Sordaria Finicola Lab Report
Genetic Variation in Sordaria Finicola
Introduction:
The purpose of the Sordaria Lab was to explore the affects of genetic variation caused by meiosis and to record how sexual reproduction] affects the amount of crossing over in certain strains of Sordaria Fimicola. These organisms are ascomycetes and are also known as sac fungi. This is because the shape of their asci is in the form of a sac; inside each sac there are structures called ascospores. It is these structures, ascospores, where genetic variation that arises from crossing over is easily seen (Davidson). The organism Sordaria Fimicola is a good example of this process because it is easy to grow on agar plates and because they are easy to be seen when looked at through a microscope (Davidson). There are three strands of Sordaria Fimicola used in this experiment; all were retrieved from an area known as the Evolution Canyon. The Evolution Canyon has two slopes. One is the North Facing Slope that experiences a temperate climate while the South Facing Slope experiences a harsher climate (Sordaria Genetics…). Samples of each type of Sordaria Fimicola were taken from each of the slopes and the third sample, the control group, was a wild type. When combining each type of Sordaria Fimicola with the wild type, sexual reproduction will occur; the process that allows this to happen is called meiosis. In this lab, the goal is to determine the cross over frequencies of the strains of Sordaria Fimicola. To accomplish this, one must know what meiosis is and how crossing over occurs during meiosis. The overall process of meiosis reduces one diploid cells (2N) into four haploid cells (1N); these haploid cells are referred to as gametes and are the reproductive cells (Meiosis and…). There are four stages of meiosis and the cell undergoes each process twice, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telaphase (Meiosis and…). In Meiosis I the cell is reduced from 2N to 1N and there are now two daughter cells. Only during the
Introduction:
The purpose of the Sordaria Lab was to explore the affects of genetic variation caused by meiosis and to record how sexual reproduction] affects the amount of crossing over in certain strains of Sordaria Fimicola. These organisms are ascomycetes and are also known as sac fungi. This is because the shape of their asci is in the form of a sac; inside each sac there are structures called ascospores. It is these structures, ascospores, where genetic variation that arises from crossing over is easily seen (Davidson). The organism Sordaria Fimicola is a good example of this process because it is easy to grow on agar plates and because they are easy to be seen when looked at through a microscope (Davidson). There are three strands of Sordaria Fimicola used in this experiment; all were retrieved from an area known as the Evolution Canyon. The Evolution Canyon has two slopes. One is the North Facing Slope that experiences a temperate climate while the South Facing Slope experiences a harsher climate (Sordaria Genetics…). Samples of each type of Sordaria Fimicola were taken from each of the slopes and the third sample, the control group, was a wild type. When combining each type of Sordaria Fimicola with the wild type, sexual reproduction will occur; the process that allows this to happen is called meiosis. In this lab, the goal is to determine the cross over frequencies of the strains of Sordaria Fimicola. To accomplish this, one must know what meiosis is and how crossing over occurs during meiosis. The overall process of meiosis reduces one diploid cells (2N) into four haploid cells (1N); these haploid cells are referred to as gametes and are the reproductive cells (Meiosis and…). There are four stages of meiosis and the cell undergoes each process twice, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telaphase (Meiosis and…). In Meiosis I the cell is reduced from 2N to 1N and there are now two daughter cells. Only during the