Sara's Survival Tactic in the Dust Bowl

Sara Bearden

May 3, 2015

Surviving The Winter in the Dust Bowl Argumentation

The time period in which I have to survive off limited resources is from October to June which, is 8 months and about 240 days. In order to survive the winter during the Dust Bowl I would eat my bull, but keep my cow alive in order to drink it’s milk and eat the wheat.  This will help me keep my resources around long enough until the rain comes again so the crops I planted grow.  By killing the bull helps me save my resources in food and water because according to table one the bull consumes the most calories per day.  They require the most amount of water and food so by killing it I am able to save more of my resources to survive.  Also the bull is good for getting protein and fat into my diet during the winter so I am able to stay fairly healthy during this time because I will be getting some of the required nutrients.  According to table one a lactating cow produces about 6 gallons of milk per day. That means that I would get 96 cups of milk to drink, which could last me 32 days if I drank cups of milk a day.  The milk my cow produces in one day will be able to last me a month so within two weeks I will be able to have enough milk that will last me until June. This means that I will have something to drink that will also give me my fat intake, carbohydrates intake, and protein intake for my dietary needs.  Also it allows me to give more water to the cow so it is able to survive for a longer period of time.  Though the cow requires 50 gallons of water a day I would have to give it less because if I gave it the recommended amount the water would only last me 10 days which is not good.  I figured out that I have 8 months until June to keep these resources around and if one is gone by day 10 then the others won’t last much longer and I won’t survive through the winter.  I calculated that I have 3,764.88 grams of wheat to live off of for about 240 days and that means I am able to eat about 15 grams of wheat a day and survive.  Now I would have to cut that by two-thirds because most of the wheat would have to go to the cow in order for it to survive so, I would be able to get 5 grams of wheat a day and still survive and the cow would be able to get 10 grams of wheat.  However, I would not eat wheat everyday because my cow does require more in order to be able to produce milk for me to drink.  The days I do not eat the wheat I would eat the meat of the bull that I killed and that has to be proportioned for each day since only 41% of its total weight is consumable, according to table 2. By doing all of this I will be able to survive the Dust Bowl with little trouble.

Daphne's Virus Argumentation

When attempting to define whether or not viruses are living creatures, it is important we consider what it truly means to be alive. In order to qualify as a living, a being must possess all of the following characteristics:

1. Living things are composed of cells
2. They possess different levels of molecular/cellular organization
3. They take in energy to use for maintenance and/or growth
4. They respond to stimuli presented by their environments
5. They reproduce, sexually or asexually
6. They experience growth
7. They adapt to their environment over time (as a species) through evolution

Because of these standards, viruses cannot be considered to be alive. When scientists crystallized the tobacco mosaic virus, they determined that the virus lacked the genes for metabolism. This indicates that they do not take in energy for maintenance and/or growth. Since it takes just one of these qualities being absent to disqualify something from being alive, viruses cannot be considered living. Furthermore, viruses cannot reproduce on their own.  When not in contact with a host cell, viruses are no more active than free organic matter. In this state, they are inactive and no internal biological activities occur within the virus. Viruses consist of no more than membrane-bound DNA or RNA. Only when they infect a host cell are they able to multiply and divide through the lytic cycle. In order to be alive, organisms must be able to reproduce on their own. Also, viruses do not respond to stimuli in their environments, which is another factor required for living creatures.
People (especially scientists) like to create organized categories and imagine that all of the world fits into them, checking off all the boxes. Such is not necessarily the case with viruses. They almost straddle the definition of life, seeing as they do not check off some of these qualifications. However, they seem to possess lifelike qualities, which is what makes classifying them so difficult. As far as classifying them by the preset standards established by scientific laws, viruses are most definitely not alive.

Chigozie's Virus Argumentation

Viruses: Living or Non-Living?

            Viruses should not be classified as living things simply because they do not have all properties of living things on their own. There are seven characteristics that living things must possess. Living things are composed of cells, have different levels of organization, use energy, respond to their environment, grow, reproduce, and adapt to their environment. Technically, if an organism does not have all of these properties, then it cannot be considered a living thing. Viruses exhibit some characteristics of living things only when attached to a host. Because of this, viruses cannot be considered living things.

