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell.
- Anaphase 2- The sister chromatids separate and move to opposite ends of the cell.
- Telophase 2- Meiosis 2 results in 4 haploid daughter cells.
Meiosis Project
Meiosis: is a process in which four daughter cells are created at the end with only half of the chromosomes as the parent cells.
Meiosis 1:
- Prophase 1-In prophase one of meiosis, pairs of homologous chromosomes intertwine and crossing over occurs as chromatids from homologous pairs of chromosomes exchange genetic information.
- Metaphase 1- The chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell, and fully formed spindle fibers attach themselves to the chromosomes.
- Anaphase 1- The spindle fibers then pull the homologous chromosomes, separating them to the opposite sides of the cell.
- Telophase 1- The parent cell then separates into two haploid daughter cells.
Meiosis 2:
- Prophase 2- Each of the daughter cells have half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell. The difference between prophase 1 and prophase 2 is that the DNA is not replicated before.
- Metaphase 2- Kind of like metaphase one the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell.
- Anaphase 2- The sister chromatids separate and move to opposite ends of the cell also like metaphase one but there are half the number of chromosomes.
- Telophase 2- Meiosis 2 ends up with 4 haploid daughter cells with half the number of chromosomes. If it is a male then they will turn into four sperm cells. If it is a female then they will turn into eggs, but one will be bigger than the others.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Osmosis Lab
What is Osmosis?
Osmosis is a process in which the molecules of a liquid pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated. When it does this it balances out the concentration in both solutions.
Hypothesis
I predict that water will easily pass through a gummy bear. However my really hypothesis is, I believe that the warm water will pass through the gummy bear faster than room temperature water. The reason why I predict this will happen is because when ever you heat up anything the molecules get excited. So I think that because of the excited molecules that will try passing through the gummy bear fast than non heated water.
Materials
First you have to acquire all of the materials, then get two of your cups and fill them with enough water to submerge the gummy bear. For one of the glasses of water heat it up with a temperature of higher than 80 degrees but no higher than 110 degrees or it will melt. The other glass just with room temperature water. Then put in both gummy bears. You can record there growth with the ruler at different time intervals. I did my every half an hour. Then you record the data. Repeat this process as many times as you want. For the glass with the glass with the warmer water you have to refill the water with warm water. So you check it just replace the water.
If you look above is a time laps of a gummy bear in warmer water. You can't see it as well but a clear silhouette starts to form.
Above you can see that the gummy bear cannot withstand very high temperatures. It starts to melt away after awhile.
As you can see the gummy bear did increase in mass do to the osmosis affect. Tomorrow I will post another photo of it to see how much it has really grown.
Data Results
After 10 minutes the gummy bear in warm water melted and did not grow at all
The gummy bear in the room temperature did actually grow. In all the gummy bear grew .12 inches in length and .6 inches. The data also showed that my hypothesis was incorrect and warmer water does not increase the speed of the osmosis liked affect. As you can see below the gummy bear in room temperature is much larger than the other.
Conclusion
In conclusion the water at room temperature demonstrated osmosis the best. The water entered the gummy bear like a cell membrane which then expanded it. It was interesting how the water didn't pass through all the way. It stayed just under the surface. I do believe that the temperature does affect the speed of osmosis. It's just the fact that I used gummy bears which allowed them to melt. In the next experiment I will try to used something that can withstand the heat.
Osmosis is a process in which the molecules of a liquid pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated. When it does this it balances out the concentration in both solutions.
Hypothesis
I predict that water will easily pass through a gummy bear. However my really hypothesis is, I believe that the warm water will pass through the gummy bear faster than room temperature water. The reason why I predict this will happen is because when ever you heat up anything the molecules get excited. So I think that because of the excited molecules that will try passing through the gummy bear fast than non heated water.
Materials
- Water (about 8 cups)
- Gummy bears (amount depends on how many tests you want to do)
- ruler
- timer
- clear glass container or cup
- thermometer
First you have to acquire all of the materials, then get two of your cups and fill them with enough water to submerge the gummy bear. For one of the glasses of water heat it up with a temperature of higher than 80 degrees but no higher than 110 degrees or it will melt. The other glass just with room temperature water. Then put in both gummy bears. You can record there growth with the ruler at different time intervals. I did my every half an hour. Then you record the data. Repeat this process as many times as you want. For the glass with the glass with the warmer water you have to refill the water with warm water. So you check it just replace the water.
If you look above is a time laps of a gummy bear in warmer water. You can't see it as well but a clear silhouette starts to form.
As you can see the gummy bear did increase in mass do to the osmosis affect. Tomorrow I will post another photo of it to see how much it has really grown.
Data Results
After 10 minutes the gummy bear in warm water melted and did not grow at all
The gummy bear in the room temperature did actually grow. In all the gummy bear grew .12 inches in length and .6 inches. The data also showed that my hypothesis was incorrect and warmer water does not increase the speed of the osmosis liked affect. As you can see below the gummy bear in room temperature is much larger than the other.
