GMM Lesson 1: Pre-Assessment

GMM Lesson 1: Pre-assessment

Model Organisms reading

 Scientists use model organisms because they are easy to breed and maintain, inexpensive, widely available, and have fast life cycles.

Why use Model Organisms:  help us to study inheritance, behavior and living systems  Useful in the study of diseases, research different areas of biology  Study genes in model organisms that have been linked to certain diseases in humans to help find possible treatments  Help scientists discover links between our circadian clock and conditions like obesity, diabetes, depression  Learn about birth defects in humans

Wisconsin Fast Plants (WFP): Why do WFP make good model organisms?

 Grow fast  Have a short life cycle  Grow well under artificial light anywhere, anytime

Zebrafish: Why do zebrafish make good model organisms?

 Small size  Grow quickly  Have a short life cycle  Make a lot of offspring  Embryo’s are in a clear sac so scientists can see all of the growth

GMM Lesson 2 notes: Cells

Basic background notes:

 Cells are the smallest unit of life.

 All living organisms are made up of one or more cells.

 Multicellular organisms are made up many cells arranged side by side or stacked one above another.

 2 types of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic

 All prokaryotes consists of only a single cell. Many protists and yeast are single-celled eukaryotes.

 Prokaryotic cells do not contain a nucleus - this includes all bacteria and archaea  Eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus - (includes all plant, animal, fungus and protists)

 Cells come in all shapes & sizes. Multicellular organisms are made up of many different types of cells. Each cell type is specialized to have specific functions.

Cell Theory: 1. Living things are made up of one or more cells. 2. The cell is the basic unit of structure and function in living things 3. Cells arise from other cells

Discovery of Cells reading:

 Robert Hooke came up with the term “cell” to describe the shape of what he saw after looking at pieces of cork. “Cell” means “small rooms” in Latin.

 Antony van Leeuwenhoek found “little animalcules” or single-celled organisms, in a drop of pond water. (“Organism” defined as a living thing such as a tree, animal or bacterial cell). First to observe red blood cell and sperm cell.

 Henri Dutrochet - Cell were both a structural & physiological unit. Cells were the “fundamental unit of organization” in animals & plants.

 Matthias Schleiden - said that every structural part of a plant was made up of cells.

 Theodor Schwann - stated that all animals are composed of cells.

 Cell’s carry out all the activities that are required for life, such as obtaining food & removing waste.

 Unicellular: single-celled organism

 In unicellular organisms, the one cell performs every process that particular organism needs in order to function (including getting food, removing waste, reproducing…)

 Multicellular: organism made up of many cells

 In multicellular organisms - all the different cells are specialized to do a certain job. The cells work together to keep the organism alive. Measuring specimen on microscope

Size of organism (SOO)= Field of view (FOV) FIT # (number that fit across diameter)

Field of view:  Low 4.5 mm  Medium 1.8 mm  High 0.4 mm

Onion cell vs. Paramecium:

Onion cell is one of many cells while the paramecium was a single cell that was a complete organism.

Introduction to Cell Types reading:

*Both Plant & Animal cells

Nucleus - the control center that regulates all cell activities

Nucleolus - rounded structure inside the nucleus, which creates ribosomes

Mitochondria - powerhouse of the eukaryotic cell - breakdown food and release energy to support cell’s activities

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) - a folded membrane that moves materials around the cell

Ribosomes - these make protiens, receive instructions as to how and when to make proteins from DNA in the nucleus

Golgi bodies - collect the proteins from ribosomes and move them outside of the cell Vacuoles - filled with water, food, or waste and act as the cells storage tanks

Cytoplasm - gel-like fluid that fills the cell

*Animal Cells only :

Lysosomes - only found in animal cells - break down wastes and if a cell dies, these work to break down the cell

*Plant Cell only:

Cell Wall - rigid outer layer which contains cellulose, a tough substance that supports and protects the cell membrane

Chloroplasts - use light energy from the Sun to make sugar (plant’s food) (chemical energy)

Central Vacuole - storage place for water, sugar, starch and protein

Differences between an animal & plant cell

Plant Cells Animal Cells:

 Cell wall - Roundish  Rectangular - Smaller  Larger - Lysosomes  Chloroplasts -Many smaller vacuoles spread throughout  Large Central Vacuoles