            For example, Adenovirus cannot be considered a living thing. According to the chart, Adenovirus does not have all of the characteristics of living things. It does not use energy or carbon or respond to external stimuli (its environment). It also does not grow. It does, however, have biomolecules (nucleic acid, proteins, and lipids) and RNA present, giving it some type of organization. Adenovirus also reproduces, but reproduction requires a host. Although Adenovirus has two characteristics of living things, it still cannot be considered a living thing. Again, Adenovirus has to possess all of the characteristics of life in order to be classified as a living thing.

All in all, viruses should not be classified as living things. They lack many of the properties that are used to identify living organisms. The main characteristic that viruses lack is reproduction; they cannot reproduce without the assistance of a host. Because viruses do not have all seven characteristics of life, they are not to be considered living things.

Rana's Characteristics of Viruses Argumentation

Virus Argumentation - Should a virus be classified as a living thing?

Viruses should not be classified as living things.  In order for anything to be considered living it must have all of 7 characteristics.  All living things are composed of cells, have different levels of organization, use energy, respond to stimuli, grow, reproduce, and adapt to their environment.  Viruses however, only contain few of those characteristics.  They have biomolecules, can reproduce, and have genetic material.  This is not sufficient enough for them to be classified as living. Table 1 shows many different objects and their characteristics.  Only the living things contain at least one of every characteristic in the table, while the non living things are missing at least one of the characteristics.  Some of the living things in this table are, sponges, elodea, plasmodium, e. coli, tube worms, and dogs.  Each of them have an energy source of either the sun, organic compounds, or inorganic compounds.  They all have a carbon source of either carbohydrates, or carbon dioxide.  They all have a waste production, respond to external stimuli, have all 4 biomolecules, a form of reproduction, genetic material, and they grow.  All of these that they contain are necessary for any organism to be labelled as living.  

Viruses may enter cells, infect cells, and reproduce inside cells, but in no way are cells.  Viruses are tiny bundles of genetic material, either DNA or RNA, and are carried in protein shells called capsids.  Genetic material is the molecule that plays the fundamental role in determining the nature and structure of an organism or cell.  All living things contain genetic material, viruses as well, but the genetic material would lie within the cells and viruses do not have and are not cells.  Also, the genetic material inside the virus is not activated until the virus is inside a cell.  Once a virus enters a cell, the cell itself will create more copies of the virus.  Which also shows that viruses cannot reproduce.  Living things reproduce in order for their species to survive, but they only reproduce either asexually or sexually.  Asexual reproduction is to produce offspring without the use of gametes, while sexual reproduction is producing offspring by joining sex cells.  As seen in table 1, viruses such as the influenza virus and the adenovirus only replicate, and require a host in order to do so.  Furthermore, the use of energy is important in all living things, it is used for maintenance and growth.  According to table 1, viruses such as the influenza virus and the adenovirus do not contain any energy source, meaning that they do not produce or use energy.  Living organisms also respond to their stimuli by making changes in response to their environment.  Both the influenza and the adenovirus do not respond to their external stimuli.  In order to be living they also should grow through cell division.  However, since viruses do not contain cells and are not cells, they can not grow either.

Unlike viruses, the sponges, elodea, plasmodium, e. coli, tube worms, and dogs are all living things that contain the necessary characteristics of life.  They all have an energy source for maintenance and growth.  The energy is used for internal processes such as photosynthesis.  Also, they all have a carbon source, which is to gain carbon because it is an essential atom used in the formation of molecules such as the 4 biomolecules: nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates.  The nucleic acids make up the genetic material contained in all living organisms, both DNA and RNA.  In order to maintain homeostasis, they each all have a form of waste production, and in order to adapt and change according to their environment they each have the ability to respond to external stimuli. Lastly, they all have either sexual, asexual, or both as their form of reproduction in order for their species to survive.   

