Required practical - Decay, Environmental change, biodiversity, deforestation Flashcards

1
Q

Describe how to investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

Start by labelling a test tube ‘lipase’
Use a pipette to place 5cm^3 of lipase solution into the test tube
Now label another test tube ‘milk’ and add five drops of the indicator Cresol red
Now add 5cm^3 of milk and 7cm^3 of sodium carbonate solution to the milk test tube
At this point, the solution should be purple. That is because sodium carbonate solution is alkaline and cresol red is purple in alkaline conditions
At this point, place a thermometer into the test tube containing the milk,

Now we place both the test tubes into a beaker of water at our first chosen temperature.
Start at 20 degrees celcius which is around room temperature

At this point, we need to wait until the temperature of our solutions is the same as the water in the beaker
Now use a (a calibrated dropping - a dropping pipette with a scale) pipette to transfer 1cm^3 of lipase solution to the test tube containing milk and we stir the solution
At the same time we start a timer

At this point, the enzyme lipase will start to break down (decompose) the fat molecules in the milk. This releases fatty acids and this causes the milk solution to become acidic
In acidic conditions, the indicator cresol red changes to yellow

So once the solution turns yellow, we stop timing and record the results (the timing)

Now we need to repeat the experiment at a range of different temperatures (e.g. 10,30,40 degrees celcius)
Make sure to carry out the experiment three times at each temperature, then calculate the mean time taken for the colour change to occur at each temperature

The independent variable in this experiment is the temperature

The dependent variable is the time taken for the milk solution to turn yellow

The control variables are the volumes of the different solutions

We need to make sure that the volumes of lipase, milk, sodium carbonate solution and cresol red do not change.

Important points
It is very important that we use a clean test tube for the milk solution for each experiment
This is because any traces of lipase from the previous experiment will trigger the reaction before we are ready.
Because we are looking for a change of colour, it can be difficult to decide the exact point to stop the timer. We can reduce the effect of this, by sharing data with other groups and calculating a mean

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2
Q

Explain why it is very important that we use a clean test tube for the milk solution for each experiment

investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

It is very important that we use a clean test tube for the milk solution for each experiment
This is because any traces of lipase from the previous experiment will trigger the reaction before we are ready.

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3
Q

Explain why it may be difficult to decide the exact point to stop the timer in this experiment
And suggest a solution to this.

investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

Because we are looking for a change of colour, it can be difficult to decide the exact point to stop the timer. We can reduce the effect of this, by sharing data with other groups and calculating a mean

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4
Q

Independent variable of experiment

investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

The independent variable in this experiment is the temperature

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5
Q

Dependent variable of experiment
investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

The dependent variable is the time taken for the milk solution to turn yellow

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6
Q

What are the control variables of the experiment
investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

The control variables are the volumes of the different solutions
We need to make sure that the volumes of lipase, milk, sodium carbonate solution and cresol red do not change.

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7
Q

state the problem with this experiment
and the possible solution

Describe how to investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

Decay is a very slow process so it is very hard to observe that in a lesson.

Solution: To get around that problem, we are going to model decay by using the enzyme lipase. So what we will be looking at is not strictly decay but it should give results that approximate to what we would see with decay

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8
Q

if milk is left at room temperature for a few days what happens to it. And why?

A

if milk is left at room temperature, then after a couple of days it goes sour
That is because bacteria in the milk start the decay process

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9
Q

why does sour milk taste acidic

A

milk becomes sour because bacteria in the milk start the decay process

These bacteria use enzymes to produce acidic molecules and that is why sour milk tastes acidic

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10
Q

draw a graph for this experiment
investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

A

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRl-4DVCMxx7pAujXyWnM2fT64xeJASp7CHuxUTKfQRnb3Rm2FJ

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11
Q

Explain results of this graph

investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring the pH change

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRl-4DVCMxx7pAujXyWnM2fT64xeJASp7CHuxUTKfQRnb3Rm2FJ

A

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRl-4DVCMxx7pAujXyWnM2fT64xeJASp7CHuxUTKfQRnb3Rm2FJ

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJ4gIK_ftj4E7csgxa883FPLRPqZkOJ–hSBc8LU2Fh3eYXDWO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeH5FUKSPzU&list=PL9IouNCPbCxVuf3dVIq6kHQ0b27Hu-fgW&index=11
time: 4:01

At low temperatures, the reaction is slow
That is because enzymes work slowly at lower temperatures

At a certain temperature the reaction is taking place at its fastest rate
This is the optimum temperature

In conditions which are warmer than the optimum temperature, the reaction slows down and it might even stop completely
That is because the enzyme denatures at higher temperatures

In terms of decay, decomposing microorganisms work faster in warm conditions but not in hot conditions
This is because their enzymes denature when the temperature is too high

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12
Q

Another method is…

1.Place 20 cm3 of fresh milk into three beakers
2.Decide the three temperatures you will investigate. Write these onto the sides of the beakers. They may be 5, 20 and 35°C.
3.Use universal indicator paper or solution to determine the pH of the milk in the three beakers
4.Cover each beaker in cling film and incubate at the appropriate temperature
5.Use universal indicator paper or solution to determine the pH of the milk in the three beakers after 24, 48 and 72 hours

 0 hours	          24hr               48hr           72hr  5°C	     6.5	          6.4	                  6.4	              6.0 20°C    6.5	          6.1	                  5.5	              4.8 35°C    6.5	          5.1	                  4.8               4.8

pH

What conclusions can you draw from this data

A

At 5°C the pH of the milk reduced the least [1 mark].

