Solution Manual for Biology Laboratory Manual, 11th Edition

Preview (16 of 595 Pages)

100%

Purchase to unlock

Solution Manual for Biology Laboratory Manual, 11th Edition - Page 1 preview image

Loading page ...

INVESTIGATIONS IN BIOLOGYThe best way to learn biology is todobiology. There are many ways to do this. For example,throughout this manual you’ll finddirected labsthat use traditional skills and activities (e.g.,how to use a microscope) toimmerse you in the process of biology.Similarly,thematic labswillinvolve you in discovering the themes of biology (e.g., evolution, ecology). These activities willhelp you experience the biology you have learned from lectures, your textbook, and this manual.We also want you to design your own experiments so that you can learn biologyyourway. Theseactivities, which are part of every lab, areinvestigative labs. Some of these investigations areindependent activities, whereas others are extensions of topics studied in directed labs andthematic labs. In investigative labs, you’ll apply the skills you’ve learned to answer your ownquestions about biology. In doing so, you’ll be challenged to create and developyourway ofanswering scientific questions.Investigations in biology often go far beyond simply followingthe steps of the scientific method.Indeed, investigation is a broad pursuit that includesobservations, experiments, analysis of the work of others, reliable procedures, and repetition.It’s more of an approach to answering questions than it is a set of rigid procedures. Althoughinvestigation doesn’t have to be complicated, it does require creativity, planning, patience, andattention to detail.Investigations proceed along a variety of paths, depending on the investigatorand the question being asked. But the steps we’ve described below can improve anyinvestigation, including those suggested in this lab manual.Establish a clear question.Investigations begin with observationsandquestions. Simple,straightforward questions are usuallythe best.When you’ve decided on your question,write itdown. You will be surprised how much easier it is to recall andrefine a written question than it isto develop a vague idea rattlingaround in your head.Make sure your question is statedclearly.And here's a tip for asking productive questions:Learnas much as you can about what you’reproposing to do. Themore background information you have, the better your questionswill be,and the more likely your results will make sense.Not all questions require controlledexperiments. For example, some investigations are descriptive rather than experimental. Decidewhether your question is best answered with experiments in controlled systems or withobservations in natural systems. You may investigate the impact of pollutants by administeringthem to controlled organisms, or you maychoose to describe observations about a pollutant’seffects in anatural community. Both approaches can lead to interestingand important results.Design a reliable experiment.Outline what you are going todo, and write down the steps ofyour procedure in numericalorder.The most reliable experiments are usually the simplestones.Complicated procedures are often hard to repeat and areprone to error.Remember that ahallmark of good science isthat it’s repeatable. To keep things simple and repeatable it’sbest—whenever you can—to isolate a single variable and holdall other conditions constant.That wayyou caneasily repeatyour experiment and refine your ability to reliably measure themostimportant variable.Simple, reliable procedures also make it easier to establishappropriatecontrols. If all conditions surrounding your experimentexcept one variable are held constant,then it is relativelyeasy to design a good control. A good control is areplicate procedure withthe variable of interest either heldconstant or absent. For example, if you want to detect theeffectsof a pollutant on plant growth, then you need a controlwith the same growth conditionsas the pollutant treatments,but without the pollutant you are studying.Another good tip for

Preview Mode

This document has 595 pages. Sign in to access the full document!

Report

Study Now!

Document Details

Related Documents

Amoeba Sisters Video Recap of Meiosis

Calculating GPP and NPP

Endocrine System

AS Biology Paper 1 2024

Kami Export - Sandra Nichols - Bio-Worksheet-Mutat

Cami Salazar Correa Cell Energy Cycle Gizmo

11 Transport in Cells S

Protein Structure

Dihybrid Cross Amoeba Sisters Video Recap

11 Transport in Cells-S (KEY)

Company

Explore

Study Tools