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Collection: Microbial Life (MLER) (SERC)
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- Abstract: This Gulf of Maine educational website takes students aboard the submersible Alvin. Classroom activities explore nautical and mythical names, such as the Titanic, instruct students how to make a model of the ocean floor in a shoebox, and introduce topics such as deep sea vents and plate tectonics.
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- Abstract: The material found at this site provides original, multidisciplinary, inquiry-based ideas to help enrich science teaching using the world famous Great Salt Lake as a springboard theme. During the lesson students will have the opportunity to view two types of algae (fresh water and Great Salt Lake species) under 400x magnification with a compound microscope. Students will make observations and record their observations on a recording sheet where they will describe what they see through drawing and words. The students will learn to identify different qualities such as cell structure, movement and other behavioristic qualities of the two different types of algae.
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- Abstract: AlgaeBase is a database of information on algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms. At present, the data for the marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are the most complete. For convenience, we have included the sea-grasses even though they are flowering plants.
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- Abstract: In this lab activity, students will observe the minute animals that live between sand grains. The activity includes a list of materials, procedures, and discussion question. It is supplemented with reference images and a list of species and their phyla, including Gastrotrichicha, Crustacea/Ostracoda, Crustacea/Copepoda/Harpacticoidea, Nematoda, Turbellaria, Nemertina, Archiannelida, Polychaeta, and Oligochaeta.
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- Abstract: This site contains astrobiology news and links about: astrochemistry, bioinformatics, biosatellites, gravitational biology, hydrothermal vent communities, genomics, astropaleobiology, radiation physiology, the search for exterrestrial intelligence (SETI), extremophiles, exopaleontology, cell biology, evolution, planetary protection, and space medicine. There are also links to NASA TV and video feeds, astrobiology press releases, and an introduction to what an astrobiologist is.
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- Abstract: The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) prepared this online handbook on foodborne pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) and natural toxins. Chapters are arranged under the following headings: Pathogenic Bacteria, Enterovirulent Escherichia Coli Group, Parasitic Protozoa and Worms, Viruses, Natural Toxins, Other Pathogenic Agents, and Appendices. The intent of each chapter is to provide basic facts regarding these organisms and toxins including their characteristics, habitat or source, associated foods, infective dose, characteristic disease symptoms, complications, recent and/or major outbreaks, and any susceptible populations. The chapters also contain minimal information on the analytical methods used to detect, isolate, and/or identify the pathogens or natural toxins.
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- Abstract: This on-line collection of exercises can be conducted to illustrate the formation and properties of microbial biofilms. Activities include: A Biofilm Primer, An Interesting Paradox, Build a Biofilm Reactor, Bring 'em Back Alive, Buccal Epithelial Cells & Bacterial Cells: Negative Staining, Buried Slide Technique, Dental Biofilms, Flow Through Gram Stain, Microbial Fishing, Pellicle Formation in a Hay Infusion, Rhizosphere Visualization, Microbial Leaching of Copper Ore, Build a Winogradsky Column, Growth of Dental Plaque in vitro, Biofilms from Soil Crumbs, Vinegar Production and Acetic Acid Titration, Isolation of Azospirillum, Observation of the Formation of Biofilms in a Flowing Environment, Measuring Biofilm Depth.
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- Abstract: This undergraduate activity introduces students to bioinformatics. During the guided activity students will access the National Center for Biotechnology Information's (NCBI) genetic sequence database to obtain and study DNA sequence entries relating to the chicken ovalbumin mRNA and genomic sequences.
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- Abstract: This educational journal article addresses the implementation of bioinformatics in the classroom. The author explains how bioinformatics could play a key role for science students pursuing higher education, foster inquiry learning of content that has often been taught in a dry manner, provide the thread that ties classes together, improve biology teaching, enhance the learning of biotech issues and ethics, expose students to real-world science, and significantly help to reform biology teaching and improve learning. The article includes links to bioinformatics resources, information about how to get involved in bioinformatics, and a glossary of terms.
