LAB TOPIC 1 Scleniic Invesiation 27 Practicing Experimental Design 1. In 2006, a spelunker photographing bats in a cave about 40 miles from Albany, New York, noticed a white powdery substance covering the muzzles of the hibernating bats. Five years later the disease had spread into Canada and to Tennessee and North Carolina, a more than a million bats of six different species. M colonies is 95%, and many biologists fear that in a few years the disease may spread as far as the Pacific Coast. Living and dead bats have a white fungus, identified as Geomyces destructans, on their faces, ears, and wings, and thus the disease is known as “white nose syndrome. In addition to harboring the fungus, infected bats demonstrate aberrant behavior. They may come out of hibernation early and during daylight without insects to eat, they become emaciated or starve to death. Their wings tear easily and lose elasticity. Although it may appear obvious scientists question if G. destructans is the primary cause of death, and they are investigating other explanations. For example, other pathogens (viruses or bacteria) may be the primary infective agents, and the white fungus may be secondary. Scientists also have found that the digestive systems of affected bats have fewer bacteria necessary for the digestiorn of insects. Therefore, less energy is available to them during hiberna- tion. This could result in starvation and increased susceptiblity to the fungus (Zimmerman, 2009). Using the criteria in Lab Study B, Develop- ing Hypotheses, select the hypothesis you would pursue as a scientist and justify your choice and had killed ortality in many bat 2. “Grains of paradise plants grow in the swampy region inhabited by the western lowland gorilla and make up 80-90% of the gorillas’ diet, and are even utilized in constructing their nests each night. Captive lowland gorillas in zoos are not fed grains of paradise, but rather have a complex diet of processed vitamin-rich food plus fruits and vegetables available in the marketplace. Recently, scientists identified potent anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds in grains of paradise that may hold the key to a puzzling question: “Why do western lowland gorillas in zoos have an alarmingly high rate of cardiomyopathy (a type of heart disease)?” Hypothesize about the effect of diet (grains of paradise) on rates of heart disease. Describe a simple preliminary experiment to test your hypoth- esis, and state a prediction. Hypothesis: Experiment:
