Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture

377 Pages·2012·15.52 MB·English

by  Robert Bruce Thompson

DIY Science
Illustrated Guide to
Home Biology
Experiments
All Lab, No Lecture
First Edition
Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson
BEIJING • CAMBRIDGE • FARNHAM • KÖLN • SEBASTOPOL • TOKYO
Illustrated Guide to
Home Biology Experiments
All Lab, No Lecture
by Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson
Copyright © 2012 Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
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ISBN: 978-1-449-39659-6
To Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882), the towering genius whose theory of evolution is the foundation of modern biology.

Contents
Preface .............................................................................................................................................xi
1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................1
Using this Book with Your Curriculum .................................................................................2
Planning and Scheduling ......................................................................................................3
Work Areas.............................................................................................................................3
Maintaining a Laboratory Notebook ...................................................................................4
2 Equipping a Home Biology Laboratory ......................................................................9
Microscopes and Accessories ............................................................................................10
Microscope Accessories .....................................................................................................24
Culturing Equipment and Supplies ....................................................................................33
Histology Equipment and Supplies ...................................................................................37
General Laboratory Equipment ........................................................................................40
Major Equipment .................................................................................................................42
Prepared Slides ...................................................................................................................45
Specimens ...........................................................................................................................46
3 Laboratory Safety ......................................................................................................49
Lab I-1 Using a Microscope ....................................................................................................53
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................53
Background .........................................................................................................................53
Procedure I-1-1: A Microscope Tour ....................................................................................55
Build a Darkfield Apparatus from Pocket Change ............................................................59
Review Questions ................................................................................................................61
Lab I-2 Mounting Specimens .................................................................................................63
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................63
Background .........................................................................................................................64
Procedure I-2-1: Making Wet Mounts ................................................................................64
Procedure I-2-2: Making Smear Mounts ...........................................................................66
Procedure I-2-3: Making Hanging Drop Mounts ...............................................................67
Procedure I-2-4: Making Sectional Mounts ......................................................................68
Review Questions ................................................................................................................69
Lab I-3 Staining ........................................................................................................................71
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................71
Background .........................................................................................................................72
Procedure I-3-1: Simple Staining .......................................................................................72
Procedure I-3-2: Gram Staining .........................................................................................74
Review Questions ................................................................................................................76
Lab II-1 Building and Observing Microcosms ........................................................................79
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................79
Background ........................................................................................................................80
Procedure II-1-1: Gathering Materials ................................................................................82
Procedure II-1-2: Building Aquarium Microcosms ............................................................83
Procedure II-1-3: Building Winogradsky Column Microcosms ........................................83
Procedure II-1-4: Observing Winogradsky Column Microcosms .....................................84
Review Questions ................................................................................................................85
Lab II-2 Observing Succession in Aquarium Microcosms ....................................................87
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................87
Background .........................................................................................................................88
Procedure II-2-1: Observe Succession in Microcosms .....................................................88
Review Questions ...............................................................................................................90
Lab II-3 Observing the Effects of Pollution in Microcosms ................................................93
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................93
Background .........................................................................................................................94
Procedure II-3-1: Build Polluted Microcosms ....................................................................94
Procedure II-3-2: Observe Succession in Polluted Microcosms .....................................95
Review Questions ................................................................................................................96
Lab III-1 Acids, Bases, and Buffers ..........................................................................................99
Equipment and Materials ...................................................................................................99
Background .......................................................................................................................100
Procedure III-1-1: Percentage and Molar Concentrations ..............................................100
Procedure III-1-2: Effect of Concentration on pH ...........................................................103
Procedure III-1-3: pH of Household Materials .................................................................105
Procedure III-1-4: Buffers ..................................................................................................105
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................107
Lab III-2 Carbohydrates and Lipids .......................................................................................109
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................109
Background .......................................................................................................................110
Procedure III-2-1: Investigating Sugars ............................................................................112
Procedure III-2-2: Investigating Starches ........................................................................114
Procedure III-2-3: Investigating Lipids..............................................................................115
Review Questions ...............................................................................................................116
Lab III-3 Proteins, Enzymes, and Vitamins ............................................................................119
Equipment and Materials ..................................................................................................119
Background .......................................................................................................................120
Procedure III-3-1: Investigating Proteins .........................................................................122
Procedure III-3-2: Investigating Enzyme Catalysis .........................................................124
Procedure III-3-3: Assaying Vitamin C Concentration in Urine .....................................126
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................128
Lab III-4 Coacervates ...............................................................................................................131
