Lab
Page
CURRENT/MOST RECENT
* Not all
laboratory assignments have items posted on this page.
We do many labs and only a select few usually end up posted here.
Gel Electrophoresis Lab
Above is a good representation of the results this lab usually yields.
In each of the first three lanes, notice
the individual colored bands (red, yellow, and blue respectively). I have
provided lines (the same color of
each band in lanes 1-3) to show the furthest distance each band traveled.
Lanes 4-6 each contain the
unknown mixtures (A, B, & C respectively). The unknown mixtures each
contain 2-3 of the known dyes.
In lane 4, unknown Mixture A contained all three dyes. Unknown mixtures B
& C (lanes 5 & 6 respectively)
each contained two of the known dyes. Although two of the bands did not
separate fully in lanes 4 & 5
(unknown mixtures A & B), you can use the colored lines I provided to infer
the furthest point traveled by
each of the different colored bands.
A metric ruler is provided at the left of the gel. Measurements should be
in millimeters.
(Known
dye #1 traveled 26 mm)
PAST
Caterpillar Inquiry
Lab 2005
For this lab, students were placed into groups and given a caterpillar egg. It was the first "lab specimen" they viewed using the stereomicroscopes. In just a few days, caterpillars emerged from the eggs and the students observed their development through the larval/catepillar stage to pupa stage and, in half of the groups, to the adult/butterfly stage (the other half seems to be "overwintering"). The students were given very few instructions as far as how to collect data. My only requirement (besides careful handling and proper care) was that they draw at least one picture of their specimen every class day. The students were able to decide on their data collection method and format, etc. Just glancing around during lab time I saw many wonderful drawings and observations! I had always wanted to try to do a caterpillar/butterfly lab in the spring. But by the time eggs are being deposited, school is almost out or sometimes already over. This fall, I had an unexpected and large amount of eggs deposited on the "host plants" I am using for my Entomology graduate research project. The eggs had to be removed from my research plants and I decided to take them in for the students to see. At first, I was a little uneasy about just giving the students the eggs and saying "do something" with these, with no real structure. It has turned out to be a WONDERFUL decision and a great learning experience for me, too. The students really liked watching the caterpillars grow and the lab had (and still has) them asking a lot of questions -- and that's exactly where science (and learning) begins!
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These
little "guys" had me quite busy on Friday evening and Saturday morning
since they all decided to emerge at about the same time and on the weekend! I wanted
you to be able to see how they looked right after they emerged from their
eggs. I did my best with the pictures and some are better than others. I tried to take
an overall and a close-up shot of each, but some didn't come out well and are not included. Please take a look at other groups' caterpillars, as well
as your
own. I especially like Black
group # 5's picture that shows the empty egg
shell and #4
appears to be emerging from its egg (or has just emerged and is eating the egg
shell?). Do you know what the egg's outer covering is made out of? For
2 pts added on to your lab, let me
know the answer via E-mail (a
link is provided at the bottom of this page).
I also like the picture of Red
group #4 which shows
the caterpillar chewing on the leaf (see the chewed pieces?).
* For a closer, more detailed view of each picture, click on its thumbnail.
Emerged on Sept. 23, 2005
Black Group (Blocks 2A & 4B)
1
1
4
4
5
5
6
6
*notice the empty egg shell
Blue Group (Blocks 3A & 4B)
1
1
2
2
Red Group (Blocks 1B & 2B)
1
1
3
3
4
4
6
6
*notice the piece of
chewed leaf in #4's close-up
8
8
Emerged
on Sept. 24,2005 .JPG)
Black Group (Blocks 2A & 4B)
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.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
2
3
8
8
Blue Group (Blocks 3A & 4B)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Did not Emerged
.JPG)
7,
5,
2 2
* Were replaced
with a small larvae that had already hatched.
* Because I began taking pictures to capture what the students were not able to see (outside of class time), I did not take any pictures in the interim between the larvae hatching and the adults emerging from their pupal stages. Here are a few pictures of swallowtail caterpillars I have taken over the years. On their data sheets, the students do have drawings that document the growth of the caterpillars until they entered the pupal stage (chrysalis).
Look at
those
What they look like right
chew
marks!
before forming pupa (chrysalis)
#A2 from my Research Project
Sept.17
Sept.
20
Sept. 21
Sept. 23
Sept.
25
Sept.
26
Oct. 02
Ovipositing (egg
laying) female
IT'S
A... Black Swallowtail Butterfly!
Eclosed (emerged from
Chrysalis) on Oct. 20, 2005
7
7
IT'S A... Black Swallowtail Butterfly!
Eclosed (emerged from Chrysalis) on Oct. 22, 2005
7 ready to emerge
7 EMERGING!
7 before
spreading wings
#7 was not photographed
as an egg because it had already
emerged when the students adopted it for study.
IT'S A... Black Swallowtail Butterfly!
Eclosed (emerged from
Chrysalis) on Oct. 22 or 23, 2005
5
IT'S A... Black Swallowtail Butterfly!
Eclosed (emerged from
Chrysalis) on Oct. 25 or 26, 2005
6
IT'S A... Black Swallowtail Butterfly!
Eclosed (emerged from Chrysalis) on Oct. 26, 2005
8
8
8
filling
wings
shows colors
with
blood
nicely
IT'S A... Black Swallowtail Butterfly!
Eclosed (emerged from Chrysalis) on Oct. 27, 2005
6
LINK
TO GOOD WEBSITE FOR INFO ON BLACK SWALLOWTAILS!
Please, 
Drop
Me a Note
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