Lab 4 Worksheet

Compose answers to the questions below and save the file as a backup copy in the event that a
technical problem is encountered while attempting to submit the assignment. Make sure to run a spell
check.

You will be submitting your answers to the lab assignment in two parts. The first part of the lab
assignment consists of the laboratory exercise questions. The second part of the lab assignment is the
application question. The first textbox on the submission page corresponds to the first part of the
lab. Be sure to paste the laboratory exercise questions, with your answers, into this textbox. The
second textbox on the submission page will be for your response to the application question.

LABORATORY EXERCISE QUESTIONS

~~1. Cell structures:

a. List four cell structures that are common to both plant and animal cells. (4

points)

a. Ribosomes, Golgi apparatus, Mitochondria, Endoplasmic Reticulum

b. What structures are unique to plant cells? (2 points)

a. Cell wall, central vacuoles

c. What structures are unique to animal cells? (2 points)

a. Flagella, Lysosomes

~~2. Below are five structures observed in cells. List the function of each
structure. (5 points)

a. Chloroplasts

a. Responsible for creating food during photosynthesis.

b. Golgi apparatus

a. Responsible for storing proteins that is received from the rough and

smooth ER.

c. Ribosomes

a. Responsible for assembling proteins

d. Central vacuole
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a. Responsible for providing support in the plant cell

e. Rough endoplasmic reticulum

a. Responsible for the assembly of proteins on the Ribosomes.

~~3. A microbiologist observes a single-celled organism under a compound light

a. Based on the information in the lab, provide a probable name for this
organism. (1 point)
a. Eukaryotic organism

b. Explain why the microbiologist came to this conclusion. (2 points)

a. In a Eukaryotic organism they contain a nucleus, and some contain a

Cilia which can be defined as using hair like structures.

~~4. Describe the structure and function of the cell membrane. Why does it form
a phospholipid bilayer? (5 points)
a. The cell membrane encloses all cells and is responsible for separating
the internal environment from the extracellular space, a phospholipid
bilayer is formed by to layers to maintain the shape of the cell
membrane.

~~5. In the Spirogyra cells observed on the virtual microscope, how many
chloroplasts were seen in a single cell? What is the shape of the
chloroplast(s)? (2 points)
a. In a single cell I could see up to 30 chloroplasts that were rounded
shaped.

~~6. Report the “Ending Average Volume (cubic millimeters)” and the “Percent
Differences” that you observed in the osmosis experiment for each salt solution
below. (You should have these recorded in the bottom two rows of your data
Table 1 from the Lab 4 Procedures step 2b.) (8 points)

a. 0% salt solution

a. Ending average = 4000mm3

b. Percent difference = 0%

b. 1.75% salt solution

a. Ending Average = 3500mm3

b. Percent difference = 5%

c. 3.5% salt solution

a. Ending average = 3000mm3

b. Percent difference = 10%

d. 7% salt solution

a. Ending average = 1000mm3

b. Percent difference = 30%

~~7. Describe three extraneous variables that may have impacted your osmosis
results from the experiment in Procedure 2b. (6 points)

a.   The temperature of the water could have impacted the osmosis results
because when I was filling up the Graduated cylinder, I wasn’t paying
attention to making sure it stayed at the same temperature and different
temperatures could allow for the salt to dissolve differently.

b.  Not measuring the exact surface to volume ratio for each potato could have
made a huge impact because then its not an equal measurement for each
potato.

c.  Not putting an equal amount of distilled water to the salt solution could
create an impact in osmosis because if I were to accidently add to much
water or not enough water to the already made solutions it could throw off
the salt solution percentage.

~~8. In osmosis, which direction does water move with respect to solute
concentration? (2 points)
a. In a high solute concentration, the water will move down.

~~9. Using the appropriate osmotic terms (hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic)

points)

i. The cell would shrink because it is hypotonic and is being placed into

a hypertonic solution.
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b. A salt-water snail is mistakenly put into a freshwater tank. (3 points)

i. The snail would die because its considered hypertonic and is being

placed into a hypotonic state.

c. A head of lettuce is placed soaked in a sink of saltwater.

(3 points)

i. The lettuce would become one pile of mush

because the saltwater which is hypertonic would

soak out the natural water that is hypotonic

d. A bunch of carrots are placed soaked a sink of distilled water. (3 points)

i. Nothing would happen to the carrots because it would be in an isotonic

state being that carrots are hypotonic and distilled water is hypotonic.

~~10. Some gardeners kill slugs by pouring salt on them. Given what you have
learned about osmosis, explain why this method is effective. (4 points)
a. The body of the slugs are hypotonic compared to the hypertonic salt that
is being poured on them, the slugs die of dehydration because the water
is being pulled from the cells.

~~11. Report the surface-to-volume area ratio for each cube from Procedure step
3a. (6 points)

a. Cube 1

a. 6.66mm2/mm3

b. Cube 2

a. 2.66mm2/mm3

c. Cube 3

a. 4mm2/mm3

~~12. Given your calculations from question #11 (cubes from Procedures step 3a),
which cube would be most efficient at moving materials into and out of the
cube? Briefly explain the answer. (4 points)
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a. Cube 2 would be most efficient at moving materials into and out if the
cube because it has a smaller surface area to volume ratio allowing for
diffusion to take less time.

~~13. How does the rate of diffusion and surface-to-volume ratio limit cell size?
Explain how your results from Procedure 3b illustrate this relationship. (5
points)
a. Rate of diffusion and surface to volume ratio limits cell size because
ultimately the bigger the cell is in volume the less surface area the cell
has to supply nutrients that it needs. In the experiment the cube that was
1.5 cm took longer to diffuse because it had a larger volume to surface
area ratio, where as the 2cm and 1.5cm cube took a shorter amount of
time.
~~14. Two identically sized and shaped boneless skinless chicken breasts are
purchased for dinner. One chicken breast is cut into approximately 1-inch
pieces, while the second is left whole. Both will be cooked at the same
temperature and in the same manner. Using information learned about surface-
to-volume ratios, which will cook faster? Justify your response. (5 points)
a. The cut-up chicken will cook faster because it has a higher surface area
to volume ratio for each 1-inch piece. The sliced pieces can pick up heat
on the sides, which can accelerate the cooking.

~~15. Researchers have discovered that desert hares lose heat through their ears to
cool themselves. Given this and knowledge of surface-to-volume ratios,
propose an explanation as to why hares that live in hot climates (such as the
desert) have such long, flattened ears. (5 points)
a. Hares that live in hot climates adapt to having flattened ears because
their ears are thin and full of blood vessels and having big ears results in
a larger surface area to the volume ratio and as the temperature becomes
hotter the blood moves through their ears and becomes closer to the
surface of the skin to let the heat escape.

APPLICATION QUESTION

~~16. (Application) How might the information gained from this lab pertaining
to cell structures and diffusion be useful to you, or how can you apply this
knowledge to your everyday life as a non-scientist? The application will be
graded according to the rubric below. (20 points)
a. The new knowledge gained about cell diffusion and osmosis would be
useful to my everyday life as a non-scientist because when it comes to
preserving meat, osmosis plays a big part. Most meats are hypotonic
meaning they have a lower concentration and they are most likely to
spoil fast. The best way to preserve the meat is to store it in a strong salt
solution which puts the meat into a hypertonic state which ultimately
allows for the process of osmosis and allowing for the meat to dehydrate
making the meat last longer.
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