Lab 1 Worksheet: Dependent and Independent Variables

Student instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions for this exercise found on the worksheet below and in the virtual lab and record your answers in the spaces below. Submit this completed document by the assignment due date found in the Syllabus. Please make sure that your answers are typed in RED. Please type your Name and Student ID Number here: Keith Jones / Student ID: 4173049 Directions 1. Open the virtual lab titled Dependent and Independent Variables. 2. The screen will display the virtual lab simulation on the right side, and a Questions column on the left side. 3. Read all information in the Greenhouse Handbook. To open the handbook, click on Greenhouse Handbook on the shelf above the growth chamber in the lab simulation. 4. Read all background information and instructions in the Questions column. 5. If you come upon terms that are unfamiliar to you, please refer to your textbook for further explanation or search the word here: http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx 6. Answer Lab Questions 1-5 below. 7. Follow the procedure below to complete the lab experiment. There are four seed varieties: two transgenic varietiesBT 123 and BT 456and two non-transgenic varietiesGolden Crop and Super Harvest. You must gather data for all four varieties at levels of no infestation, low infestation, and high infestation. You may need to reset the simulation several times to see and select each of the four varieties. Record all of your data in Tables 1 and 2 below. Procedure

1. Click and drag a seed variety chambers.

to each of the two growth

2. You may choose to plant one or two different types of corn. The seeds will be planted in all three pots and each growth chamber will automatically be labeled. Click on the reset button to choose from other varieties of corn.

3. Click and drag a level of ECB infestation the growth chambers.

to each set of plants in

4. You may choose to have no infestation, a low level of infestation,

or a

high level of infestation for each seed type. The selection will be applied to each plant in the growth chamber and the label will be updated with the information of the level of the ECB treatment. 5. Click on the Grow button. You will see an animation of the calendar indicating the number of days that have passed. At the end of the time period, the chamber doors open and the fully grown plants are evaluated. 6. Click and drag each ear on each of the plants to a separate weighing dish. The yield of kernels from each plant is now on a weighing dish. 7. Drag a weighing dish to the balance to read the weight of the kernels. Record the weight in Table 1 below. Proceed to weigh the kernel yield from each plant. 8. Calculate the average kernel yield from each set of three plants that were grown under identical experimental conditions from the same type of seed. Calculate the Average Yield for each seed variety at each level of infestation. To calculate the Average Yield for one seed variety at one level of infestation use the following formula: Average Yield = (Pot 1 yield + Pot 2 yield + Pot 3 yield)/3 *Round all average yields to the second (hundredth) decimal place. 9. Click the reset button to repeat the experiment by changing the variable of the ECB infestation level and/or seed variety. 10. When all data are recorded in Table 1, calculate the Percent (%) Reduction in Yield for each seed variety. To calculate the Percent (%) Reduction in Yield for one seed variety use the following formula: 2

Percent (%) Reduction in Yield = (avg. yield with no infest. avg. yield with high infest.)/avg. yield with no infest. X 100 *Round all Percent (%) Reduction in Yield values to the second (hundredth) decimal place. Record this data in Table 2 below. 11. Answer Lab Questions 6-12 below. Lab Questions 1. ECB refers to which of the following? a. A genetically engineered plant that is resistant to insect pests b. Edible corn byproducts c. An insect pest that reduces corn yield d. European corn borer e. Both c and d 2. How many days are required for a corn seed to become a mature plant with maximum weight kernels ready to be harvested? a. About 23 b. About 65 c. About 140 d. About 180 3. BT Corn refers to corn that: a. Has been infested with insect pests b. Has been infected with bacteria c. Is resistant to ECB d. Is not affected by pesticides 4. What is BT? a. A stomach poison produced by bacteria. b. A genetically engineered corn product. c. A bacterium carried by the European corn borer. d. A bacterium that has a gene for producing Cry proteins. 5. Creation of BT corn requires genetic material from all of the following except: a. European corn borer b. Bacillus thuringiensis c. a corn plant d. all of the above contribute genetic material to the production of BT corn Table 1: Average Yield (g) for each seed variety at no, low, and high infestation levels 3

Seed Variety BT 123

Level of ECB Infestation None Low High

Pot 1 Yield 160.1 164 155.1 190 178.8 157.3 181.6 177.9 135.4 164.1 159.1 125.5

Pot 2 Yield 164.8 162.6 163 183.2 172.6 157 182.8 171.2 139.6 164.3 155 129

Pot 3 Yield 164.2 168.3 163.9 184.8 179.6 159 189.8 170.6 138.3 161.9 157.5 130

Average Yield 163.03 164.97 160.67 186 177 157.77 184.73 173.23 137.77 163.43 157.20 128.17

BT 456

None Low High

Golden

None Low High

Super Harvest

None Low High

Table 2: % Reduction in yield for each seed variety at high levels of infestation (Transfer data on Average Yield (g) with No Infestation and High Infestation from Table 1 to Table 2) Seed Variety BT 123 BT 456 Golden Super Harvest Avg. Yield with No Infestation 163.03 186 184.73 163.43 Avg. Yield with High Infestation 160.67 157.77 137.77 128.17 % Reduction in Yield 1.45 15.18 25.42 21.57

6. For each seed variety, why did you need to collect data from 3 pots for each infestation level to obtain reliable data? In order to get an average number a larger number of pots needed to be collected 7. Which seed variety has the highest yield under conditions of no infestation? BT 456

8. Which transgenic seed variety was most resistant to the ECB at high infestation levels? BT 123 9. Which non-transgenic seed variety was most resistant to the ECB at high infestation levels? Super Harvest 10. Compare the yield of Super Harvest seeds and BT 123 seeds under conditions of no infestation. Is there any significant difference in the average yield? No significant difference 11. If you compared one pot of Super Harvest and one pot of BT 123 with no infestation, would you expect the yield of each pot to be within 0.5g of the other? Explain your answer. No, the overall results were based on an average of three pots per seed. 12. A farmer decides to plant 90% of one field with BT 123 seeds and the remaining 10% of the field with a different seed variety. He hopes this will slow the evolutionary development of BT resistant insects. Which seed variety should he use to plant the 10% of his field that is not planted with BT 123 seeds? Explain your answer. Golden seed variety should be used because the average yield is higher than the Super Harvest variety