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Need an idea for my bio lab (topic of fungus)

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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
I need to create a lab for my gr. 11 bio performance task on the topic of fungus. I need some ideas for what to actually test though (independent variable), as all I have atm is my control and dependent variables. I know I probably shouldn't be asking NS but hopefully there are one or two people who could give me some insight/ideas!

if that wasn't clear enough I mean something like this:
"The effect of _______ (and ________) on fungus growth"
^
very general but just an idea of what it will look like

thanks for reading
Mar 19 2013 7:10PM
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No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,962
Base your lab on a couple of similar labs found online from reliable sources. When it comes time to a conclusion and proving your results you will thank me.
Mar 19 2013 7:13PM
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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
yeah i was looking for some, it's such a good call because you can compare data and understand the lab better
Mar 19 2013 7:15PM
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No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,962
I do this more because it can be a bitch searching for specific labs similar to the one you have already done than searching for "fungus biology lab"
Mar 19 2013 7:17PM
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walrussteeze
Posts: 327 - Karma: 212
A kid in my class did effect of garlic and athlete's foot medication on fungus growth. He got $$$ from expo.
Mar 19 2013 7:57PM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
culture yeast. see how the availability of oxygen helps them grow faster.

yeast is seriously the easiest thing to play with.
Mar 19 2013 8:00PM
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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
it's kind of difficult to limit oxygen... unless you're talking about putting it in different sized containers and sealing it? thanks for the replies guys
Mar 19 2013 8:14PM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
or temperature, media, shit even music
Mar 19 2013 8:40PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,747
if you want something relatively easy that there's a lot of info on and will absolutely show significant results, then do the effect of salinity on the growth of -your type of fungus here-

the best way would be to make some agar of varying levels of salinity and put them in sealed sterile jars then inoculate the jars without any other contamination.

do maybe 4 treatments, one as a control with no salt. if only 4 treatments I'd do 100 mM, 200 mM, and 300 mM salt concentrations for the other treatments.

then do maybe 5 replicates per treatment for a total of only 20 jars. it's not so many jars that it'd be too much effort for a grade 11 project, but it's enough to be able to a statistical analysis and get relevant jars.

each day after inoculation you could do a number of measurements on the fungus. assuming it would be mould you could measure the diameter of the mould patch as one variable. after maybe 1 week or 2 you could then even measure the mass of the mould by scraping it off the agar.

Mar 19 2013 8:49PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,747
relevant results*
Mar 19 2013 8:51PM
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Prepreip
Posts: 168 - Karma: 12
The effects of carbon dioxide/ oxygen on mycellium growth. The effects of light on mycellium growth. The effects of a contaminate on mycellium growth. All those could also be applied to the fruiting stage.
Mar 19 2013 9:20PM
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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
thanks a ton for the idea, I may use it if my bio teacher turns down the one i drew up a little while ago. I actually opted to focus on the two factors that generally affect most fungus growth: moisture and protein. I decided to:

1. take 2 types of bread, whole-wheat and white both with no artificial preservatives to generate more growth (I know it's not as rich in protein as agar plates but it's easier to get and also more realistic in a "real life" scenario)

2. then i would take 5 slices of each and put them in a separate container for each slice (so 5 whole-wheat containers and 5 white containers)

3. leave 1 of each as control to let it grow naturally

4. all the rest would have a certain amount of water in the bottom of the containers (25mL, 50mL, 75mL, 100mL) to represent different levels and amounts of moisture.

5. i would then measure width (avg. between longest and shortest diameter) and potentially height at the end

yeah so not as complicated as the salinity lab, but fairly simple and easy to explain and analyse afterwards.

let me know what you think and if you have any improvements i could make. thanks again for the salinity idea though!
Mar 19 2013 10:53PM
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ski.cats
Posts: 577 - Karma: 352
temperature and water are the key factors for plant growth. test them on fungi
Mar 19 2013 11:03PM
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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
temperature is too inconsistent. water (moisture), and protein (bread) are two things i can control easily that will help fungus grow.
Mar 19 2013 11:09PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,747
that's definitely a decent experiment that should show results.


how are you planning on making sure the humidity levels actually change though? having varying amounts of water in the containers is a good idea, but if the water has the same surface area available for evaporation then the humidity level changes will be quite negligible and I'd be very surprised if you saw any significant differences.

perhaps a more feasible way of managing humidity would be to do it manually with a mister. one of those squeeze bottles would work well. you have your control, then maybe one treatment you spray once a day, another maybe 3 times a day, etc. this way you would ensure the fungus is actually subjected to higher humidity levels.

also you have to think, what's causing the water to evaporate into the air and raise the humidity level? in closed containers under the same atmospheric pressures and temperatures the humidity levels should be approximately the same regardless of the amount of water or surface area of the water inside the container. granted the container with a higher surface area might have a faster rise in humidity. and of course if enough water has evaporated to dry out the water source then that container hasn't reached its maximum humidity.
Mar 19 2013 11:20PM
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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
hadn't thought of that, i'll have to factor it in before bio tomorrow. thanks 10/10
Mar 19 2013 11:22PM
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FrysNation
Posts: 491 - Karma: 471

You should test Andy Parry's ski socks im sure there is fungus on them

Mar 19 2013 11:22PM
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nagger
Posts: 1576 - Karma: 883
do your project on magic shrooooooms brooooooo
Mar 19 2013 11:26PM
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Smuffy
Posts: 4686 - Karma: 3,408
The effect of your mouth on psilocybin mushrooms
Mar 19 2013 11:54PM
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theTRIBE101
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 856
hadn't thought of that! ^ seems like a good idea!

thanks guys i have a lab set up fairly well i think and i will be confirming it with my bio teacher tomorrow. thanks for all the help

/thread
Mar 20 2013 3:35PM
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Ski_Wizard
Posts: 122 - Karma: 33
Yeast infections
Mar 20 2013 4:01PM
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