BIO3011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Random Effects Model, Regression Analysis, Dependent And Independent Variables

In a small paragraph, compare and summarize these two articles.

Article 1 Description

This article is an observational study, which discusses how frequency dependent selection affects two phenotypes of a predator through differential guarding response. The researcher examines the ratio of handedness of two samples of P. microlepis collected from two adjacent sites along Lake Tanganyika’s northwestern shoreline for a period of eleven years. The process of observations includes observing the correspondence between the handedness of P. microlepis and their targeted prey (Hori, 1993). The researcher carried observations to identify the direction from which P. microlepis attacked the flank of their prey. Moreover, the researcher used a gill net to catch each P. microlepis that attacked the lure. Catching the P. microbes made it possible for the researcher to observe its features and determine its handedness. The researcher determined the handedness of the scales of P. microlepis by observing the fish under a microscope.

During the period of study, Hori (1993) established that the ratio of handedness of P. microbes remained at 0.5 for each one-to-two year intervals throughout the eleven years of the study. Further investigations on temporal changes in handedness ratio showed that the ratio oscillated with amplitude of 0.15 within a five-year period (Hori, 1993). These observations were made for the two species of P. microlepis under investigation. The researcher concludes that the direction of mouth opening of scale eating cichlid fish in Lake Tanganyika is determined by the genetics of the fish. The researcher demonstrates that frequency-dependent natural selection determines the number of left-handedness or right-handedness fish. Based on researcher’s observations, when right-handed fish attack from behind, they snatch the scales from their prey from the left flank (Hori, 1993). On the other hand, when left-handed fish attack their prey from behind, they attack the right flank (Hori, 1993). Therefore, fish with rare phenotypes are more successful as predators than ones that have the more predominant phenotype. This study can be used to guide researchers who are interested in seeking ways of increasing the population of different species of fish. It can also be used as a basis for investigations on how fish type determines its survival tactics or predator tactics.

Article 2 Description

The study was an experimental analysis which sought to quantify phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi) frequency change over a period of time and compare Pgi genotypes based on physiological responses to high temperatures and subzero thermal extremes encountered by beetles in nature. The research seeks to establish how the local climate in Bishop relates to changes in allele frequency at Pgi and other allozyme loci. It also seeks to establish if ambient temperature of beetle habitants rise to levels that expose beetles to stressful temperature. The researcher also seeks to establish how Pgi genotypes differ physiologically when exposed to subzero temperatures. By answering these questions, the researcher will establish the relationship between changes in enzyme genotype frequency and regional climate changes in addition to investigating major physiological mechanisms through which animals respond to change in climate.

To answer research questions and test research hypothesis, the researchers carried out several experiments and analyses of data. The experimental study involved collecting adult beetles that had emergent recently from pupae for a period of one year between August 1988 and August 1989 (Rank & Dahlhoff, 2002). Their genotype was determined at five different polymorphic enzyme loci. Some of the things analyzed during the study include fluctuations in climate and allele frequency change; daily and annual mean values of air temperature, Effects of Pgi genotype on HSP70 expression, and quantification of Pgi genotype on HSP70 expression among other things (Rank & Dahlhoff, 2002). The study results revealed that although beetle populations were genetically different the FST-values for 1996 were greater for each enzyme locus than those for 1998 (Rank & Dahlhoff, 2002). Moreover, researchers established that the frequency of Pgi allele had increased by 11 percent, a trend that was not observed for all the other loci investigated. Therefore, the researchers conclude that Pgi genotype differences in thermal physiology account for Pgi allele frequency change in nature. Contrary to selected hypothesis that the frequency of Pgi allele should increase with decrease in temperature, the study established that the frequency of Pgi allele decrease with decrease in temperature. This work is important because it provides a basis for more research on how variations in temperature affect beetle populations. The study findings can be used to guide researchers who are interested in seeking ways of protecting endangered beetle populations in different climatic conditions.

can anyone help with this really super basic lab? Feel free tomake up data, highschool level information please!

You are NOT limited to the suggested projects listed below.Think up your own unique research project!!

Projects should involve observation/measurement of livingorganisms-plants, animals, fungi, humans. They should be designedto answer a question or to test a hypothesis. Examples ofhypotheses would be; "Plants will grow more if there is morerainfall" Or "Students will get higher grades if they study more."Sample size is important when possible; make multiple measurementsof several individuals. Your project must be something thatproduces DATA that can eventually be graphed. There should be adependent variable and an independent variable. For example,"amount of rainfall" would be an independent variable and "how fastplants grow" the dependent variable.

Projects should take approximately three hours, total, tocomplete, not counting the write up, which will be a separate lab.Detailed instructions on writing your report are attached. Keepyour project simple and manageable. Submit your first project bythe due date for Project 12 (July 7th)**Please make sure that yourassignment gets to me by the due date. You will still be able toupload your assignment after the due date, but it will be marked aslate, and you will lose some points for being late.

