PURPOSE to discover the variety of bacteria on Westwood’s campus and on the human body to study the growth of organisms in a closed system A: B:

I NOCULATE to introduce new cells or organisms into a culture medium

C ULTURE M EDIUM a liquid or gelatinous substance used to grow cells

LB A GAR lysogeny broth; a nutrient-rich culture used primarily for bacterial growth

BIODIVERSITY a measure of variation in genetics, species, or ecosystems Antarctica has low species diversity while the Amazon rainforest has high species diversity

BIODIVERSITY Cheetahs have low genetic diversity while leopards have high genetic diversity

P ROCEDURES 1.Obtain two Petri dishes. Section each Petri dish into four even quadrants. 2.As a class, vote for four locations on Westwood’s campus to study bacterial variation. Vote for four locations on the human body to study bacterial variation.

P ROCEDURES 4.Using a sterile pipette, wet the end of a cotton swab with distilled water. 5.Using a microtube, secure the cotton swab and take it to the sample location. 6.In a swirling motion, rub the cotton swab on the sample location. 7.Using a microtube, secure the cotton swab and return to the classroom

P ROCEDURES 8. In a swirling motion, inoculate the quadrant of the Petri dish with the cotton swab. 9. Repeat steps 4-8 for each of the eight total sample locations. 10. Store the Petri dishes in a closed environment and leave undisturbed at 37 °C. 11. Record observations on the data tables at 24 hours and at 48 hours after inoculation.