Bringing It all Together in Integrated Science
Biology, Chemistry, and the Scientific Method
James McClintock (UA) & Bill Baker (USF)
Studying toxic chemicals used to deter predators Observed something very interesting
Curious relationship between sea butterfly and amphipods sea butterfly amphipod YouTube - sea angel YouTube - Amphipods Playing!
1. Observation Many amphipods carry sea butterflies on their backs.
2. Question Why are the amphipods “kidnapping” sea butterflies?
3. Hypothesize The sea butterflies give amphipods a chemical defense
4. Predict They would be able to isolate a toxic chemical from the sea butterfly Fish that normally feed on amphipods would avoid this chemical
5. Test the Predictions
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
Experiment #1 Prepared plain fish food pellets (no sea butterfly extract) Control Pellets
Experiment #2 Prepared fish food pellets that contained sea butterfly extract Experimental Pellets
6. 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 Need much more study