Equipment and Materials ..................................................................................................131
Background .......................................................................................................................132
Procedure III-4-1: Prepare and Observe a Coacervate ...................................................132
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................134
Lab III-5 Extracting, Isolating, and Visualizing DNA .............................................................137
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................137
Background .......................................................................................................................138
Procedure III-5-1: Extracting and Visualizing DNA..........................................................138
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................140
Lab III-6 Build a Gel Electrophoresis Apparatus ...................................................................143
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................143
Background .......................................................................................................................143
Procedure III-6-1: Making the Gel Casting Container and Comb ..................................145
Procedure III-6-2: Assemble the Apparatus ...................................................................147
Lab III-7 Simulated DNA Separation by Gel Electrophoresis ..............................................149
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................149
Background .......................................................................................................................150
Procedure III-7-1: Prepare Running Buffer ........................................................................151
Procedure III-7-2: Prepare and Cast the Gel ...................................................................152
Procedure III-7-3: Load and Run the Dye Specimens .....................................................153
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................154
Lab IV-1 Chlorophyll and Photosynthesis .............................................................................157
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................157
Background .......................................................................................................................158
Procedure IV-1-1: Observing Carbon Dioxide Uptake .....................................................158
Procedure IV-1-2: Determining the Effect of Light Intensity on Photosynthesis .........159
Procedure IV-1-3: Chromatography of Plant Pigments and Locating Cellular
Energy Reserves ................................................................................................................160
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................163
Lab IV-2 Investigating Osmosis ..............................................................................................167
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................167
Background .......................................................................................................................167
Procedure IV-2-1: Observing Osmosis in Chicken Eggs .................................................168
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................170
Lab IV-3 Investigating Cell Division ........................................................................................173
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................173
Background .......................................................................................................................173
Procedure IV-3-1: Observing Mitosis ...............................................................................179
Review Questions ...............................................................................................................181
Lab V-1 Sampling Plant Populations in a Community ........................................................185
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................185
Background .......................................................................................................................185
Procedure V-1-1: Choosing and Preparing the Survey Area ...........................................186
Procedure V-1-2: Surveying the Plant Community .........................................................187
Procedure V-1-3: Performing a Population Count ...........................................................189
Review Questions ...............................................................................................................191
Lab V-2 Observing the Effect of Rhizobia on Plant Growth ...............................................193
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................193
Background .......................................................................................................................194
Procedure V-2-1: Grow Lima Beans With and Without Rhizobia ...................................195
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................197
Lab V-3 Air Pollution Testing ..................................................................................................199
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................199
Background ......................................................................................................................200
Procedure V-3-1: Building Particle Traps .........................................................................201
Procedure V-3-2: Positioning and Exposing the Particle Traps .....................................201
Procedure V-3-3: Counting and Identifying Particles ....................................................202
Review Questions .............................................................................................................203
Lab V-4 Soil and Water Pollution Testing ............................................................................205
Equipment and Materials ................................................................................................205
Background ......................................................................................................................206
Procedure V-4-1: Obtaining Soil and Water Specimens .................................................207
Procedure V-4-2: Testing the Reagents ...........................................................................207
Procedure V-4-3: Making Boron Concentration Comparison Standards ....................208
Procedure V-4-4: Testing Specimens for Boron ............................................................209
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................210
Lab VI-1 Exploring Mendelian Genetics .................................................................................213
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................213
Background .......................................................................................................................213
Procedure VI-1-1: Testing Subjects for the Ability to Taste PTC .....................................215
Procedure VI-1-2: Charting Inheritance of PTC-Tasting Ability ......................................215
Review Questions ..............................................................................................................215
Lab VII-1 Observing Specialized Eukaryotic Cells .................................................................217
Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................217
Background .......................................................................................................................217
Procedure VII-1-1: Observing Onion Epidermal and Elodea Leaf Cells ..........................218
Procedure VII-1-2: Comparing and Contrasting Eukaryotic Cells ................................220
Review Questions .............................................................................................................220
Lab VII-2 Preparing Culturing Media ......................................................................................223
Equipment and Materials ................................................................................................223
Background ......................................................................................................................224
Procedure VII-2-1: Preparing Normal Saline and Nutrient Media .................................227
Review Questions .............................................................................................................229
Lab VII-3 Culturing Bacteria ....................................................................................................233
Equipment and Materials ................................................................................................233
Background ......................................................................................................................234
Procedure VII-3-1: Staining and Observing the Original Culture ..................................235
Procedure VII-3-2: Inoculating Plates and Tubes ...........................................................237
Procedure VII-3-3: Producing Pure Cultures .................................................................238
Review Questions .............................................................................................................239