Do Now Sit with groups from Monday. Get out homework reading for a check

The Scientific Method

Sea Butterflies & Amphipods

A Group of Scientists…

Studying toxic chemicals used to deter predators Observed something very interesting

Curious relationship between sea butterfly and amphipods

Observation Many amphipods carry sea butterflies on their backs.

Question Why are the amphipods “kidnapping” sea butterflies?

Hypothesize The sea butterflies give amphipods a chemical defense

Hypothesis Cont. They would be able to isolate a toxic chemical from the sea butterfly Fish that normally feed on amphipods would avoid this chemical

Test the hypothesis

These were good results, but…. Were the fish reacting to a chemical from the sea butterflies? or Were the fish just reacting to the feel of the sea butterflies in their mouths?

Controlled Experiment Experiment that tests only one thing (variable) at a time. Here they were looking for chemicals from sea butterflies

Control Pellets Experiment #1 Prepared plain fish food pellets (no sea butterfly extract) Control Pellets

Prepared fish food pellets that contained sea butterfly extract Experiment #2 Prepared fish food pellets that contained sea butterfly extract Experimental Pellets

Draw a Conclusion Sea butterflies produce a chemical deterrent.

Looking Forward….. Possible applications as a pest repellant? Can it be useful in treating in human diseases?