Speciation: An Evolutionary Process – In-Person Lab
Scroll below for In-Person lab
Speciation – The evolutionary process in which new biological species arise.
PRE-LAB
- Read the whole lab unit before coming to lab.
- General Background Information
- View the Hybridized Honeybees Presentation.
- Activity 1 – Procedure II: Micropipetting and gel electrophoresis
- View the following video and animation (make sure to review the lab manual, pp. 38-40):
Gel Electrophoresis – animation - Loading an Agarose Gel – tips for loading gels and what not to do.
- Instructions for loading an agarose gel – video (mixing the same is not as important with our samples)
- View the following video and animation (make sure to review the lab manual, pp. 38-40):
- Speciation – Additional good information on Species and Speciation
The Roles of different bees
IN-LAB
Morphological Characteristics – Activity 1 – Procedure-I:
- Working in the lab this week, each Table will get a notebook containing 36 Bee wing pictures. The pictures in each notebook at the 6 different lab tables are different from one another. Two tables of students will assess the bees from one hive in order to determine if the bees in that hive have been hybridized and/or taken over by Africa bees. Why would this be problematic for a beekeeper?
Bee Wing Picture Assignments:
Hive 1 – Group 1 Hive 1 – Group 2 Hive 2 – Group 3 Hive 2 – Group 4 Hive 3 – Group 5 Hive 3 – Group 6 - Use the provided metric ruler (cm/mm) on your lab table.
- Study the provided wing diagram in the notebook or lab manual to see how to position the ruler parallel to the wing length to determine the length from the notch near the joint to the longest point on the flattened wing. Do not angle the ruler to connect the notch to the longest part of the wing. You may need to rotate some of the images for ease of measuring.
- Video on how to measure the bee wing images in lab. Use the provided yellow ruler at your lab table.
- As a group, divide the wings to measure evenly between each student in your group. If you have 4 group members, each person should measure 9 different wings. There are 12 Known African wings, 12 Known European wings, and 12 Unknown Wings. You will be comparing the length of unknown wings to the other two groups of known bees.
- Record your group data and calculate the average wing lengths in the provided Bee Wing Length Graphing Template in your Table Google folder.
- Graph the data. Use the provided Bee Wing Length Graphing Excel or Google Sheet in your Group folder or on one of the lab computers. Excel Template.
- Video on entering data in the Graphing Google Sheet. The video refers to using an Excel template, but we found the transfer of the Excel sheet to work on in Google sheets does not keep all the settings in our template. Entering the data in the the provided Google Sheet template is the same.
Molecular Characteristics:
In lab we will run DNA Electrophoresis using samples of mtDNA from bees found in your assigned hive.
Equipment:
The Electrophoretic Process – How DNA Electrophoresis works
Gel Electrophoresis Simulation
Each student should take a picture of their stained gel to include towards the end of your Lab Handout or you may sketch the results in the gel diagram.
Compare your morphological data with the corresponding mtDNA analysis.
As a group, be prepared to present your findings to the class. Include the following:
- What can you conclude about the bees in your hive? Show your group graph. Explain your supporting evidence. How do your results (graph) compare with the other group investigating this hive?
- What course of action would you suggest to the Beekeeper of this hive?
- What economic implications are at stake, which make appropriate hive management so important?
POST-LAB
Post Lab Individual Work
Complete this attached End of Unit Questions Handout found here. Upload your work into Moodle by the End of Lab or up to 24 hours after the start of your lab section this week.
Plant and Vertebrate Scavenger Hunt
Click on this box to link to further background information supporting Plant and Vertebrate Scavenger Biodiversity.
Due by the start of your next In Person Lab Unit 7 Fungi & Invertebrates.
Continuation of your Semester Group Ecology Project: (Fall)
Ecology Group Work Week 2
Click to access Unit 4.1 information about the Ecology Group Presentation.
Use the feedback on your group’s Benchmark #2 to construct your group’s presentation, but do not add any narration yet.
Coomplete all work within your group’s Google folder AND email 1 copy to your TA by Friday 11:59PM of Ecology Work Week 2. Late presentations will not be reviewed.
You will need to add narration when submitting the Final Presentation in Moodle.
Bee Background Information:
- Africanized Honey Bees: Prevention and Control
- Africanized Honey Bees Some Questions and Answers (NC State Extension)
- The African Honey Bee – 3 newsletter papers
- Effects of Non-Native Managed Honey Bees on Native Bee Populations – new study!
- Host-Shifts & Honey Bees: Lessons from COVID-19
- Article that models possible Hybrid honeybee spread based on habitat in the US (2014).
Speciation Information:
Giraffe Genetic Secrets: Four Species of Tallest Mammal Identified