Paramecium Lab

Paramecium Lab

Live Classroom 11/11

• Demonstrate how competition for natural resources in the environment can affect population growth.

  
  

• Explain how availability of resources, such as food, can be limiting for populations.

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Objectives

• Live in freshwater environments

• They need food, water, and space to grow at their rapid pace.

• The carrying capacity is the greatest number of individuals a given environment can hold.

• Competition for resources among members of a population places limits on population size.

About Paramecium and Competition

Open Ended

Make a hypothesis about how you think the two species of Paramecium will grow alone and how they will grow when they are grown together. After you make your hypothesis, click the link below to start the lab!

https://nt7-mhe-complex-assets.mheducation.com/nt7-mhe-complex-assets/9-12_SciMar-20-2018/Biology/BL_04/index.html

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Draw

Use the table to record the number of cells of each type of paramecium each day.

Note: The well in the microscope slide holds 0.5 mL. You need to double the number of cells you counted or estimated to get the concentration per milliliter.

Multiple Choice

What role does the rice play in the test tubes during the experiment?

• The rice is food for the scientist.

• The rice is food for bacteria - which is food for the paramecium.

• The rice soaks up the extra liquid in the test tube.

• The rice is a home for the paramecium to live in.

Multiple Choice

What kind of data is recorded in the Table during the experiment?

• Quantitative Data

• Qualitative Data

Open Ended

How does competition for resources between Paramecium aurelia and Paramecium caudatum affect their population growth?

Draw

Draw the paramecium from the lab.

Use slide 3 on day 16 and label the two different species of paramecium you see.

Poll

Was your hypothesis correct?

• Yes, I guess correctly

• No, I learned something new.

• I'm lost

Open Ended

What did you learn from today's lab?