Blog Assignment #3: Mystery Microbes

Blog Assignment #3: Mystery Microbes

By: Eloina Rodriguez

Day 3                                                                  Day 7

Questions:

• What objects did you decide to sample and why?

I chose to sample my phone because I had been recently using it at the gym, the light switches in the lab room and the paper towel dispenser handle because they seemed like areas that were normally touched and assumed to be clean, and the glass surface of the aquarium because it obviously had some type of mildew or mold growing.

• What type of growth did you see on Day 3? on Day 7? Describe the growth.

On Day 3 only the cell phone and aquarium samples had growth. Similar white/semi-transparent, smooth, round colonies or growths could be seen on both samples but many more were apparent in the aquarium sample. The aquarium sample also had small, round, smooth, yellow growths as well as less transparent white, round and smooth growths. On Day 7 it was apparent that more that 4 different organisms were growing by comparing their color, transparency, and growth patterns. There was one organism that stood out on the cell phone sample that was white and had a distinct web-like or branching pattern.

• Did you have growth from all the samples? If not, why do you think that happened?

Not all the samples had growth. I think this could be partially due to how well I was able to collect a sample from the light switches and the towel dispenser handle compared to the aquarium and my phone. I would also consider the possibility that the media was not ideal for all organisms and what we learned about the low percentage of success in growing organisms in a lab.

• What sample yielded the most growth of organisms? Why do you think that happened?

The sample I collected from the aquarium had very heavy growth of organisms. I think this may have been due to how abundantly the organisms had already grown on the aquarium when I sampled. It may have also been due to how the conditions in the petri dish were very similar to the conditions it had been growing on.

• Did anything about the growth you observed surprise you?

I was most surprised to see how much more growth was on the cell phone sample on day 7 compared to day 3 and the various organisms from a single sample.

• Describe the plate of your lab mate. What did you notice about their plate?

I looked at Michelle’s plate and noticed that all her samples had growth unlike mine.

• Compare and contrast your plate with your lab mate's plate.

In comparison to mine, none of michelle’s samples had abundant growth on day 7 but the organisms that grew on her samples looked very similar to the organisms that had grown on my samples.

• Reflection: What does this mini experiment reveal to you about the ubiquity of microorganisms?

This experiment suggested that microorganisms can be found all around us. Considering the variety of areas that grew similar microorganisms which would not typically seem as ideal conditions, I also understood that organisms do not need much to survive.

• Write at least 3 scientific questions based on your observation.
• Do microorganisms have symbiotic relationships that help them survive in imperfect conditions?
• How long can organisms survive if not provided with ideal conditions?
• How likely is it for a microbe to be harmful to humans?

• Write 1 hypothesis based on the questions above.

Microorganisms may develop symbiotic relationships that can help it survive in conditions that are not ideal.