The chemosensory response lab addresses cell response to a variety of substances, from avoidance/attraction response to modification of ciliary beat, and presents optional sections to allow teachers to tailor module use to specific classroom levels. Middle school students examine the response of the cells to simple substances like herbs, spices, or citrus peel, some of which are provided with the kit, or they can design their own experiments to test the avoidance/attraction respose to a variety of substances of interest to them. High school students can examine more sophisticated chemical responses, for example to GTP. This lab has been adapted for use in classes ranging from 4th/5th grade through AP biology.
Module Protocols
Elementary, Middle School, High School
Relevant Concepts
Cell Response to Environmental Stimuli; Interorganismal Relationships
Next Generation Science Standards Relationships
High School: HS-LS2-6 | HS-LS4-5
Middle School: MS-LS1-1 | MS-LS1-2 | MS-LS1-5
Elementary School: 1-LS1-1 | 4-LS1-1 | 4-LS1-2 | 5-LS2-1 | 3-LS4-2
NYS Science Curriculum Guideline Relationships
Key Ideas 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 4.6
References
- Almagor M, Ron A, Bar-Tana J. 1981. Chemotaxis in Tetrahymena thermophila. Cell Motil. 1 (2):261-268.
- Francis JT and Hennessey TM. 1995. Chemorepellents in Paramecium and Tetrahymena. J.Eukaryot.Microbiol. 42 (1):78-83.
- Hellung-Larsen P, Leick V, Tommerup N. 1986. Chemoattraction in Tetrahymena: On the Role of Chemokinesis. Biol.Bull. 170 (3):357-367.
- Hennessey TM. 2005. Responses of the ciliates Tetrahymena and Paramecium to external ATP and GTP. Purinergic Signal. 1 (2):101-110.
- Kim MY, Kuruvilla HG, Raghu S, Hennessey TM. 1999. ATP reception and chemosensory adaptation in Tetrahymena thermophila. J.Exp.Biol. 202:407-416.
- Kohidai L. 1995. Method for determination of chemoattraction in Tetrahymena pyriformis. Curr.Microbiol. 30 (4):251-253.
- Kohidai L, Lang O, Csaba G. 2003. Chemotactic-range-fitting of amino acids and its correlations to physicochemical parameters in Tetrahymena pyriformis–evolutionary consequences. Cell.Mol.Biol.(Noisy-le-grand) 49 Online Pub:OL487-95.