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- Abstract: This resource is a lesson from the general microbiology course notes for Biology 302 taught by Marcelo Tolmasky at California State University- Fullerton. These notes focus on the microbial ecology of extremophiles and conclude with a short quiz on the topics covered.
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- Abstract: This website contains a black smokers WebQuest where students in groups investigate one aspect of the science of black smokers. The WebQuest provides a separate list of links for each research role, including geochemist, biologist, oceanographer, and geologist. Upon completing their specialist research, the students work in groups to get a better understanding of black smokers and the issues by presenting a position on whether to protect black smokers or continue research on the black smokers for possible benefits. The webpage is divided into the following sections: introduction, the task, the process and resources, conclusion, and hypertext dictionary. This site provides a wealth of information relevant to black smokers with current information, many images, videos, animations, and first hand accounts.
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- Abstract: This interactive tutorial is designed as a quick introduction to the BLAST family of sequence analysis programs. These slides show a progression of steps in accessing and using BLAST, beginning at the home page for the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and ending at PubMed, a tool for searching scientific literature. In this series, a nucleotide sequence is submitted and compared, using blastn, to GenBank, a comprehensive database of biological sequences.
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- Abstract: This collection of lesson plans, created by the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, highlights color change in cephalopods. This page provides links to each lesson plan, which are in PDF format and feature an informative, image-rich introduction followed by a hands-on laboratory activity. The lesson plans highlight cephalopod color change, vision, light quality, and light quantity.
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- Abstract: This Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal article reports the characterization of a novel microbe associated with the hydrothermal vent tubeworm Alvinella pompejana, the most thermotolerant and eurythermal metazoan yet described. The results of the study support the hypothesis that some of the epibionts of A. pompejana are chemoheterotrophic.
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- Abstract: This site describes chrome pathways in the environment with respect to several different bacteria species. This site also contains links to references, compounds, and microbe identification as well as a link to The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database.
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- Abstract: This Cornell University website features a virtual clam dissection. Four high-resolution images -- intact clam, inner surface of valve, overview of clam with left valve removed, and overview of clam with left mantle removed -- are labeled with numbers that, upon clicking, reveal the name of the structure and its associated function. This site may also serve as an online student study guide to accompany hands-on laboratory procedures.
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- Abstract: These lecture notes from the University of Michigan's Global Change curriculum provide information about paleoclimate and climate modeling. This website includes a list of suggested readings, an image-rich overview of the paleoclimate record (including sections on ice core and deep sediment analyses) and causes of climate change, and a very brief summary of the lecture notes.
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- Abstract: This Wright Center for Science Education lesson plan (PDF) uses pasta as an analog to teach students how deep sea sediments are collected and analyzed to identify different foraminifera species in order to interpret global paleo temperature change. It includes National Science Education Standards as well as background information and images, a list of materials needed, a step-by-step photo-guided walk-through of the activity, evaluation questions, and reference list.
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- Abstract: This hands-on activity gives students the opportunity to use skills and concepts developed in a unit on cells with an unknown organism. They are asked to design and complete a controlled experiment which attempts to answer a simple question about the slime mold Physarum. The activity includes background information, preparation time, abstract, materials, procedure, evaluation, and additional thoughts. The activity is part of The Access Excellence Fellows Collection, an archive of the favorite classroom activities submitted by high school biology and life sciences teachers participating in the Access Excellence program.
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- Abstract: This site features an undergraduate Computational Biology course as part of the Red Layer Microbial Observatory (RLMO) Project's Original Waksman/NSF supported courses and workshops. The course is offered as part of RLMO's education and outreach in order to better prepare students in the widely-applicable field of computational biology. Unit outlines, the syllabus, the project, and presentations and manuscripts about this curriculum can all be downloaded on site. Units include using NCBI, using BW/Datasets, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree-building, and protein structure. The website also features an image and data (3D viewer required) of the structure of ribosomal proteins and 16S rRNA from T. thermophilus.
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