Home Economics - Why is nutrition important to sports people?

In order to obtain an idea for a task I could research, I decided to do an initial brainstorm of all the areas that would be possible to complete the project on (see fig1, next page). The factors that would affect my decision of what area to choose, were how easy it would be for me to research the topic, whether I knew people I could speak to about it and whether it was something that interested me. Because of these, I decided to research into nutrition for rowing. This was because I am a rower myself which meant that it would interest me, I would already know about the topic and I knew a variety of people who would be able to provide information and help on the subject. For research: To start the project I needed to carry out some preliminary, general research into the sport and its demands. The following are some things I needed to research: o Sports nutrition o Nutritional requirements of a normal person o Nutritional requirements of a rower o What a rower should eat on the day of, and during the week before, a race. Preliminary research Sources To ensure that I could gat a balanced set of information I decided to use data from several media types. These could include magazines, people, websites, books and companies. The following are some sources I thought would be useful: o ARA (amateur rowing association) o Internet - including rowing websites, BBC website,

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Summarising the differences between deciduous and coniferous woodland.

Ecology Report: Summarising the differences between deciduous and coniferous woodland. This report will attempt to explain some differences in energy flow and nutrient cycles between two types of woodland: deciduous and coniferous, using secondary data, and primary data collected during fieldwork. I predict that a greater amount of energy passes through a deciduous woodland ecosystem than a coniferous one. I think that as leaves fall from deciduous trees, primary consumers use them to create energy. At these times the canopy disappears and more sunlight reaches lower levels, also creating more energy. These factors mean more all-round energy, more animals and a more 'alive' ecosystem. The world's coniferous woodlands are generally in colder areas that receive less sunlight, and the permanent canopy prevents sunlight from reaching lower levels. The fieldwork site, Constitution Hill Viewpoint, is set on a hill in a residential area in Poole. It is mixed woodland, containing small areas of deciduous and coniferous woodland. Conifers at the site are mainly Scots Pine, whilst Oak is the dominant broad-leaved deciduous tree. Being mixed woodland, our samples might not show clearly contrasting results because of an overlap of the woodland, but samples were taken from as clearly defined areas as the site would allow. We used quadrats, and sampled each of the areas randomly. This

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Ecology and Ecosystems.

Ecology Ecosystems undergo changes in their structure and function as time passes. Some of these changes are minor and only affect a small area, others are the cause of major changes in the species present and affect the ecosystem as a whole. Major changes can be caused by changes in climate, external factors such as fire, trampling or pollution and development due to the system itself. Succession is a result of these changes and is defined as a series of progressive changes in an area with one community replacing the other until a climax community is created. A climax community consists of plants and animals, the animals present are dictated by the plants available. There will normally be a dominant species of plant and animal or a number of co-dominant species, these species are normally the most numerous and have the greatest biomass. The climax community is normally seen as the ultimate development of the ecosystem. There are 2 types of succession; primary and secondary. Primary succession is the colonisation of an area which has not supported an ecosystem before, eg sand dunes, volcanoes and new ponds. Secondary succession is ecological succession in an area which has supported an ecosystem whose development to a steady state has been prevented by inhibitory factors such as grazing or fire. When the inhibitory factor is removed secondary succession takes the

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Abundance of vegitation

Title An investigation on how trampled and un-trampled land affects the abundance and diversity of grassland at Nettlecombe in the month of March on and off a footpath. Hypothesis There is a difference in the abundance and diversity of grassland on trampled and un-trampled land at Nettlecombe in the month of March on and off a footpath. Null Hypothesis There is no difference in the abundance and diversity of grassland on trampled and un-trampled land at Nettlecombe in the month of March on and off a footpath. Introduction Prior to the writing up my coursework I travelled to Nettlecombe which is situated In Somerset. Nettlecombe Court lies in a secluded valley at the eastern edge of Exmoor National Park. Location of Somerset Figure 1 I will be studying the abundance of a wide variety of plant species on trampled and un-trampled land. These species will include: Creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens L. A native perennial common in damp meadows, pastures and gardens throughout the UK. It is the commonest of the buttercups and is an efficient colonist of areas disturbed by man and a troublesome weed of arable land. Creeping buttercup occurs on a wide range of soils but forms large colonies on wet, heavy land. On ridge and furrows, it often occurs in a band along the bottom of the furrows. It can withstand trampling and compaction and is common in gateways and

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Core PracticalDoes caffeine affect heart rate?)

Core Practical Does caffeine affect heart rate? Introduction: -: Caffeine is the name of an alkaloid present in plants, such as coffee and tea.Caffeine is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream from the gastro-intestinal tract. Throughout the body it increases metabolic rate by around 10%. Caffeine has many metabolic effects. For example, * It stimulates the central nervous system * It releases free fatty acids from adipose (fatty) tissue * It affects the kidneys, increasing urination, which can lead to dehydration * Increase heart beat Hypothesis: - My hypothesis was that the heartbeat of the water flea would increase when placed in a caffeine solution. Method:- * We took a cavity slide and placed some cotton wool on it and then placed a water flea on to the cotton wool two drops of water were added with the help of a pipette. * The cavity slide was placed under a microscope. We used two stop clocks to measure heartbeat of water flea in periods of 15 sec /min. We took five heartbeat readings. * This method was repeated six times each time a solution of caffeine was added. First we added .2%caffieine and placed a filter paper to stop the water evaporating. On the last occasion amount of caffeine that was used was 0.5% solution. No of heartbeats in 15 sec/min .RESULT:- Length of treatment(min) Time(min) 2 4 6 8 10 Treatment Control 43/172 61/244

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The effect of light on plant activities