Even though an object may contain some characteristics that may classify it as living, if it does not have all of the characteristics, it is not living.  Similarly, a computer, which is also in table 1, does have an energy source, waste production, and responds to external stimuli.  However, it is obviously known that it is also not living, but it still contains some of the same characteristics as other living things.  Likewise, viruses are not living things though they may contain biomolecules, a form of reproduction, and genetic material.  Since viruses do not have an energy source, a carbon source, waste production, response to stimuli, or growth, they are not living.  

Jazmean's Virus Argumentation

If we follow the standards set by scientists that constitute organisms as living, we cannot classify viruses as living things. Scientists use seven standards to determine if an entity is living: are they made up of cells, do they have levels of organization, can they obtain and use energy, do they grow and develop, can they reproduce, do they respond to their environment, and can they adapt to their environment. If an organism does not meet all of the seven qualifications, they are considered to be nonliving. Viruses only meet two of the seven qualifications: they can reproduce and they can adapt to their environment. And even though they meet these two qualifications, they cannot reproduce nor adapt to their environment without a host cell. This means that viruses are not independently efficient unlike other organisms such as Amoebas and Algae because a majority of their survival depends on their host cell.  Most scientists consider viruses outside of their host cell to be dormant and not functional.

Viruses do not conduct chemical or metabolic processes within them. They are not able to produce energy like plants and they are not able to use molecules like glucose to undergo cellular respiration like animal cells. They have no organelles that can help them do that. They only possess genetic information that is used to produce more viruses. They are not able to use their genetic information by themselves. Viruses have to employ the use of a host cell in order for the genetic information to be put to use. They also do not have the ability to respond to external stimuli when outside of their host cell.

 Because viruses are not able to meet all of the qualifications of what makes a living thing living, they are not able to be classified as living things.

Jube's Virus Argumentation

My evidence supports my claim because many viruses don’t fit the description of a living thing. Living things must be made up of cells, have the ability to grow, reproduce independently, respond to stimuli, eliminate waste products, and adapt to their environment.  Many viruses many have characteristics similar to that of a living thing, but if it does not have all of the characteristics, it cannot be considered alive. Living things are defined by their specific functions and processes, and viruses act as their inhibitor as they work to attack the normal functions of living things.

For instance, the influenza virus cannot be considered a living thing (according to the chart). It has no energy source, it produces no waste products, and it cannot respond to external stimuli. It also has no source of carbon. As a result, the virus has no was of carrying out metabolic processes such as cellular respiration as carbon is a vital element of life. Although this virus has nucleic acids and protein, its lack of lipids and carbohydrates does not allow it to be classified as a living thing. Lipids are vital as they store energy for the cells. Without lipids, the cellular membranes would not be flexible, and the cells would not be regulated in an efficient manner. Furthermore, the influenza virus lacks the ability to reproduce independently. Living things must have this trait in order to be considered alive. However, this virus uses replication to “reproduce”. It requires a host to replicate. By settling on a human host cell, it is able to attack it, and replicate as it travels its path. This makes the virus dependent on its host which is not a characteristic of a living thing. To add, living things must be able to adapt to changes in their environment. However, viruses typically do not adapt to their environments. They tend to invade the systems of other living things, and they work very systematically. They do not alter their structure and functions according to their environments as they attack.

In contrast, a dog can be considered a living thing (according to the chart provided). Dogs get their energy source from organic compounds. Organic compounds contain carbon which allow dogs to carry out metabolic processes such as cellular respiration. Since dogs have a source of carbohydrates, they can use their metabolic processes to break it down to form energy as carbs provide a source of ATP. To add, they are made up of all of the four main biomolecules of life (nucleic acids, protein, lipids, and carbohydrates). This allows them to grow and survive in an efficient manner. Nucleic acids account for their genetic material, proteins account for their build and physical makeup, lipids allow for flexible cell membranes and well as efficient energy storage, and carbohydrates provides the cells with the energy needed to do work. Dogs also have the ability to eliminate waste products, respond to external stimuli, and reproduce sexually. Unlike viruses, dogs are able to adapt to their environment. When introduced to a new environment, dogs tend change their behavior to increase their chances of survival. Essentially, viruses have unique traits which make them a virus. However, due to their lack of energy, inability to grow and reproduce independently, and inability to produce waste products and respond to stimuli, they cannot be considered a living thing.

