BIOL 1201 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Hydrolysis, Carbohydrate, Glycogen

Scientific Method Exercise
Identify a situation in which you applied the scientific approach to solving a problem. Share your thinking! The problem you choose to write about can be very simple, such as: my flashlight won't work, or my car won't start, or I baked muffins and they were flat ( didn't rise properly) , or the toilet won't flush properly, or better yet, think of your own. These probably don't sound like "science" problems, but it is most likely that you would use the scientific method to solve them, without even realizing it. Avoid using people problems and child or pet behavior issues as your "problem." Follow these steps to create your first writing assignment:

1. Describe the situation and your observation,
2. Describe your hypothesis to explain the observation.
3. Describe your further observations or experiments to test the hypothesis. Be sure your hypothesis is one that can be tested. Consider what you might use for "controls".
4. Was the hypothesis correct? If not, can you find a better one? Or do you need a better experiment? If so, what would it be?

The assignment should be formatted as follows: Be sure to include the labels, so it is clear that you recognize and identify each step in the process.
Problem: (briefly describe your problem here)
Question: (This may be a "how" or "why" question that you will formulate a tentative answer to. Your tentative answer is your hypothesis.)
Hypothesis: (State the answer to your question above. This is your "best guess" regarding the answer to the question.)
Prediction: (This describes your experiment very briefly and states the outcome you expect that would support your hypothesis)
Experiment: (Describe how you tested your hypothesis)
Results: (Describe what happened, and whether the results supported or failed to support your hypothesis)

Design an experiment in which you will test theeffect of an acidic fluid on enzymatic activity. (Recall: enzymesare proteins.) To complete this project, it may be useful for youto review theScientific Method Tutorial (found theCourse Content section of the classroom under the Science LearningCenter link) and the Scientific Method lab (Lab 1), so thatyou can better understand how to design anexperiment. It may also be helpful for you to review Lab4 (Enzymes). As you review Lab 4, you will be remindedthat there are several factors that impact enzymatic activity: pH,temperature, and amount of reagent. Feel free to referto observations and information from Lab 4 as you complete thequestions required in the Final Applied Project (see the questionsbelow).

As you design your experiment for this project,please remember that you are trying to examine how an acidic fluidwill modify the outcome of an enzymatic reaction. Tosuccessfully complete this project, you will need to identify thequestion(s) being asked in your experiment and the hypothesis thatyou are testing. In your experimental design, you mustclearly explain what you are doing. That means that you will needto identify the enzyme and the acid, as well as explain yourexperimental protocol (this information will help you to answerquestion 2). You must also thoroughly explain how the addition ofthe acidic fluid impacted the overall reaction process (thisinformation will help you to answer question 4).

Hint: Keep in mind that the acid will changethe environmental conditions of the experiment (for example, a lowpH value could change the shape of the active site on the enzymeprotein), without directly participating in thereaction.

Lab Materials

You may need the following, depending on yourexperimental design.

Materials in your lab kit:

• none

Additional materials you may need:

• plastic beakers or cups
• hydrogen peroxide solution (from Lab4)
• yeast (from Lab 4)
• sample of fresh meat, about 1 cm cubed insize (unprocessed and uncooked, e.g., liver, steak, fish, orpoultry%u2014particularly organs)
• sample of fresh vegetable, about 1 cmcubed in size (e.g., potatoes or other root vegetables)
• a pen for labeling the beakers orcups
• a ruler with centimeter markings

Remember, the goal of this project is for you toevaluate the effect of an acid on enzymatic activity. Aspart of this assignment, you must identify your source of enzymeand the acid used. As you work though this project, youmust also make sure that the following questions/points areaddressed:

1. What question are you asking? Clearly state yourhypothesis.

2. Design an experiment. Provide a detailed account of thematerials and methods used to conduct the experiment. Also includethe methods for data collection and analysis.

