Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to observe the behavior of Tetrahymena under a compound microscope.

Procedure:

1. Get a clean concavity.
2. Using a pipette, drop the Tetrahymena onto the slide.
3. Place a cover slip.
4.  Observe Tetrahymena under 4x, 10x, 40x objective lens.
5. Record observations.
6. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 and drop methylcellulose.
7. Observeunder 4x, 10x, 40x objective lens and record observations.
8. Clean all lab equipment.

Observation/ data: When I first looked into the microscope there were a lot of tetrahymena on the slide. They were really small and fast moving. I was also able to see some small dots on them. After I put the methylcellulose onto the slide, they started to move  much slower.

Bio skill activity

Review article: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/6/971.long

Primary research article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.12148/full

1. Read the title and abstract. What is the central question? What was the primary finding?
   • “Fluctuating temperature leads to evolution of thermal generalism and preadaptation to novel environments.” In this article the tetrahymena was exposed to various temperatures to see the impact it has on the tetrahymena.
2. Read the Introduction carefully; take notes on the background information. Look for the parts of the introduction according to the figure. This is the time to decide whether this is a useful article or not. If it does not relate, start again on another article.
   • Environmental fluctuations play a great role in the changes of population and indivials
   • They can evolve and adapt to these conditions.
   • Population differed between different temperatures.
3. Skim the article, paying close attention to the figures. What was the design of the experiment? Choose a figure and describe the data and results.
   •  
   • In this graph, it shows the survival rate at different temperatures for different periods of time. The fluctuating temperature varied between 24°C and 38°C. The constant was 31°C.
4. Begin reading the results and ask yourself questions about what these results mean and how the experiments were performed. What questions do you have?
   • Was the tetrahymena any different from each other before and after the experiment? Was there any errors throughout the experiment?
5. Read the discussion and ask how this work fits into a broader context. Critique the work; be critical and ask questions.
   • Did they collect tetrahymena that had all been living in the same environment? Was there any different noticeable characteristics after the experiment?
   • I did not agree with the results. I assumed that the tetrahymena wouldn’t survive in the fluctuating temperature.
   • I would like to see how pollutions impact tetrahymena.

Conclusion: Overall, this experiment was a good way to learn more about tetrahymena’s speed and size.

Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to get the students familiar with both dissecting and compound microscopes. Students also learned how to calculate the size of the ciliates, which could give us a better understanding of them.

Procedure:

1. Clean microscope lenses.
2. Using a compound microscope, view the provided pre-made ciliate slides.
3. Measure the field of view with a ruler in mm, then calculate the diameter at objectives 4x 10x and 40x, with FOV low x MAG low= FOV high x MAG high
4. Divide into groups of 3 and assign ciliates A-F to the students. 2 ciliates per person.
5. Use a dropper to dispense the alive ciliates on a slide. Look under the compound microscope with the objective 40x and 100x. Use the fine and course adjustments for a clearer image. Record observations.
6. Repeat step 5 for second sample
7.  Choose one ciliate of the six, and place a cover slip over the ciliates to view at an objective of 400x. Record observations.
8. Exchange lab notebooks with partners and record information.

Data:

Conclusion:

After this experiment, we washed and scrubbed our materials with bleach and water. Overall, this lab was interesting and exciting. I thought it was interesting to see all the ciliates under microscope at different magnifications. I thought it was really good way to introduce and get more comfortable with the dissecting and compound microscopes. This lab was a great way to observe the ciliates a week after they were placed into the wells.

• After observing ciliates for the past 2 weeks, reflect on their structure and describe what you think is their most diverse character. Give examples.
  • I think their most diverse character is their shape. Through their shape I can really identify which ciliate was which. Color also helped me identify which ciliate was blepharisma. For example, the stentor was a medium sized fat ciliate with a little tail on the end, whereas the spirostomum is much thinner and longer.

• What questions do you have about ciliates that would require you to go deeper in your understanding of their structure and function?
  • What are they like under different conditions? Do they thrive more in moist or dry areas? What kind of soil do they do better in?

• Metacognition: What parts of lab have been transmitted to you? What information have you been required to construct
  • Information that have been transmitted to me are the information about the ciliates. Also, information about the microscopes. The information I’ve constructed is observations I’ve made after looking at them under the microscope the past few labs.

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to learn more about ciliates. We also observed and learned about the different types of ciliates there are. In this lab we also get familiar with the microscopes.

Procedure:

1. Label the well plate with student initials, class number, and semester. (ASK34F17)
2. Drop enough ciliate liquid into each well. Enough to cover the bottom of the well.
3. Turn on the microscope
4. Place the plate under the microscope. Focus the microscope enough to see the ciliates.
5. Record data of each liquid. Including shape and characteristics.
6. Identify each ciliate.
7. Place the cover on the well plate. Place it in a drawer.

Data:

Conclusion:

A- Stentor

B- Blepharisma

C- Paramecium

D- Paramecium

E- Euplotes

F- Spirostomum

After recording my data, I placed my well plate in the drawer where my soil can also be found. Overall, I found this lab really interesting and exciting.I didn’t really know what to expect when I looked under the microscope, but I found it really cool observing and looking at the ciliates under the microscopes. This lab was a great way for an introduction and to get a better understanding of ciliates.

Purpose: In this experiment, students participated in an activity called BioBlitz to explore and learn more about local biodiversity. In this activity, students were asked to take pictures of local organisms and upload the photos to iNaturalist. This website will help identify local organisms on campus and will help students classify their organism.

Procedure (iNaturalist):

1. Download app and register account for http://www.inaturalist.org/
2. Look for organisms on campus and take photos of them
3. Record coordinates of where you took the picture of organism
4. Upload photo to iNaturalist and in upload include characteristics of species.

Data: I took a picture of a Green Anole. My photo is located in front of the Baylor Science Building. At first I didn’t know how to identify it because all of the green geckos looked similar to me, but after further review I decided that it was the Green Anole. This is the link to my observation  https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7636502

Conclusion: BioBlitz is a great tool for students to learn more about organisms in the local area. Throughout the semester, we should continue adding more photos to our profile, so we know which organisms are located at Baylor.

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to collect soil so students can examine ciliates from different areas on campus. Students will also learn what conditions ciliates tend to live in.

Procedure:

1. Safely collect soil on campus. (collecting enough to fill half a sandwich ziploc bag)
2. Record: description of location, GPS, date sampled, time, temperature, humidity, last rainfall.
3. Label the ziploc bag with your initials, class number, and the semester you’re in. (ASK34F17)
4. In class, take a empty and clean petri dish and weigh it on a scale with the dish’s cover. Record weight. (measured in grams)
5. Label petri dish the same way you labelled the ziploc bag.
6. Take some soil and cover the entire petri dish until you can’t see the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish.
7. Weigh the petri dish that’s filled with soil with the cover. Record weight.
8. Subtract petri dish weight from petri dish with soil weight. That number would be the weight of the soil.
9. Store them away

Data:

• Description of location: To the right of the bear habitat. Somewhat near the sewer. The soil was collected approximately four feet from the root of a tree. Clumpy soil
• GPS: N 31°32’48.547″ W97°7’18.329″
• Date sampled: August 22, 2017
• Time: 6:17 pm
• Temperature: 91°F
• Humidity: 55%
• Last Rainfall: August 17, 2017
• Empty Petri dish: 11.3g
• Petri dish with soil: 32.5g
• Soil: 21.2g

Conclusion: We are currently letting the soil dry, so the ciliates would become dormant. Later in the semester, we will rehydrate them so we can see as much ciliates as possible. Once they are rehydrated we will further examine them.