A few examples of projects:

Is there a correlation between the size of a dog, and how longit lives? For this you will need about ten dead dogs! Ask aroundamong friends, classmates, family, about dogs that died a naturaldeath. Find out each dog's age at death, and approximate weight. Alarger sample size here would be even better. Can you explain thecorrelation?

Do humans have a physiological response (difference in pulse,blood pressure, etc.) to music? Choose three different categoriesof music, such as classical, folk, rock, or none (silence). Have atleast five people in your study, and measure their pulse (or bloodpressure) both before and after they have listened to the music for5-10 minutes. Graph the increase (or decrease) in their pulse forthe different types of music. GRAPH THE AVERAGE values for yoursubjects, not value for each individual.

Is there a correlation between a person's usual amount of sleep,and how well they perform on memory tasks? Devise a SIMPLE memorytest-it could be just to study a list of twenty random words, andthen to recall as many as possible. Give this test to at least fourpeople who usually get (a) less than 6 hours sleep, (b) 6-7 hourssleep and (c) 8 or more hours. Or, choose your own categories.Amount of sleep is your independent variable (X axis) and AVERAGEscores on the test, the dependent variable. (Y axis). GRAPH THEAVERAGE!

Include ALL relevant observations and information in precisedetail. If possible, include illustrations of your experiment, yoursubjects, your work in progress, etc.

Format for writing your Research Report:
1. Introduction

Kindly write a one page summary of the data below.

A crucial assumption underlying most models of sexual selection is that sexual advertisements honestly reflect the phenotypic and/or genetic quality of their bearers (1). Here we show that experimental activation of the immune system is rapidly mirrored in the expression of a carotenoid-based secondary sexual trait in male blackbirds (Turdus merula). This result shows that sexual advertisement honestly signals male health and can be reliably used by conspecifics as a cue of individual quality during intra- and/or intersexual interactions. Male blackbirds exhibit a black plumage with a yellow to orange bill, whereas females are brownish with a brown bill. Recent studies have suggested that bill color is a sexually selected trait in blackbirds (2, 3). For example, resident male blackbirds are more aggressive to mounts with orange bills than to mounts with yellow bills (2). Bill pigmentation might therefore provide a signal used during contests between males (2). In addition, male blackbirds with orange bills are mated with females in better body condition and fledge more offspring than males with yellow bills (3). Overall, these results suggest a role for bill color in sexual selection, possibly as an indicator of male phenotypic quality. Carotenoids are common components of colored signals used in animal communication (4). They are also important in the up-regulation of various aspects of the immune functioning (5) and cellular protection against free radicals (6). This suggests that a trade-off may exist between allocation of carotenoids to sexual signaling versus immune defenses (4). Using an autosampler high-performance liquid chromatographer, we determined the presence of carotenoids deposited in the bill of male blackbirds [see note (S1)] (7). The analysis of the absorption spectrum revealed the presence of - and -carotene, -cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein (Fig. 1A). To investigate whether bill color reflects immune status, we immunized captive male blackbirds with a suspension of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in both spring 1999 (n 19) and spring 2002 (n 13). A control group (n 15) was injected with a phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBS) for control in 2002. Only the 2002 birds were used as a direct test of the hypothesis that immune activation reduces the expression of the secondary sexual trait, by comparing changes in bill color for SRBC and PBS males. Birds immunized with SRBC in both years (n 32) were used to assess the effect of anti-SRBC immune response on bill color [see note (S2)] (7). The humoral immune response against SRBC was determined 7 days after the challenge with a haemagglutination technique. Birds immunized with SRBC displayed a significant decrease in bill color [repeated measurements analysis of variance, F(1,26) 14.34, P 0.0008; Fig. 1, B, C, and D], which was independent of initial bill color and was not associated with a decrease in body mass (P 0.1). In addition, among immunized males, the likelihood of becoming duller was significantly correlated with the intensity of the anti-SRBC response as determined from the haemagglutination test (logistic regression, Wald 2 5.12, P 0.023, n 32), whereas neither year nor initial bill color entered the logistic regression model (P 0.1). Overall, these results demonstrate the existence of a trade-off between sexual advertisement and immune activation in male blackbirds. This finding has important consequences for both the evolution of secondary sexual traits and the cost of immune function. Assessment of opponent quality during male-male competition or mate quality during female choice based on a dynamic trait, such as bill color, might have evolved if it honestly reflects health status of the individual (1). The activation of the immune system by an infectious process is rapidly mirrored in the color of the bill. Contrary to feather ornaments that are produced during the annual molt, dynamic traits might therefore convey a continual update on male health. Carotenoids, such as astaxanthin, lutein, and -carotene, used for sexual signaling have been shown to enhance in vitro and in vivo antibody production to SRBC (8) and to provide protection against free radicals (6). Our results suggest that the activation of the immune system withdraws carotenoids to enhance immune functioning as well as to deal with free radicals produced during the immune response, at the expense of sexual signaling.