3. Conduct the experiment and record your results below. Whatdid you observe? Which samples showed bubbling?

4. Use your knowledge about factors that effect enzymaticactivity to interpret your results. It may be necessary for you torefer to your lab manual and/or other resources. What effect didthe acid have on the enzyme?

5. Was your hypothesis supported? What is yourconclusion? Explain your answer.

6. Cite all references used to complete your Final AppliedProject.

Andrea Smith was taking notes for her biology exam. Her professor has told her that the exam would cover, in part, the di erences between sexual and asexual reproduction. As she reviewed her notes and prepared for today’s class, she was thinking about her own reproductive dilemma. If only asexual reproduction were the case for humans, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess. Or at least there wouldn’t be questions about who was the father of her twins. “Dwelling on it isn’t going to help me prepare for class, and right now I have got to nish this chapter on animal reproduction,” she thought. She tried to concentrate and forget about her current dilemma as she feverishly typed on her notepad:

Asexual or sexual reproduction: 3 types of asexual reproduction: (1) ssion: separation of a parent organism into two or more individuals of equal size, (2) budding: growth of new individuals from outgrowths of existing organisms, and (3) fragmentation accompanied by regeneration: the breaking of the body into several pieces, some or all of which develop into new complete individuals through the regrowth of lost body parts. NOTE: Be able to explain the di erences between sexual and asexual reproduction!

She suddenly let out a long sigh. “It’ll be ne,” she thought. “I just hope that none of my family or friends watches the show. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? But that’s what Xavier wanted, and I will do whatever it takes to prove he is the father. Besides I am going to need the money if I have to take care of these babies on my own!”

e next day in class she was feeling even more nervous and was becoming increasingly angry as she thought about her current situation. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her professor’s voice:

“OK, class,” her teacher was saying, “that wraps up asexual reproduction. Let’s move on to reproductive cycles
and patterns. Most animals exhibit cycles in their reproductive activity. Reproductive cycles are often controlled
by hormonal and environmental cues. Animals may reproduce either exclusively asexually or sexually while other animals alternate between the two methods. For example, some animals can lay eggs of two types, depending on
the environment and/or season. One egg type matures only if it is fertilized while the other type does not require fertilization for development, a process called parthenogenesis. Some animals, and in rare cases humans, have both male and female reproductive systems. Some hermaphrodites can fertilize themselves, but most must mate with a member of the same species. Please look over these handouts and answer the questions that follow.”

As the other students read through the assignment, Andrea was thinking: “I’m dealing with a case of sexual reproduction that no doubt started with the fertilization of my egg with, hopefully, Xavier’s sperm. at reminds me, I need to make sure I go over internal and external fertilization again in my notes. I’m not sure I completely understand it.”

All this started the night Xavier had come came over to talk to Andrea about their break-up. He had smelled and looked so good that evening. e events of that night had left Andrea wondering if there was really some truth to that stu about pheromones, which Andrea has learned in her class were chemical signals released by one organism that in uence the behavior of another individual of the same species. Even though Andrea had met someone else and had

“An Unusual Case of Animal Reproduction” by Powell and Tillman Page 1

been seeing Neo for a while, she hadn’t been able to resist Xavier. Neither she nor Xavier had behaved like themselves that night. It was unlike them not to use some barrier method of contraception. As the class wrapped up, Andrea’s mind was still on her upcoming appearance on a daytime talk show. In some ways she was dreading it; but she was determined to prove what she believed she had known all along: at Xavier was the father of her twins.

Questions

1. What is the di erence between asexual and sexual reproduction?
2. List and de ne some types of asexual reproduction. Give one example of each. 3. What is the di erence between parthenogenesis and hermaphroditism?
4. What is the di erence between internal and external fertilization?
5. What is the function of pheromones?

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE

“An Unusual Case of Animal Reproduction” by Powell and Tillman

Page 2

Part II – The Pregnancy

“I can’t believe it has come to this! Airing our dirty laundry on national television. I never thought Xavier would let things get so out of hand.”