The effect of light on plant activities In this essay I will look at the different effects that light has on plant activities, in particular the effect it has on the flowering of plants. I will discuss the role of phytochrome in plants and how the two different types are dependant on the length of day. Light affects plant activities in various ways, but in order for these activities to take place, the plant must first have a method of absorbing and then utilizing the light - this is where phytochrome comes into play. Phytochrome is a blue-green pigment that is present in very small amounts throughout the plant, particularly at the growing tips. There are two types: phytochrome red (Pr) and phytochrome far-red (Pfr), with phytochrome red absorbing red light and phytochrome far-red absorbing far-red light. Sunlight contains a lot more red light than far-red light. Therefore, during the day, phytochrome exists in the form Pfr. At night it gradually changes back into the Pr form. Phytochrome is involved in a range of plant responses to light, including the germination of seeds, elongation of seedlings, the size, shape and number of leaves, the synthesis of chlorophyll, and the straightening of the epicotyl or hypocotyl hook of dicot seedlings. In particular, many flowering plants use phytochrome to regulate the time of flowering based on the length of day and night (the

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The effect of temperature on the survival of yeast cells

Biology Planning Exercise - The effect of temperature on the survival of yeast cells Aim: To investigate the lowest temperature that kills all the yeast cells in a sample of yeast. Scientific Background Enzymes tend to work best at an optimum temperature (the temperature at which the reaction is most rapid) which varies depending on the enzyme and the conditions it requires. The general rule for enzymes is the higher the temperature the faster the reaction. However this is only up until a certain point where the enzyme begins to denature. An enzyme denatures when the temperature is above the optimum temperature for the enzyme and it begins to vibrate violently so all the bonds which make up the tertiary structure of an enzyme break therefore changing the shape of the enzyme making it unable to function. (The enzyme which catalyses this reaction is dehydrogenase) Enzyme performance depends on the active site, an area on the enzyme molecule in which the substrate fits into. This is what makes enzymes very specific as each enzyme only catalyses one reaction. Enzymes are tertiary globular proteins and their structure is held together by different types of bonds the strongest; the disulphide bridge which forms when two sulphur containing cysteine residues react together. Hydrogen bonds are also present in enzyme structure which bind the substrate to the active site and are

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How does the Variety of plant species change between grassland and woodland?

How does the Variety of plant species change between grassland and woodland? Variation in plant species was investigated in grassland and woodland at Barrow house Derwentwater. It was predicted that there would be a higher variety of plants in the woodland. Random quadrats were taken in grassland area and in a woodland area. A significant difference was found in the variety of plants. It was found that there was a larger variety in the woodland than in the Grassland. 0/21/2010 How does the Variety of plant species change between grassland and Woodland? This investigation will focus on the variety of plant species. The purpose of this investigation will be to investigate the link between distribution of organisms and biotic/abiotic factors. There are approximately 1,500 species of native wild plants (excluding mosses, lichens and algae) in the British Isles and Ireland. This includes shrubs, grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, horsetails and flowers. A native species is one which: * naturally grows in the wild and has not been planted or deliberately introduced by people * Has not been selectively bred or cultivated. Non-native (introduced) species are also found in the countryside but I expect that most of the species I find will be native. I expect that there will be different species of plants growing in the different areas, these might include; P. lanceolata is a

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An Experiment to Show the Rate of Respiration In a Locust.

An Experiment to Show the Rate of Respiration In a Locust Aim The rate of respiration in an organism can be determined either by measuring the volume of oxygen taken in, or the volume of carbon dioxide produced. The aim of this experiment was to determine the rate of respiration of a locust using an instrument called a respirometer. Method * The respirometer consisted of 2 equal chambers- an experimental one containing the respiring organism, and a control one, containing an equal volume of non-respiring material (in this case a marble). * The 2 chambers were connected by a U-shaped manometer tube that had a diameter of 1mm, containing a coloured fluid (manometer fluid)- this differential respirometer ensured that any fluctuations in temperature or pressure affected both sides of the manometer equally and so they cancel each other out. * An equal volume of some soda lime (a carbon dioxide absorbing material) was added to each chamber. * I then left the apparatus in a water bath filled with water of approximately 32 degrees for about 5 minutes to allow it to reach the desired temperature. * I left screw clips A and B open at these times to allow air to escape as it expands. * I closed both screw clips after 5 minutes, allowing the experiment to start. * The carbon dioxide given off by the respiration of the locust was absorbed by the soda lime, hence a reduction in

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Pulse Rate-Lab Report

BIOLOGY INVESTIGATION Research Question: What is the effect of physical exercise on Pulse Rate of the human heart? Hypothesis: As the level of physical exercise increases, the pulse rate will also increase. Females will have a higher pulse rate difference compared to that of males, of the same age group. Variables: Independent Variable: Climbing Stairs, Using the treadmill Dependent Variable: Heart Beat Rate Control Variables: The following factors were controlled, or kept the same in this test: -Room temperature: In the gym: 220C ±0.5, On stairs: 250C ±0.5; measured using Thermometer -Time over which subject was under experiment: 2 minutes ±0.5 -Time of the day: Period 3, 10.45-11.45am -Time over which subject was allowed to rest before pulse was measured: 20 seconds ±0.05, this was measured using a stopwatch -Same equipment used to measure pulse rate in order to have standardized results, that is, pulse rate monitor and stop watch, to the accuracy of ±00.5 -Same method used to measure pulse rate -Time over which pulse rate was measured, after exercising: 1 minute ±0.05 -Speed on treadmill: Level 6, was kept constant throughout -Same person for tests -Time for person to rest between trials: 2 minutes ±0.05 Materials Needed: -Thermometer -Stopwatch -Pulse Rate monitor -Recording Sheet -Stairs -Treadmill Procedure for Controlling Variables:

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