Conclusion
In conclusion the water at room temperature demonstrated osmosis the best. The water entered the gummy bear like a cell membrane which then expanded it. It was interesting how the water didn't pass through all the way. It stayed just under the surface. I do believe that the temperature does affect the speed of osmosis. It's just the fact that I used gummy bears which allowed them to melt. In the next experiment I will try to used something that can withstand the heat.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Osmosis Lab
OSMOSIS= the movement of water through a semipermeable membrane. The water flows from a high concentration into a low concentration
Osmosis Demonstration
Purpose
This is a demonstration of osmosis. In this demo, there will be two groups of beans being tested: beans in room temperature water, and beans in boiling water.
Hypothesis
If osmosis allows water to pass through a semipermeable membrane, then I think that the beans, in both room temperature water and boiling water, will grow in size.
Materials
-dried black beans
-water
-pot
-small plastic container
Procedure
Put a small handful of dried beans in room temperature water. Leave overnight and observe changes.
In a pot of boiling water, put another small handful of dried beans in the water for 5 minutes and observe changes. Record results.
Results
Room temperature beans- grew 0 cm after 7 hours
- after 19 hours they grew 0.4 cm
Boiling Water beans- grew 0.2 cm after 5 minutes
Conclusion
Due to the process of osmosis, water was able to pass through the black beans' membrane, allowing them to grow in size. This supports my hypothesis. As shown by the results, the temperature of the water has a significant effect on the growth of the beans. The beans in boiling water were able to grow half the size of the beans in room temperature water in a fraction of the time. The process of osmosis was demonstrated by observing the growth of beans in water over a period of time.
If anyone else is interested in this topic, a question that arose from this demonstration is "why did the warmer water have a faster effect?"
Osmosis Demonstration
Purpose
This is a demonstration of osmosis. In this demo, there will be two groups of beans being tested: beans in room temperature water, and beans in boiling water.
Hypothesis
If osmosis allows water to pass through a semipermeable membrane, then I think that the beans, in both room temperature water and boiling water, will grow in size.
Materials
-dried black beans
-water
-pot
-small plastic container
Procedure
Put a small handful of dried beans in room temperature water. Leave overnight and observe changes.
In a pot of boiling water, put another small handful of dried beans in the water for 5 minutes and observe changes. Record results.
Results
Room temperature beans- grew 0 cm after 7 hours
- after 19 hours they grew 0.4 cm
Boiling Water beans- grew 0.2 cm after 5 minutes
Conclusion
Due to the process of osmosis, water was able to pass through the black beans' membrane, allowing them to grow in size. This supports my hypothesis. As shown by the results, the temperature of the water has a significant effect on the growth of the beans. The beans in boiling water were able to grow half the size of the beans in room temperature water in a fraction of the time. The process of osmosis was demonstrated by observing the growth of beans in water over a period of time.
If anyone else is interested in this topic, a question that arose from this demonstration is "why did the warmer water have a faster effect?"
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Enzyme lab
Enzyme Lab Worksheet
Hypothesis: I predict that the higher the PH is the faster the enzyme reaction will be.
Independent Variable: PH levels
Dependent Variable: Height of the foam
Controlled Variables: The amount of enzyme extract, water and hydrogen peroxide
Justification of hypothesis: I choose my hypothesis, because i believed there would be more bubbles from the base formulas rather than acid ones. I also believed that the enzymes would receive more reactions from base rather than acid
Materials (Your Team’s Experiment):
- Beaker
- mortar
- pestle
- bindweed
- test tube
- ruler
- timer
- hydrogen peroxide
- pipet
- paper towel
- scissors
Procedure: First you gather bindweed. Once you have gathered a good amount you cut of the leaves. Then you use the mortar and pestle to mash up the bindweed. Add 20 ml of water to the bind. After the bindweed has turned into a liquidy substance put a paper towel over a beaker and slowly pour the bindweed substance through to paper towel. Squeeze the paper towel to extract any left over liquid. Then pour the substance into a test tube. Add 0ne and a have ml of peroxide to the extract. The extract acts as a substrate. Then Observe for 30 seconds. Repeat with a solution of extract, peroxide and hydrochloric pH 3-4 sodium hydroxide pH 10 and hydroxide pH 12.
Data and Results: 
Conclusions: As a result to our lab my hypothesis was proven correct. The higher the pH levels are the faster the enzyme react. During our first lab attempt we failed to properly insert the different PH levels and diluted bindweed extract. This caused the enzyme reaction to be slower. In our second attempt we made sure to separate the different pH levels. By doing this is caused a better reaction. Resulting in larger foaming levels and in a shorter time. This means that the higher the PH levels the faster the enzymes react.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Enzyme Lab Report
Introduction: In class we are learning about enzymes, so we conducted a lab to test the effects of temperature on enzyme productivity. My group chose to use three different temperatures to test and a control group, which will be room temperature. These three temperatures are 50 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees Celsius, and 3 degrees Celsius.
