SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY: WEEK OF 11 FEBRUARY 2008


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The Gaia Hypothesis, in acknowledging this atmospheric disequilibrium, has opted for physiology over miracles. -Lynn margulis

BACTERIA: GAIA, THEORIES, AND PSEUDOSCIENCE
This is the last week of the Animal-Bacteria unit.  Please explore potential project topics and ideas.  That is, you should do the following as soon as possible:
  • Find a question that could be explored by cladistic means.
  • Check to see if taxa appropriate to the question have an adequate molecular database.
  • Each member of the team should have an assigned task with clear expectations.
  • Read the assignment section of the syllabus that describes expectations for the journal article.

MONDAY 11 FEBRUARY

THE SEPARATE HOUR

ACTIVITY 9: PROTOSTOMATA III -THE PANARTHROPODS.  Print out the guide sheets for the Panarthropods and bring them with you to class.  Look at the following specimens and slides of representative members of the Panarthropods (tardigrades, onycophorans, and arthropods).  

  1. Tardigrades. Living.
  2. Peripatus. Preserved.
  3. Limulus. Preserved
  4. Scorpions. Preserved
  5. Black widow spider. Preserved.
  6. Living spiders.
  7. Dermacenter. W.m. slide.
  8. Examine Fossils of Trilobites, mollusks and worm trails.
  9. Atremia. nauplii
  10. Living Crustacea: Eubranchipus, Triops, Cyclops, Cypris, Daphnia, & Ascellus
  11. Lobster. Preserved
  12. Barnacles. Dried Specimen
  13. Larval Crabs. Preserved
  14. Millipedes. Preserved and living.
  15. Centipedes. Preserved
  16. Termites and Termite Life History
  17. Japanese Beetle Life History
  18. Meal Worms. Living, all stages in life history.
  19. Tent Caterpillar Life History
  20. Honey Bee Life History
  21. Harvester Ants. Living
  22. Megalopteran adult

THE COMMON HOUR

GAME 4. Please come prepared with information from last week. The categories will be TAXONOMY, ANATOMY/STRUCTURE, PHYLOGENY/LIFE HISTORY.  As before, much of this information comes from the data sheets, Holt  (2006), Darwin (1859), cultures, slides, and preserved specimens from the last week of class.   We will provide you with a clean taxonomy of the taxa covered by the game..
WEDNESDAY 13 FEBRUARY

THE SEPARATE HOUR

ACTIVITY 10: ARCHAEA & EUBACTERIA I.  During this time you will set up three projects that inform you about microbes.  These are the Hay Infusion, and Winogradsky Columns.  Please access the appropriate pages for information about the projects.  In addition, please look at the following cultures, specimens and slides of representative bacteria:  Access the sheets on the Archaea (find this on eres) and Gram- Eubacteria (Today you will complete only question 1 of this sheet; save the folloing sheets for Friday) to guide you in your observations.
    1. Bacterial Types slide
    2. Archaebacteria mixed slide
    3. Halobacterium. Living
    4. Methanomonas,. Living
    5. Rhodospirillum. Living
    6. Other living purple sulfur bacteria from Winogradsky column
    7. Azotobacter. wm
    8. Rhizobium. Pea root nodule section.
    9. Pseudomonas. Living and wm slide Living and wm slide
    10. Spirillum. Living and wm slide
    11. Serratia. Living
    12. Vibrio. Living
    13. Shigella smear slide
    14. Neisseria smear slide
    15. Branhamella. Living
    16. Treponema. brain section slide
    17. Spirochete smear slide
    18. Find spirochaetes and methanogens in the guts of termites.   Crush termites in insect ringers solution.

THE COMMON HOUR

DIALOGUE 11.  Come prepared with appropriate taxonomies and data sheets for the Eubacterial Kingdoms: Saprospirae, Chloroflexae, Chlorosulfatae, Pirellae, Firmicutae, and Thermotogae.  Be able to present the salient or apomorphic characters that serve to define each phylum. In addition to the web materials, read the following in preparation for the dialogue:
  • Holt. Red Planets and Microbes
  • Holt. Gaia: Science, Pseudoscience, or Fruitful Error
  • Holt. Pseudoscience, the Science of the Gullible
  • Holt. Wetlands, Giving and Taking
  • Darwin. Origin, Chapter 5

FRIDAY 15 FEBRUARY

THE SEPARATE HOUR

ACTIVITY 11: EUBACTERIA II.  Please look at the following cultures and slides:  Use the remaining questions on the Gram Negative sheets and access sheets on the Gram Positive Eubacteria to guide you in your observations.
    1. Wasserbleuthe slide
    2. Gloeocapsa. Living
    3. Nostoc. Living
    4. Anabaena. Living
    5. Oscillatoria. Living
    6. Scytonema. Living
    7. Stigonema. Preserved and wm slide.

    8. Stromatolites, whole fossils and sections.

    9. Streptococcus: wm slide

    10. Diplococcus: wm slide
    11. Lactobacillus: living
    12. Clostridium: living and wm slide
    13. Bacillus: living, wm slide
    14. Corynebacterium: wm slide
    15. Mycobacterium: wm slide
    16. Streptomyces: living
    17. Micrococcus: living
    18. Staphylococcus: wm slide

THE COMMON HOUR

UNKNOWN 2:  Print out a copy of the Alga Data Sheet and bring it with you to class.  Look at the organism and complete the algal data sheet before you attempt the key.  Also, be sure to to include a drawing that indicates at least two key characters of the genus.

Today you must have the contract for Project 1 approved before you leave class.

This page maintained by Jack R. Holt-Carlos A. Iudica.  Last modified: 02/07/08