It was late and Andrea was so upset she couldn’t sleep. She tried studying for the upcoming exam, but she couldn’t concentrate. She decided to get an early start on packing. She was so angry with Xavier. How could he have left her pregnant and alone, she thought, as she neatly added her new dress to the bag? How could he think that their babies might belong to someone else? She grabbed her journal, about to add it to the bag, but instead sat in her cozy corner chair and began to read:

January 12, 2007

I’m pregnant with twins! Sometimes it’s still hard to believe because it was so unexpected. I feel like I am about to pop! I know that Xavier is the father of my babies and I can’t wait for us to be a family. But he has doubts about it all because he knows that I met someone else during the brief time that we split up. And he wants to be sure that he is the father before we can move on. But what if it is Neo, the new guy I met? ere’s a slight chance but I doubt it. I know the exact time of conception. It was the night Xavier came over to talk about our relationship. It was a little over a week after that night that the pregnancy test detected the increase in HCG. I guess I just missed him so much.

I do regret that Xavier hasn’t been around much during the pregnancy. He has missed the development of our babies. In the past months, I have heard the babies’ heartbeats and felt them moving around. I wish he would come back because it’s obvious that I am pregnant now. Hopefully we can talk through our di erences and get back together before the pregnancy gets di cult—the frequent urination and back pain my OB/GYN keeps warning me about. I know there is no way he will ever let me go through labor alone. I only pray the contractions are not more than I can bear. Xavier seems committed to the idea of a paternity test. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but if it does, we’re going to a daytime show to gure all this out.”

“Wow! at seems like a lifetime ago,” she thought. “Now we have these beautiful twins and we don’t seem any closer to becoming the real family I dreamed about. Well this will all be over in a couple of days. I am 110% con dent that the twins belong to Xavier, not Neo. I can’t wait to see the look on Xavier’s face and hear him apologize once he sees the results of the paternity test!”

Questions

1. What does Andrea mean by time of conception?
2. How is HCG used to determine pregnancy?
3. List some changes that occur with the fetus/mother during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters. 4. What hormones are responsible for inducing and regulating labor?
5. What trimester is Andrea in during this journal entry?

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE

“An Unusual Case of Animal Reproduction” by Powell and Tillman

Page 3

Part III – The Results

Andrea replayed the words over and over again in her mind: “Xavier, you ARE the father!” She was ecstatic. Finally, she could breathe, knowing that Xavier was the father of her babies. en she heard what the host had to say next...

“Neo...YOU ARE the father!”
Andrea looked around in disbelief. She heard herself saying, “What do you mean? You just said Xavier was the father!

If Xavier is the father, how can he be the father?” she asked as she pointed toward Neo.

“Well, this is a rst, even for our show. But it appears that your twins were fathered by both of these men.”

“I can’t believe it. e rst time I do something like this and I end up with twins and two fathers! Not only did I expose myself to potentially deadly STDs, but now I have two children, whom I have no doubt that I will be raising alone, and I have put my school career in jeopardy,” Andrea thought.

She still couldn’t believe this was really happening to her. How was it possible that her TWINS have di erent fathers? What were the events that must have happened within her body that could lead to these circumstances? She grabbed her

journal from her bag and ipped back to the entry describing her feelings the day she found out she was having twins:

August 23, 2006

I just came back from another Dr’s appointment. Dr. Blossom informed me that I am having two babies— twins—fraternal. I don’t know if they are boys or girls yet. One could be a boy and the other a girl. I still can’t believe this has happened. Xavier has to be the father. He has to be! I will have to just play the hand I have dealt myself. How stupid was I? I was going to practice abstinence after Xavier and I broke up...and I certainly wasn’t planning on meeting and getting involved with Neo! I can’t believe that Neo and I didn’t use a condom either. And it’s no excuse that we had been drinking. I just got caught up in the moment with Xavier—going down memory lane and things got all sentimental. I could have at least thought to use the rhythm method and kept track of when ovulation may occur. is has to be the most irresponsible thing I have ever done! Why did I stop taking my birth control pills anyway? And I have no idea where I put that diaphragm. Undoubtedly, some people will judge me as the type of woman who should have a tubal ligation that would permanently prevent any pregnancy.

