I am going to investigate respiration in crickets and how temperature varies the rate of respiration.
Planning I am going to investigate respiration in crickets and how temperature varies the rate of respiration. The calculation for aerobic respiration is: Oxygen + Glucose Carbon dioxide + water + energy 6O2 + C6H12O6 6CO2 +6H2O + (J) I will do the experiment safely by making sure that the water will not be too hot or too cold, this is a safety precaution for me as well as the crickets. As we don't want to cause the crickets too much distress or pain. It will be a fair test and accurate because I will: * Use the same crickets * Same mass of crickets * Let the crickets return to room temperature * Reset the measuring device after each experiment * Do each experiment 3 times to get an average I predict that the lower the temperature the lower the rate of respiration. Equipment list: * 2 beakers- a lager one that will hold the different temperatures of water, a smaller one to hold the ink marker. * Crickets- to test on * Bung- containing delivery tube and waste (reset) tube * Ink- to mark distance on the scale * Delivery tube with scale on- to mark distance * CO2 remover- to remove the CO2 * Excess tube for reset. I will measure the amount of oxygen used by the crickets by measuring how far the ink marker has traveled up the scale, the rate of respiration at different temperatures and conditions. The variables that affect the rate of
Costs of Cigarette Smoking on Human Health
'The costs of cigarette smoking on human health' Nicotine is an addictive drug. When you smoke a cigarette, your body responds immediately to the chemical nicotine in the smoke. Nicotine can cause a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate and the flow of blood from the heart. It also causes the arteries to narrow. Smoke includes carbon monoxide, which reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. This creates an imbalance between the need for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood can supply to the body. The effect of smoking on human health is something which has been highly studied over the recent years. Each year, more and more people are trying to quit due to the recent restrictions brought in on smoking in public (June 2007) however only 5% of nicotine addicts manage to "quit" (How Drugs Work 2nd Edition by Hugh McGavock). More research is being done looking at the effects smoking can have on smokers and the people around them. It is estimated around 111 000 people in the UK die every year due to smoking. (A New Introduction to Human Biology by Indge, Rowland and Baker). Smoking can also contribute to death through lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema. I know smoking can cause a number of diseases, the main one being cancer. Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer in the world, and accounts for one in four UK cancer deaths
The effects and importance of the carbon and nitrogen cycle
Effects and importance of the carbon and nitrogen cycle Carbon is the basis of all life. It is the backbone of organic matter whereby other elements can bond to it to form complex specialised polymers used in the functioning of organisms. The two most important features of carbon is that it has a valence of four allowing it to bond to other life essential elements and that the energy input required to make and break bonds is at a level where molecules and complex organic polymers can form. The composition of dietary nutrients like Lipids, proteins and carbohydrates all contain the element of carbon. And so through does the enzymes required to act upon and digest them. It is because of carbon's ability to bond to other elements like oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen that this can happen. As each individual carbon atom has the ability to hold eight electrons in its outer shell it can form four other bonds with four other elements. Carbon can also form bonds with itself and as well as single bonds it can also make double bonds with other elements. This allows carbon to form a variety of compounds all differing in sizes and shapes such as cellulose, keratin, chitin and other vital polysaccharides as well as being a fundamental element in all forms of organic matter. This shows the linkages that relies on carbon in cellulose, a major component in the structure of a plant.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering has been a major topic of discussion ever since 'Dolly' the sleep was cloned. Its raises ethical, moral and religious questions due to the fact it is tampering with the makeup of organisms, and certain religions believe it is not our right to do this. Genetic engineering involves the re-arranging of DNA sequences, artificial horizontal gene transfer and cloning. There has been little progress in the re-arranging of genes in the last several years, due to the complexity of the problem, as there is no technique developed to analyse the sequence of DNA quickly. The analysis of E-coli DNA sequence took 12 years! Artificial horizontal gene transfer is a method of gene transfer between different species. Scientists transfer some known 'small' genes to another species to improve their functions. There are many unknown factors of this, as well as a low success rate, so very few products exist. As for cloning, the only clone is 'Dolly' the sheep, who was genetically duplicated from a complete set of adult chromosomes. Scientists have been unable to repeat the experiment, so many of them question its validity. There are advantages to genetic engineering; despite the fact we are more informed of its possible dangers. These advantages are mainly known in the advantages of genetically modified crops (or GM
The Role of Lipids In Living Organisms
The Role of Lipids in Living Organisms Lipids can be defined as "a group of substances that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, as do carbohydrates, but in lipids the proportion of oxygen is much less."(1) They are also defined as "hydrophobic (insoluble in water) yet are soluble in organic solvents like ethanol, chloroform and ether"(2). Lipids are a diverse group of organic compounds and so can be classified as: . "Simple lipids, the animal fats, the vegetable oils and the waxes 2. Complex lipids 3. Phospholipids and related compounds 4. Steroids"(2) "Tryglycerols are formed by a condensation reaction that takes place between glycerol (an alcohol) and monocarboxylic acids (fatty acids)" The result of this reaction gives rise to a molecule of triglycerol and is used by living organisms as a source of energy store. When broken down lipids in the form of tryglycerols yield "38 kJg-1 of energy which is twice as much as the amount of energy that carbohydrates yield, 17kJg-1"(3). Another reason for using lipids as an energy store as oppose to carbohydrates is that lipids are more compact and insoluble in water. They are more compact because lipids, "tend to be only minimally hydrated and, in turn, clumps of lipids (hydrophobically excluded) take up even less volume (and mass) than storage carbohydrates"(4) The role of tryglycerols goes beyond energy storage. Tryglycerols,
Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction
Target Audience: AS level Biology students. Purpose: for gaining a better understanding of the concepts of captive breeding and reintroduction. First biological issue (Major): Captive Breeding (including genetics and inbreeding) Pg1-3 Second biological issue (Minor): Reintroduction (inc. Hibernation as a biological process) Pg3-5 Word count: 1955 excluding figures and bibliography. Wildwood Wildwood Trust is a project situated on the edge of the Forest of Blean, in Kent. Wildwood's aim is to use the facilities in the woodland and animal collection to 'support practical conservation projects in the wild.' There are over three hundred animals, many of which are endangered, taking part in conservation projects, and living in semi natural enclosures. The woodland is managed by coppice rotation, a process that takes place every 20 years where trees such as silver birch and sweet chestnut are cut to ground level and then shoots allowed to regrow. This is an essential habitat for the hazel dormouse. The wood is a centre for captive breeding and reintroduction for native endangered species such as hazel dormice and this example will be used in this report to explain these issues. The Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) The Hazel Dormouse is native to the countryside of Britain, predominantly southern England (see figure 2), living in woodland areas and environments
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease caused by a mutation in a gene responsible for producing a protein called "cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator" (CFTR). Most people have 2 genes which produce this protein, but only one is needed to prevent the disease. This means that CF is "autosomal recessive", meaning that a person with the disease has a mutation in both CFTR (one mutated gene from each parent). Someone with one mutated gene and one normal gene is a carrier. Carriers do not show the symptoms of CF, as they have one working gene, but they may pass a copy of the defective gene onto their children. The CFTR gene is responsible for producing the CFTR protein, which allows Cl- ions to diffuse out of cells in water regulation. If the gene in the DNA is mutated, the mRNA produced in transcription will code for the wrong sequence of amino acids, so the protein made by the mRNA in translation will be the wrong shape, and therefore will not function correctly. This diagram shows the normal situation, where there is too much water in the mucus (outside the apical end of the cell). The sodium pump moves Na+ ions out of the cell, into the tissue fluid outside the basal end of the cell. The Na+ channel allows sodium ions to diffuse into the cell to replace those lost, causing a more negative water potential in the cell, so water moves out of the mucus
Comparison and Evaluation Of Energy Sources
Comparison and Evaluation Of Energy Sources Compare and contrast particular advantages and disadvantages of using different energy sources to generate electricity At this point in time there are four options being considered to produce power for us instead of the two standard methods. Firstly, however, lets look at those two conventional means of producing power: In the United Kingdom, the method used most widely is by burning fossil fuels. 70% of the electricity for the United Kingdom is produced by 70 coal fire power stations. The fossil fuel, coal, is burnt in a large furnace, and the boiling tube is placed above it. From this comes steam and water vapour which then powers the turbines, producing alternating current. The rotor, made of large electromagnets, turns at a speed of 3000 revolutions per minute. And then electricity is produced at 22000V, whilst the steam is sent to the cooling tower. But there is a great waste. Using trains and diggers to transport different materials around wastes energy, whilst more is lost in the form of heat energy when the steam is sent to the cooling towers. There are also great environmental costs that are paid as it releases poisonous gases: carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. For the same amount of energy released, coal produces more carbon dioxide than oil, which produces more carbon dioxide than natural gas. There is no
The use of recombinant technology can only benefit humans. Discuss.
The use of recombinant technology can only benefit humans. Discuss. Recombination is a way in which meiosis produces new combinations of genetic information. During synapsis, chromatids may exchange parts with other chromatids, leading to a physical exchange of chromosome parts; thus, genes from both parents may be combined on the same chromosome, creating a new combination. Recombinant DNA technology is a series of techniques in which DNA fragments are linked to self-replicating forms of DNA to create recombinant DNA molecules. These molecules in turn are replicated in a host cell to create clones of the inserted segments. I think that recombinant technology only benefits humans as it allows us much greater control over genetic manipulation, which we can then use to our advantage. Indge, Rowland and Baker (2000) summarises some of the ways that recombinant technology has been beneficial to humans; > Genetically engineered micro organisms- large amounts of insulin and human growth hormone can be produced cheaply. > Genetically modified plants- Desirable plants can be transferred from an organism to a crop plant. > Genetically modified animals- human proteins such as haemoglobin and blood-clotting factors, are already produced in the milk of transgenic cows, goats and sheep. > Human gene therapy- gene therapy involves inserting a 'normal' gene into an organism's body to
Genetic engineering.
Genetic engineering The use of various methods to manipulate the DNA (genetic material) of cells to change hereditary traits or produce biological products. The techniques include the use of hybridomas (hybrids of rapidly multiplying cancer cells and of cells that make a desired antibody) to make monoclonal antibodies - an antibody that is mass produced in the laboratory from a single clone and that recognizes only one antigen, gene splicing or recombinant DNA, in which the DNA of a desired gene is inserted into the DNA of a bacterium, which then reproduces itself, yielding more of the desired gene; and polymerase chain reaction - laboratory process in which a particular DNA segment from a mixture of DNA chains is rapidly replicated, producing a large, readily analyzed sample of a piece of DNA which makes perfect copies of DNA fragments and is used in DNA fingerprinting - any of several similar techniques for analyzing and comparing DNA from separate sources, used especially in law enforcement to identify suspects from hair, blood, semen, or other biological materials found at the scene of a violent crime. It depends on the fact that no two people, save identical twins, have exactly the same DNA sequence, and that although only limited segments of a person's DNA are scrutinized in the procedure, those segments will be statistically unique. Genetically engineered products
