Yeast Lab
To give the class a better representation of mitosis and the creation of zygotes and sex cells, we were presented with the Yeast Lab, a multiple day lab that guided us through the life of two distinct yeast colonies, the HA2 colony and the HBT colony. During the course of this experiment, we were to mate the two stands and place them on different environments of augur. There were three types of augur that the yeast cells were transferred to, YED, an environment with sustainable nutrients, MV, an environment lacking adenine and triptophane, and YEKAC, an environment with no nitrogen source and a small amount of acetate. Each day, we observed different yeast structures like buds, zygotes, acrospores, and also observed the affect of the environment on the individual strands of yeast and the mated colony. Many other concepts, like PKU individuals and the Red Queen Hypothesis were also explored. The yeast cells were a great representation of how meiosis works and the advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction.