Bio inQuizitive ch. 1

In an experiment described in your text, scientists were collecting data in an attempt to understand factors impacting the proliferation and success of the chytrid fungus pathogen that has dramatically impacted frog populations globally. In the graph pictured, scientists observed that frog species with higher average body temperature tended to have lower infection rates. Is this observational study analytical or descriptive?

descriptive

There are many pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Like the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats, all pathogens are cellular organisms.

false

Order the following according to the levels of biological organization from smallest to largest:

organisms populations communities ecosystems biome biosphere

Blehert's group calculated the amount of fat stored in the bodies of bats exposed to other WNS-infected bats compared to bats not exposed to the WNS fungus. This process happened during which step of the scientific method?

test by observing or measuring

Explain the scientific method and identify each step in the process. Watch this animation on white-nose syndrome and the process of science, and then answer the question. The following represent the first three steps of the scientific method. Put them in order according to the scientific method.

Bats with white noses wake abnormally from hibernation. Abnormal waking from hibernation is caused by infection with a fuzzy white fungus. If a fungus is the cause, then bats exposed to the fungus will wake abnormally from hibernation.

In the 1940s, a Fish and Wildlife Service employee and environmental scientist, Rachel Carson, was inspired in her research by a letter to the Boston Herald detailing the massive die-off of birds after DDT was aerially sprayed to kill mosquitoes. Based on the early observations made regarding bird death, which of the following represents a reasonable hypothesis?

DDT is killing the mosquitoes and disrupting the food chain, leading to the death of birds, some of which may rely on mosquitoes as a food source. DDT is not only killing mosquitoes but is also killing birds. Incorrect Answer(s) During the aerial spraying, planes must have flown into the birds and killed them. Birds are likely dying due to changes in temperature or climate.

It is a scientific fact that specific pathogens are responsible for specific diseases, illnesses, or conditions.

False

T/F: Viruses replicate using DNA or other nucleic acid material such as RNA. Therefore, they must be living.

False

When scientists first noticed that bats were dying, many different competing hypotheses were proposed. One hypothesis was that an environmental contaminant, such as a pesticide, was causing the death of the bats. Based on this alternate hypothesis, which of the following represents one or more possible predictions?

If a contaminant is the cause of death, then exposure of bats to the contaminant will lead to illness and death. If a contaminant is the cause of death, then contaminants will be detected or measured in the cave or in the bats. Incorrect Answer(s) A contaminant is causing the white fuzz on the bats. If a contaminant is the cause, then exposure will lead to viral infection in the bats.

I am composed of cells and reproduce using DNA; I sense and obtain energy from my environment; I evolve, and I maintain cellular homeostasis. I am a _________ thing.

Living

Which of the following examples represent a scientific fact, and which represent a scientific theory?

The DNA sequence from plant chloroplasts most closely groups with that of cyanobacteria. Therefore, chloroplasts must have arisen when an early cell engulfed a cyanobacterium. Correct label: theory Frogs who carry the chytrid fungus have higher death rates compared to frogs that don't. Correct label: fact Some species of bats weigh, on average, about as much as a quarter. Correct label: fact Organisms that look similar have been observed to have differences when preserved in rocks of different ages. Therefore, organisms must change or evolve over time. Correct label: theory

Which of the following items from the narrative are living? a. scientists such as Al Hicks b. a petri dish c. white fuzz from bat noses d. a cave outcropping

a and c

The variable that responds or could potentially respond to manipulations in an experiment is called the ___________ variable.

dependent

Watch this animation on white-nose syndrome and the process of science, and then answer the question.

...then the fungus should be observable and possibly cultivable from nose samples. Correct label: If the white noses are caused by a fungus, ... ...then healthy bats that contract the fungus should die at higher rates. Correct label: If the white noses are caused by a deadly fungus, ... ...then healthy bats that come into contact with sick bats should develop white noses. Correct label: If the white noses are caused by a transmissible fungus, ...

A researcher injecting a bat held in place by two other researchers.The group in an experiment that is not manipulated (or only sham or mock manipulated) and is maintained under a standard set of conditions is called the ____________ group.

Control

Robert Koch verified the germ theory of disease in 1890 in experiments using rabbits. He first isolated a pathogen (Bacillus anthracis) from a sick rabbit and noted that the organism was not present in healthy rabbits. Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax, which leads to illness and death in the rabbits. He next injected healthy rabbits with the strain. Other rabbits may have been mock injected with a sterile solution. For this experiment, identify the independent variable, the dependent variable, the control group, and the treatment group.

Control Group - Rabbits mock injected Independent Variable - injection Dependent Variable - illness Treatment group - Rabbits injected with Bacillus

Little brown bats are a species of bat in the genus Myotis. Little brown bats are extremely common in North America, where they roost in houses, buildings, or trees. In the winter, the bats hibernate in caves, unused mines, or other similar locations. Unfortunately, little brown bats are threatened due to white-nose syndrome. Given these terms related to bats, match the term to the level of biological organization. all little brown bats

Correct label: population North American caves Correct label: ecosystem animals in North American caves Correct label: community a little brown bat Correct label: organism

A frog in a pondThe chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, is a pathogenic fungus that has severely impacted frog populations around the globe. If you were a scientist studying this fungus and wanted to know if it could infect a new frog species, how would you conduct your experiment? Given the following examples, which represent reasonable or logical control(s) or treatments(s), and which would likely be unnecessary and/or uninformative?

Frogs are wiped with sterile swabs. Correct label: control Frogs are wiped with the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Correct label: uninformative Frogs are sprayed with B. dendrobatidis. Correct label: treatment Frogs are exposed to frogs infected with B. dendrobatidis. Correct label: treatment Frogs are wiped with B. dendrobatidis. Correct label: treatment

Page(s) 4-6 1.2. Given a specific observation, develop a hypothesis and suggest one or more predictions based on that hypothesis. Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Theo Colborn wrote a book entitled Our Stolen Future that was published in 1996. The book provides scientific evidence to support her endocrine disruptor hypothesis, which states that certain chemicals, found in plastics and other household and industrial products, can interfere with hormone regulation in many organisms. Some effects can include loss of fertility, among other disorders. Based on Dr. Colborn's hypothesis, which of the following represents a reasonable prediction?

If chemicals can disrupt hormones, then male alligators exposed to certain chemicals in the laboratory will become infertile.

In an experiment described in your text, scientists were collecting data in an attempt to understand factors impacting the proliferation and success of the chytrid fungus pathogen that has dramatically impacted frog populations globally. In the graph pictured, scientists observed that frog species with higher average body temperature tended to have lower infection rates. In this graph, which axis represents the dependent variable, and which axis represents the independent variable?

Independent variable - Temperature Dependent variable - infection rate

In a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology in 2001, scientists were testing the endocrine disruptor hypothesis, which states that certain chemicals can interfere with hormone regulation in many organisms, leading to disorders such as the feminization of males. The scientists used juvenile fish and exposed them to either tap water or varying concentrations of treated sewage effluent (containing an array of chemicals). For this experiment, identify the control group, the treatment group, as well as the independent and dependent variables.

juvenile fish exposed to tap water Correct label: control concentration of treated sewage effluent Correct label: independent variable juvenile fish exposed to sewage-treatment effluent Correct label: treatment percentage of fish with female-like reproductive ducts Correct label: dependent variable

The group in an experiment that is manipulated and maintained under a standard set of conditions is called the ____________ group.

treatment