This suggests that the least decay has occurred at this temperature [1 mark].

The milk incubated at 20°C and 35°C both reduced to pH 4.8 [1 mark].

This suggests that the decay after 72 hours is similar at these temperatures [1 mark].

However, the reduction in pH occurs much quicker at 35°C [1 mark]

. The pH reaches its lowest after 48 hours not 72 hours as is the case with the milk incubated at 20°C.

These results show the decay of milk occurs quickest at 35°C [1 mark] and then stops.

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13
Q

Another method is…

1.Place 20 cm3 of fresh milk into three beakers
2.Decide the three temperatures you will investigate. Write these onto the sides of the beakers. They may be 5, 20 and 35°C.
3.Use universal indicator paper or solution to determine the pH of the milk in the three beakers
4.Cover each beaker in cling film and incubate at the appropriate temperature
5.Use universal indicator paper or solution to determine the pH of the milk in the three beakers after 24, 48 and 72 hours

 0 hours	          24hr               48hr           72hr  5°C	     6.5	          6.4	                  6.4	              6.0 20°C    6.5	          6.1	                  5.5	              4.8 35°C    6.5	          5.1	                  4.8               4.8

pH

What limitations might there be in drawing these conclusions

A

The students did not take repeat readings to look for concordant results. They could be more confident in their conclusions if they took repeat readings.

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14
Q

Another method is…

1.Place 20 cm3 of fresh milk into three beakers
2.Decide the three temperatures you will investigate. Write these onto the sides of the beakers. They may be 5, 20 and 35°C.
3.Use universal indicator paper or solution to determine the pH of the milk in the three beakers
4.Cover each beaker in cling film and incubate at the appropriate temperature
5.Use universal indicator paper or solution to determine the pH of the milk in the three beakers after 24, 48 and 72 hours

 0 hours	          24hr               48hr           72hr  5°C	     6.5	          6.4	                  6.4	              6.0 20°C    6.5	          6.1	                  5.5	              4.8 35°C    6.5	          5.1	                  4.8               4.8

pH

How would you modify the procedure described above to find out if skimmed milk decayed less quickly than fresh milk

A

Use similar quantities of fresh and skimmed milk but keep both samples at 35°C. The pH of the milk would need to be measured at the start, and after 24 and 48 hours, but not 72 hours.

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15
Q

Evaluate the impact/the effect of environmental change on the distribution of a species

A
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16
Q

What can affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem

A

Environmental changes affect the distribution of species in an
ecosystem. These changes include:
* temperature
* availability of water
* composition of atmospheric gases

17
Q

What does the distribution of a species depend on

A

The distribution of a species can depend on a number of different abiotic (or non-living) factors e.g. temperature, the availability of water, and the composition of gases in the atmosphere

18
Q

Examples/TYPES of these environmental changes which may affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem

A

The changes may be DUE TO/CAUSED BY :
seasonal, geographic or caused by human
interaction.

19
Q

FUNCTION OF LARGE EARS FOR DESERT FOX

A

These increase the surface area of the fox allowing it to lose heat more easily

20
Q

FUNCTION OF SMALL EARS FOR ARCTIC FOX

A

Arctic fox - adapted to live in the extremely cold conditions around the arctic circle
Has small ears - reduce the surface area of the fox, which means less heat is lost to the air

21
Q

What is meant by biodiversity

A

The variety of all of the different species of organisms on earth is called biodiversity

22
Q

Importance of biodiversity for ecosystems

A

A great biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems by reducing
the dependence of one species on another for food, shelter and the
maintenance of the physical environment (e.g. decomposers break down the remains of dead organisms).

Different species help to maintain the right physical environment for each other

dependence - if the population of a species falls, it is less likely to affect the whole ecosystem

23
Q

What does a high level of diversity mean

A

A high level of biodiversity means that there are lots of different species

24
Q

What is the effect of a high level of diversity

A

This makes an ecosystem more stable

25
Q

reasons for deforestation

A
  • provide land for cattle and rice fields
  • grow crops which are then used to make biofuels.
26
Q

how is deforestation affecting biodiversity

A

Tropical forests contain a very rich biodiversity
However, large areas of these forests are being destroyed to provide land

27
Q

what does the future of the human species on earth rely on

A

The future of the human species on Earth relies on us maintaining
a good level of biodiversity. Many human activities are reducing
biodiversity and only recently have measures been taken to try to stop
this reduction.

humans are having a negative effect on biodiversity