Experiments
You have noticed that the cute little furry bunnies that used to come around your yard and drink the
runoff from the nuclear plant that just opened next door, are now killing the javelina that also used to
wander near your yard. The adorable bunnies have mutated and grown large canine teeth and are
leaving a mess in your yard that your mother makes you pick up every morning before school. You
suspect the nuclear waste may be responsible.
1. Identify the problem:
The adorable bunnies have mutated and started killing the javelina.
2. Write a hypothesis that could be tested to possibly find out what is causing the problem.
If the bunnies are exposed to nuclear waste, then they will mutate.
3. What materials would you need to perform an experiment?
Nuclear waste, bunnies exposed to nuclear waste, bunnies not
exposed to nuclear waste, cages, etc.
4. Write a brief procedure for an experiment that might show what is causing the problem.
Expose 5 bunnies to nuclear waste for two weeks and compare them
to 5 non-exposed bunnies.
5. Make a data table with ten pieces of data that might hypothetically be collected.
Ear size
Canine Tooth Size
Body Size
Answers will vary….
6. Draw a graph of the data.
You should see a graph with amount of Nuclear Waste vs. Canine
Tooth Size or Nuclear Waste Bunnies vs. Non Nuclear Waste Bunnies.
Answers have a wide range.
7. What is an independent variable?
The variable that you change.
8. What is your independent variable?
The Nuclear Waste
9. What is a dependant variable?
The variable that changes due to the independent variable. The variable that is
measured.
10. What is your dependant variable?
The bunnies.
11. Restate your hypothesis and say whether your hypothesis was supported.
If the bunnies are exposed to nuclear waste, then they will mutate.
The exposed bunnies did mutate and therefore my hypothesis was
correct.
12. Use your data to support whether your hypothesis is possibly correct or not.
Answers will vary.
13. What is a control?
Something to compare your data to.
14. What is your control?
The bunnies not exposed to nuclear waste.
15. What are constants?
Variable you keep the same to help control the amount of error in the
experiment.
16. What are your constants?
The age of the bunnies, the length of time they are exposed, the
number of bunnies used, the size of cages used, the amount of food
given to the bunnies, etc
Evolution
1. Define biological evolution.
The process of natural selection over a long period of time. Changes
in a species over a long period of time. Answers will vary.
2. Describe 5 pieces of evidence that support the theory of evolution.
Evidence: __________________. How it supports evolution. Fossil
record shows species change over time.
Evidence: __________________. How it supports evolution.
Comparative morphology shows that structures of species are similar
to each other.
Evidence: __________________. How it supports evolution
Radiometric Dating shows the ages of different fossils.
Evidence: __________________. How it supports evolution.
Comparing embryos show similarities between different species and
their development.
Evidence: __________________. How it supports evolution. Variation
in traits shows that animals are adapted to their environment.
3. Who is the “Father of Evolution”?
Charles Darwin
4. Use examples from nature to explain how three of his ideas regarding evolution support his theory.
Idea 1: Peppered moths and how they camouflage on trunks of trees.
Idea 2: Galapagos finches and beak size designed for eating seeds.
Idea 3: Embryos of different species are very similar in the first stages
of development.
Ecosystems
1. Define organism. An individual living thing.
2. Define population. All of the individuals of a species that live in
the same area.
3. Define community. Collection of all of the different populations
that live in one area.
4. Define ecosystem. Collection of organisms and nonliving things,
such a climate, soil, water, and rocks, in an area.
5. Define biome. Regional or global community of organisms
characterized by the climate conditions and plant communities
that thrive there.
6. Write a paragraph explaining the interdependence between biotic
and biotic factors, and biotic and abiotic factors in a desert biome.
A biotic/biotic factor will be an example either an animal and
animal relationship or a plant and animal relationship or a plant
and plant relationship. Answers will vary.
A biotic/abiotic factor will be an example of a plant/animal and
a rock/water/nonliving element in nature. Answers will vary.
Genetics
1. Define genotype: Collection of all of an organism’s genetic
information that codes for traits.
2. Define phenotype: Collection of all of an organism’s physical
characteristics.
3. Define allele: Any of the alternative forms of a gene that occurs
at a specific place on a chromosome.
4. Define homozygous: Characteristic of having two of the same
alleles at the same locus of sister chromatids. Example AA or aa
5. Define heterozygous: Characteristics of having two different
alleles that appear at the same locus of sister chromatids.
Example Aa
6.
7. Draw a punnett square for a monohybrid cross between two
parents who are both heterozygous for furriness. Furriness is
dominant over baldness.
8. What percent are genotypically homozygous dominant _______,
homozygous recessive_____, and heterozygous _____.
9. What percent are phenotypically furry ______, what percent are
phenotypically bald _______.
10.
Draw a punnett square for a cross between one parent who
is homozygous dominant for
furriness and one parent who is bald.
11.
What percent are genotypically homozygous dominant
_______, Homozygous recessive_____, and heterozygous.
12.
What percent are phenotypically furry ______, what percent
are phenotypically bald _______.
13.
Draw a punnett square for a cross between one parent who
is heterozygous for furriness, and one who is bald.
14.
What percent are genotypically homozygous dominant
_______, Homozygous recessive_____, and heterozygous.
15.
What percent are phenotypically furry ______, what percent
are phenotypically bald _______.
16.
Draw a punnett square for cross between one parent who is
heterozygous furry and one who is homozygous furry.
17.
What percent are genotypically homozygous dominant
_______, Homozygous recessive_____, and heterozygous.
18.
What percent are phenotypically furry ______, what percent
are phenotypically bald _______.
19.
Draw a Punnettt Square for a dihybrid cross between two
parents who are heterozygous for two traits (Furriness dominant
over baldness and Tallness dominant over Short)