Mitosis Cell Lab Essays - Cell Cycle, Cellular Processes

Mitosis Cell Lab I Mitosis Cell Lab II. Introduction Life exists almost every where on this planet and if we are to attempt to comprehend what life is in all of its magnificence we must look at its simplest forms. Even a cell, the smallest form of life known is extremely complex. All life begins as a single cell. I can not begin to understand the depth of what it takes for one cell to multiply and change until we become conscious of ourselves. There are two types of cell division, Meiosis and Mitosis. Meiosis is where a cell splits and becomes four different cells. Mitosis is the process that allows a cell to split into two identical cells. This happens by having all of the DNA replicate before the cell splits so each has all of the original DNA. My lab shows mitosis in cell reproduction, because I do not have a microscope powerful enough to see the actual process within the nucleus I can not observe the chromosomes actually duplicate and separate. It is powerful enough to allow me to see cells splitting and I can observe the population growth without the aid of tools or instruments. First I began by starting the yeast culture in a bowl. I then removed a sample to observe it using a microscope. All throughout I measured the thickness of the yeast population. These observations combined show that through mitosis cells reproduce. III. Problem The challenge that faces me is how can I demonstrate mitosis or cell reproduction. The reason I have to do this is so that I can actually observe the process as it occurs and not just read or do work sheets about it. Unlike our former labs now we are not in absolute control of the lab. Density is a constant and properties of light are facts that can be stated in words. Life even on the smallest scale, cells, can be unpredictable and uncontrollable. IV. Hypothesis If I put yeast in warm water with sugar and flour then the culture will grow because the cells will reproduce through mitosis. V. Experimental Procedure A. Materials 1. Yeast 2. Warm water 3. Bowl 4. Sugar 5. Glass slide 6. Cover slip 7. Iodine 8. Microscope 9. Plastic wrap B. Procedure 1. Pour 2.5 cups warm water into bowl. 2. Add 3 table spoons of sugar into the water and stir. 3. Add just enough yeast to cover the surface of the water. 4. Stir slowly for a few seconds. 5. Cover with plastic wrap. 6. Every 5 minutes measure the thickness of the layer of yeast up to 1 hour. 7. After 15 minutes add .5 tablespoon sugar and stir again. 8. After another 15 minutes stir and take a small sample of the yeast population. 9. Place the sample on a slide add iodine and place cover slip over sample. 10. Observe under a microscope on all three powers. VI. Data/Results A. Quantitative Graph #1 The thickness of the layer of yeast after time. 4mm 3.5mm 3mm 2.5mm 2mm 1.5mm 1mm .5mm 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 Time in minutes The data set that I studied should resemble an exponential model but because of time constraints I only observed the very beginning of its growth. If I gave the population more time and I continued to add food it would probably have kept reproducing until constraints like space and/or its waste (alcohol and more) began to slow its growth. B. Qualitative When I viewed the yeast under the microscope, the cells appeared average in size relative to the cells we looked for the other cell lab. I do not think I used enough iodine or I should have used a different die because I had a hard time seeing the nucleus. I did see the cells divide but it wasn't in great detail. I couldn't see the chromosomes but I did see the cell divide and blurry unknowns that was probably the nucleus and perhaps other organelles. When I looked at the sample on the lowest power I could easily see the population grow, even though individual cells could not be seen the sample seen never stopped moving. VII. Conclusion The main reason I conducted this lab was to show that mitosis is a process that in which cells reproduce. Personally I think that this is the most helpful lab we have done as