Writing in Biology

The everyday behaviors that female foals of the Equus Caballus species exhibit help to define the communication tendencies between foals, who they are with, and what context they are in. By examining different bouts of behavior, categories can be formed to understand the spectrum of actions that the young foals use to convey messages. The data is used to evaluate the difference in foal behaviors depending on social context and how often each behavior is performed. Long hours of observation and distinct behaviors were captured and described to be put into tables. Recordings were analyzed through reliability, time-budget, and sequential analyses. Reliability analyses shows how dependable the scoring of the behaviors was executed. The time-budget analysis shows how much time the foal spend performing each category of behavior. The sequential analysis shows the probability of one behavior following another. After the collection and analyzation of the behaviors of female foal interactions, it is concluded that the context that the foals find themselves in have a large impact on which behaviors they exhibit. Some of these contexts call for a display behavior for communication, and the foals are able to perform interactive displays.

These labs were focused on finding the speed of a reaction in a chemical equation and how it relates to temperature and concentration of an added solution. The speed is also called the activation energy, and it differs depending on the temperature of the reaction. In the same way that the amount of each reactant added will affect the reaction time, temperature will also change the time of the reaction, or the time that it takes for the KMnO₄ and H₂C₂O₄ to change color, or react.

In Section 5 of the module, we were asked to use what we observed from the examples we were given (A, B and C) to create our own versions of reserves that would promote successful generations for the ferrets. Both reserves that I created were mainly inspired by Reserve C. The success of the small connected spaces produced a higher heterozygosity, and prevented the loss of alleles. In Reserve 1, I connected three larger habitats. The expectation was that the generations would be separated enough to preserve heterozygosity when parents would travel to other populations, but would have large enough populations to stay fairly unique. By giving Reserve 2 five moderate sized habitats with small connections, I wanted to compare the diversity of alleles and lack of allelic loss with Reserve 1. With one habitat in the middle, the four habitats on the outside would be forced to travel through the middle habitat before going to any other, more independent and unique, habitat. I expected the heterozygosity to be lower because there was a common space for all populations to share alleles.

There are multiple methods to identify the protein coding portions of a gene. Ab initio, meaning “from the beginning,” methods use general rules about coding versus non-coding regions to predict the structure of new genome sequences with no given information. On the other hand, homology-based methods give a more reliable interpretation of an unknown gene, matching the gene to known sequences to predict its structure. The unknown gene is matched to expressed sequence tags (ESTs), short sequences derived from cDNA clones; ESTs that perfectly or almost perfectly match the unknown can then be integrated to create a consensus sequence called a “contig.”

The function of an unknown gene can also be predicted thorough research. Because there is such an extensive library of sequenced genomes, there is almost always a close sequence match when comparing an unknown gene; however, the function of these genes are still a mystery. Through bioinformatics, genomics data is accessed and similar DNA and protein sequences are matched to the unknown. By exploring the types of organisms the unknown sequence matches with, the conserved domains among the matches, and the functions of the related proteins, the unknown protein’s function can be hypothesized.  

I would expect to find this biome on the more northern edge of the temperate deciduous forest range due to the cold temperatures year-round. Somewhere around 50 degrees north. Plant forms that I would expect time find include oak trees, maple trees, some shrubs, and canopy trees. These trees are adapted to freezing weather due to their deciduous leaves. These leaves do not have to photosynthesize as much as other leaves so there is less activity on them.

I predict that the second biome is a temperate deciduous forest. Temperate deciduous forests have extended periods of freezing and in the graph of this biome there are 4 months with an average temperature below 0 degrees Celsius. Also, the pattern and relationship between temperature and precipitation is not only consistent but as temperature increases, so does precipitation. The highest temperatures and the highest precipitation amounts are observed during the months of June-August. Also, temperate deciduous forests typically have somewhere between 500-2,500mm of rainfall in a year and this specific biome received 1,562mm in a year.

Some general plant forms that I would expect to find in this biome would include an open canopy of short trees, evergreen trees and shrubs, and more specifically plants with sclerophyllous leaves. These leaves help the plants continue to photosynthesize during the dry drought season of the summer. Also, fires are typically common in temperate shrubland/woodland biomes, so the plants would most likely be adapted for dry soils and fires during the drought season. However, due to this biome having slightly more precipitation than a typical temperate shrubland/woodland there might be slightly more vegetation. Lastly, I would expect to find this biome somewhere around 40-50 degrees N/S due to the climate patterns.

2.08 grams of cyclohexanol and 0.5 mL of 85% phosphoric acid were added to a micro round bottom flask. The solution was heated and boiled in a fractional distillation apparatus until about 10% volume of the solution remained. The distillation started at a temperature of approximately 70°C and reached a temperature of approximately 72°C at the completion of the distillation. After the distillation the solution of water and cyclohexene distillate was transferred into a reaction tube. Another 1mL of water was added to the tube and backwashed. The lower layer of the tube was removed into a waste beaker. 1 mL of sodium hydroxide was then used to backwash the organic layer. The bottom layer was removed to waste and then 1 mL of brine was used to backwash the organic layer again. The bottom layer was removed to waste. The solution was then dried with CaCl₂ and transferred into a tared vial to yield the cyclohexene product (0.729 grams, 42.63% yield). The product was verified by performing a test by adding a solution of 3% bromine in dichloromethane (3 drops) into 0.5 mL of the cyclohexene product and 0.5 mL of cyclohexane. Color changes and precipitate formations were noted. Then another test was performed by adding 3 drops of potassium permanganate to 0.3 ml of cyclohexene and 0.3 mL of cyclohexane. Color changes and formation of precipitates were noted again. Finally, GC and IR tests were performed to assess the purity of the product.

If all domestic dogs were to go extinct but we could save a single breed, the breed that should be saved is the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Corgis are often thought of as “big dogs on short legs” because although they average a height of between 25 and 30cm, they have personalities reminiscent of bigger dog breeds. Corgis are playful and energetic, yet not so energetic that they are impossible to tire out, which—along with their smaller stature—makes them a versatile breed that could be suited to a wide range of owners. They are also highly adaptable, and can live in a variety of housing arrangements provided that they are able to get a moderate amount of exercise. Corgis were originally bred to be herding dogs, so they are intelligent and independent, and are easily trainable with some patience. Because of their herding origins, Corgis are highly alert and aware of their surroundings, and will usually react to any changes in their surroundings by barking, which makes them good watch dogs.

During this experiment the starting materials, cyclohexanol and 85% phosphoric acid were reacted to produce a cyclohexene product. The product was obtained at a 42.63% yield. The product was then identified using chemical tests and GC and IR tests. The first chemical test performed was adding bromine in dichloromethane to a sample of cyclohexane. The color of the sample changed from a red-brown to a clear color indicating that the sample was cyclohexene. The second chemical test performed was adding potassium permanganate to a sample of cyclohexene. Again, the color changed from purple to clear with a brown precipitate on the bottom once more indicating that the sample was in fact cyclohexene. Examining the IR test, it is evident that cyclohexene is present due to the peaks at the frequency range of 2900-3022. The typical range of an alkene is between 3000-3100. The GC test showed that the final product was not 100% pure. There were two peaks on the GC test one of which had an are percentage of 99.25%. This means that there may have been a small amount of impurities in the sample such as water.