Lab 1: Biotechnology – Control groups, and independent and dependent variables.

Instructions

At least three experiments must be conducted using an appropriate experimental design.   Each experiment should be repeated three times under no, low and high infestation conditions, and the average taken for the values (sum of observations/3).  Record your data on the data table below and answer the lab questions.  This lab exercise/worksheet is valued at a maximum of 40 points.

Prelab Questions (2 points each)

Answer the following four questions with as much detail as possible by entering your response in the box below the question. Please complete these questions before conducting the experiment.

Question 1:  What is the European Cork Borer and why would farmers be concerned if any were present in their corn fields?

Question 2: Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacterium that produces a crystalline poison that is deadly to certain insects.  What is the name of the gene that codes for the protein and how have geneticists used this information to combat infestations caused by this insect?

Question 3:  Given the information provided on page 8 in the “Greenhouse Handbook”, what hypothesis or hypothesis might one consider as a basis for designing this experiment?

Data Analysis (10 points)

Describe the effects of the ECB infestations you used on the various variety of corn. Were all corn varieties equally effective at controlling the ECB?  How do you know? Be specific.

Post Lab Questions (3 points each)

Answer the following four questions with as much detail as possible by entering your response in the box below the question.

Question 5:  BT corn is generally more expensive than the non-BT forms. On the other hand losing an entire crop of corn can also be expensive. Assume there were no ECB infestation in a certain year, would a farmer gain or lose financially by deciding to use BT corn? Explain.