Hypothesis: If the temperature affects enzyme productivity, then the rate of reaction will increase with the increase of temperature. When the temperature is above 40 degrees C, the reaction will be slow down, or cease to exist.
Independent Variable: temperature (Celsius)
Dependent Variable: rate of reaction (time and height of bubbles)
Controlled Variables: protein source (hydrogen peroxidase), type/amount of water, concentration of bindweed mixture, amount of bindweed mixture and hydrogen peroxidase
Justification of hypothesis: I know from previous research that heat affects enzymes both positively and negatively. The more the temperature increases, the more the rate of reaction increases, as well. However, there is a certain temperature at which the heat causes the bond to break because the protein is denatured. The enzyme changes shape and the substrate no longer fits with the enzyme.
Materials (Your Team’s Experiment):
- digital scale
- two handfuls of freshly picked bindweed with leaves (5 to 10 grams)
- mortar and pestle
- distilled water
- three 100-liter beakers
- 1 mL syringe
- hydrogen peroxide
- paper towels
- 8 glass test tubes
- test tube rack
- ice
- thermometer
- plastic ruler
- tape
- stopwatch
Procedure:
We are going to test the effect of temperatures on enzymes. There will be three different temperature that we will test: 50 degrees Celsius (hot), 40 degrees Celsius (body temperature), and 3 degrees Celsius (cold). The control will be room temperature (3 degrees Celsius)
Steps:
- Set up the three different baths; water at set temperatures (50 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees Celsius, and 3 degrees Celsius) Warm up one bath, put ice in another, and set the third close to regular body temperature
- Collect about two handfuls of fresh bindweed leaves.
- Grind the leaves with the mortar and pestle, into a smooth substance
- To create an extract for an accurate experiment, grind up the bindweed until you have 10 grams of mashed up bindweed. Then add water to the bindweed substance (55 mL)
- Filter the water and bindweed mixture through a paper towel into a small plastic beaker until you have about 60 mL of bindweed extract (should look like green water). This will be more than enough extract, so there will be extra if you mess up.
- Add 2 mL of the extract to four of the test tubes.
- Then add the same amount (2mL) of hydrogen peroxidase to the other four test tubes.
- Complete the next steps one group at a time.
- Hold both test tubes (one hydrogen peroxidase and one with the bindweed extract) in one of the baths for two minutes. (BEFORE YOU TAKE OUT THE TEST TUBES HAVE THE STOPWATCH AND RULER READY) Doing the reactions one by one, quickly take the two test tubes out of the bath and immediately combine them.
- Measure the height of the bubbles every five seconds for thirty seconds.
- Repeat process for remaining test tubes.
- For the control group, do not alter the temperature of the test tubes. Just add them together at room temperature and measure the height of the bubbles the same way as the other reactions.
Data and Results:
See tables and graphs below.
Control (20 degrees Celsius)
TIME (seconds)
|
HEIGHT (cm)
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
0.1
|
15
|
0.2
|
20
|
0.5
|
25
|
0.7
|
30
|
0.7
|
Temperature #1- Hot (50 degrees Celsius)
TIME (seconds)
|
HEIGHT (cm)
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
0.1
|
15
|
0.1
|
20
|
0.2
|
25
|
0.2
|
30
|
0.3
|
Temperature #2- Warm (40 degrees Celsius)
TIME (seconds)
|
HEIGHT (cm)
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
0.1
|
15
|
0.3
|
20
|
0.4
|
25
|
0.4
|
30
|
0.4
|
Temperature #3- Cold (3 degrees Celsius)
TIME (seconds)
|
HEIGHT (cm)
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
0
|
15
|
0
|
20
|
0
|
25
|
0.1
|
30
|
0.1
|
Data Analysis: To make the graph I used all the data from the tests and graphed them on one plane. By looking at both the tables and the graph, it is clear that the control (the blue line) had the greatest reaction. The slowest was the green line, or the cold test tubes. The red line was the hot temperature, while the yellow line represents the warm temperature.
Conclusions:
By analyzing the data, the data did support our hypothesis. The warmer temperatures produced a greater reaction, but the hot temperature (50 degrees Celsius) did not do as well as the warm and the control. However, the coldest temperature had the lowest height of bubbles after the two substances were mixed, meaning that the lowest reaction was the cold temperature, not the hot temperature. This was because when the test tubes were in the cold ice bath for two minutes, it dramatically dropped the temperature of both substances. The tubes felt ice cold, and the cold temperature caused such a small reaction because the enzyme was operating at below its optimum temperature. The hot temperature (50 degrees Celsius) had such a low reaction because the heat of both substances may have allowed the substrate or enzyme to become denatured, which means the enzyme and substrate could no longer work together to speed up the reaction rate. In conclusion, enzymes have the fastest and greatest rate of reaction in mild temperatures (room temperature or close to regular body temperature [40 degrees Celsius])
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