Everything hit her at that very second. She closed her journal and just sat there for a moment. Andrea was reminded that she had stopped taking the pill the month before she became pregnant. She remembered that physicians recommend that a woman wait at least one cycle after she stops taking the pill before becoming pregnant because there is a chance that multiple ovulations may occur. Did it have something to with oogenesis? Andrea was so confused she just couldn’t keep things straight in her mind. She thought about it for a minute to let it all sink in.

Andrea sat back and thought about the lecture on animal reproduction the week before. She pulled out her lecture notes on the menstrual cycle, the basic foundation of everything that she was going through.

Questions

1. Describe the two types of cycles that occur in female mammals (menstrual vs. estrous).

2. Compare and contrast the sterilization techniques (vasectomy and tubal ligation) and the temporary and reversible methods discussed in the case.

3. What are the functions of GnRH, FSH, LH, estrogen, and progesterone?

4. How can the paternity results be explained? Your answer should consider the amount of time before and after ovulation a woman is at risk for pregnancy and how long sperm can survive in the reproductive tract. Your discussion may include the following terms: ova, oogenesis, and fertilization, etc.

•

Image in title block dervied from licensed image © CLIPAREA.com—Fotolia.com, ID #21458691. Case copyright held by the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Bu alo, State University of New York. Originally published December 8, 2011. Please see our usage guidelines, which outline our policy concerning permissible reproduction of this work.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE

“An Unusual Case of Animal Reproduction” by Powell and Tillman Page 4

Andrea’s Lecture Notes: The Female Reproductive Cycle

(I) e female reproductive cycle involves both the uterus and the ovaries:

Menstrual cycle = uterine cycle
• Refers to the speci c changes that occur in the uterus

Ovarian cycle
• Cyclic events in the ovaries that regulate the menstrual/uterine cycle

(II) Hypothalamus secretes gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) which stimulates the anterior pituitary to secretefollicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) into the blood. FSH and LH regulate the ovarian cycle.

~OVARIAN CYCLE:

Folicular Phase

FSH and LH stimulate a follicle to grow

e growing follicle releases estrogen

Ovulation

• An LH surge triggers ovulation

Luteal Phase

LH stimulates ruptured follicle to become corpus luteum

Corpus luteum secretes estrogen and progesterone, which inhibits LH and FSH secretion from the pituitary

Corpus luteum disintegrates

Estrogen and progesterone levels decrease, releasing the inhibitory e ect on the hypothalamus and the

pituitary

FSH and LH are released and a new cycle begins

(III) Ovarian hormones, estrogen and progesterone, regulate the uterine (menstrual) cycle ~UTERINE CYCLE:

Proliferative Phase

• increasing estrogen levels causes the uterine lining (endometrium) to thicken: prepares the uterus for

implantation of the blastocyst

Secretory Phase
• increased levels of estrogen and progesterone following ovulation maintains the endometrium by increasing

blood supply and growth of endometrial glands that secretes nutrients

Menstrual Flow Phase
• decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone cause the uterine arteries to spasm, depriving the endometrium

of blood: endometrium disintegrates, resulting in menstruation

Based on the information in the case study, Animal Reproduction, please answer the following questions.

Andrea is pregnant and is trying to calculate the time of conception.What is time of conception and how is it determined?

What are the functions of GnRH, FSH LH, estrogen and progesterone in pregnancy?

Andrea is having twins but the babies have two different fathers.Explain the difference between fraternal and identical twins.Which are these?How could the babies have different fathers?