BIOL1006 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Norman Borlaug, Yuan Longping, Antibiotics

2) Describe three examples of populations failing to achieve perfect adaptation, each from one of the following five course topics: population genetics, evolution of quantitative traits, life history evolution, kin selection, or sexual selection (2). For each example explain which evolutionary mechanisms are operating (2) and how they interact to result in imperfect adaptation (1). (Do not use more than one example on the same topic. Do not use any examples from before Lecture #8 unless you do so in the context of an explicit discussion of one of the five topics.)

Please Help!

Instructions:

Read the scientific inquiry below. Use the data and your scientific knowledge, to complete the questions in each of the sections on the rest of this document. Place your answers, in the space provided and bold or change the color of the text of your answer. Once the assignment is complete, save it as a PDF document file. To submit this assignment, email the completed PDF document to your instructors email address by the due date/time. This assignment is to be done individually. Per the Angelina College student handbook, plagiarism will be will not be tolerated.

Scientific Inquiry:

A farmer wishes to determine which of the two fertilizers, Brand X or Brand Y, helps his corn crops grow at a faster rate in a five-week period of time. He asks his daughter, whom is a college freshman taking introductory biology, to design an experiment to help him test each fertilizer. They decide to grow three different crops of corn, each grown in a controlled environment, receiving the same amount of sunlight, same climate, soil type, and water. Crop 1 will receive no fertilizer during watering. Crop 2 will receive Brand X fertilizer while watering. Crop 3 will receive Brand Y fertilizer while watering. The farmer and his daughter performed the experiment and collect data on each fertilizer over a five-week period. Use the data, represented in Table 1, to complete the following assignment.

Table 1. Average height of corn plants when treated with Brand X or Brand Y fertilizer compared to corn plants not treated with fertilizer (control).

Section 1: Representation

Define each term or variable, with respect to the scientific inquiry.

Independent variable-

Dependent variable-

Control group-

Experimental group(s)-

Hypothesis-

Write the equation to determine the average growth rate, with the appropriate values included, for each corn crop type (control, Brand X, and Brand Y). Use the equation shown below.

Growth rate = (T₅ – T₀)/5

Control =

Brand X =

Brand Y =

Section 2: Calculation

Solve the equations generated, in question 2, for each corn crop type. You must show your work, in the space below, for full credit.

Control =

Brand X =

Brand Y =

Section 3: Interpretation

Analyzing the data table and the calculated growth rates, complete the following questions.

Which crop type grew the fastest? Explain your answer using factual information.

Which plant was tallest? Explain your answer using factual information.

What can you conclude about the treatment of fertilizer on crop growth? Explain your answer using factual information.

Section 4: Application and Analysis

What could happen if the temperature were not controlled during the experiment? Would this impact treatment effectiveness on plant growth? Explain your answer.

Do you think the same outcome would occur if pine trees were used? Explain your answer.

If a particular fertilizer works on corn crops, should we be using that fertilizer on all plants? Why or why not?

For many years, antibiotics have been effectively used to treatbacterial disease; and pesticides have been used to protect ouragricultural crops from many kinds of pests, including insects,worms (nematodes), fungi, or agricultural weeds, for example.



A growing concern for treating bacterial diseases or pest outbreaksis the evolution of antibiotic or pesticide resistance by bacterialor pest populations. Resistance means that a particular antibioticis no longer effective in treating a disease, or that a particularpesticide will no longer prevent crop damage. This resistance canbe viewed as evolution of a new trait at the population level,which is resistance to an antibiotic or to a pesticide. In thisassignment, you will explore specific examples of antibiotic orpesticide resistance.



Assignment details:



After reading materials about evolution and about antibiotic andpesticide resistance in the text, the Course Materials, the AIUOnline Library and / or the Internet, answer the following.



1.Select and describe one example of antibiotic resistance orpesticide resistance. Be specific in your choice.

◦Describe the background for your choice of resistance. Includedetails about the disease or pest and the established controlstrategies. How have we used antibiotics (to treat a particulardisease), or pesticides (to protect from a pest); and how has thischanged?

2.Explain how the resistant trait evolved based on principles ofnatural selection and evolution of a trait at the populationlevel.

3.For your specific example, what are the consequences ofresistance in terms of human health or crop loss / damage?

4.What steps can be taken to prevent or slow down the evolution ofantibiotic or pesticide resistance? Do you think we will succeed indoing so? Why or why not?