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Abstract Detail


Teaching Section

Jenson, W.Tyler [1], Ramirez, Mark [2], Kopp, Olga [2].

The cyanobacteria Fremyella diplosiphon as a versatile teaching and learning tool in the undergraduate laboratory.

Fremyella diplosiphon is a versatile cyanobacteria that displays chromatic adaptation when grown under different light conditions. The rates of phycoerythrin and phycocyanin synthesis are determined by the spectrum of light in which the organism is growing: for example, under green light, phycoerythrin is induced (resulting in brick red color cells) whereas red light induces the formation of phycocyanin (resulting in blue-green color cells). This organism is amenable for manipulation and usage in inquiry-based learning in the undergraduate plant physiology, general biology and other botany courses. F. diplosiphon shows little tendency to clump when grown in liquid culture which allows easy growth in the laboratory and therefore it facilitates student-designed experiments for inquiry-based learning. In addition, little infrastructure is required to grow this cyanobacteria, making it an excellent system for teaching and learning in the classroom. Basic manipulation for growth of these cyanobacteria in the classroom is described along with analysis of scytonemin, an ultraviolet sunscreen pigment produced by many cyanobacteria.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - Utah Valley University, Biology, 800 West University Parkway MS 179, Orem, UT, 84058-5999, USA
2 - Utah Valley University, Biology, 800 West University Parkway, MS 179, Orem, UT, 84058-5999, USA

Keywords:
Fremyella diplosiphon
Cyanobacteria
Biology instruction
Pigment analysis
Chromatic adaptation.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Battelle South/Convention Center
Date: Monday, July 9th, 2012
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: P006
Abstract ID:643


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