Sara's Characteristics of a VIrus Arguementation

Should a Virus Be Considered a Living Thing?

Viruses should not be considered living things.  The reason why is because they have no energy source in order to perform their functions for survival.  According to the chart an Amoeba which, is considered a living thing has an energy source and it is organic compounds. However, the Influenza Virus has none under the category of energy source according to the chart  provided.  Also according to the chart the Adenovirus has no energy source as well.  What that means is that both viruses have no way of obtaining energy on their own in order to perform functions necessary for survival.  With no energy source means that they have no energy in order to do specific functions for survival on their own.  Since, energy can not be produced but only conserved and converted it means that the Influenza Virus and the Adenovirus can not perform functions for survival.  Both use the energy from a host in order to keep on dividing and infecting other cells but both can not survive on their own.  Therefore, with no way of being able to perform functions for survival viruses should be considered a non living thing.

Viruses should also not be considered living things because they do not respond to stimuli or grow on their own.  According to the chart Plasmodium Falciparum is a parasite that causes malaria and can respond to stimuli and grow on it's own.  Even though a virus is considered a parasite Plasmodium Falciparum is considered a protists.  Therefore, it is considered a living thing. However, both the Influenza Virus and the Adenovirus do not respond to stimuli or grow on their own.  By not responding to external stimuli that means they do not have the organelles required to respond to it. For instance, if the temperature changed drastically then both viruses would not respond to it by utilizing more energy in order to keep the organism warm. Also if another cell were to attack the viruses they would have no defense system to respond and fight back.  Both viruses do not show growth on their own according to the chart unlike other organisms like Tube Worms and Plasmodium Falciparum.  What that means is that the Influenza Virus and the Anedovirus have no process for cell division in order to occur on it's own. Since both require a host for replication according to the chart that means that growth is done with the help of  a host as well.  Since DNA replication is required for cell division to occur and cell division is how a cell can grow into many that means that a host provides the mechanisms required for the viruses' growth.  Therefore, if the viruses can not respond to external stimuli and can not grow on their own then they are not considered a living thing because in order for it to be living it has to be able to respond to its environment so it can adapt and also grow on its own so the genetic material can be passed down and stick around.

Joshua's Characteristics of Viruses Argumentation

Joshua Everett

Mr. Hammer

AP Biology

February 18, 2015 

Should a Virus be Classified as a Living Thing?

In order for something to be consider living, it has to meet the seven characteristics of life.  The seven characteristics of life include that they are composed of cells, they have different levels of organization, they use energy, they grow, they reproduce, they respond to respond to their environment, and they are able to adapt to their environment. For an organism to be considered a living thing, it has to have and be able to do all of these things and if something lacks even one of these characteristics it is considered nonliving. Based on these standards of living, viruses should not be classified as a living thing because they only meet the criteria for being able to reproduce and adapt to its environment. The characteristic for viruses to be able to reproduce is on the edge because they are only able to reproduce with the presence of a host cell. Viruses are only nonliving things that are composed of DNA or RNA that is enclosed by a protein shell that can infect cells by replicating their genetic material.

In contrast, some examples of organisms that  are classified as living things are sponges and elodeas. Sponges are living things because then obtain their energy from organic compounds which are commonly found inside food sources. They are able to respond to external stimuli such as their environment which is most common within oceans and rivers. Sponges are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually along with being able to grow and develop through cell division and enlargement. Elodea are also able to do the same things as sponges but instead of obtaining their energy from organic compounds, they obtain energy from sunlight. These organism obtain energy from their environment in order to maintain their order by forming complex from simpler molecules. The biological molecules found in sponges and elodea are nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. The cells within sponges and elodea have many organelles other structures that are able to respond to environmental conditions such as a drastic change in temperatures. This response in return allows them to be able to adapt to their environment despite their environmental changes. Both organisms reproduce either by sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is the joining of two sex cells and asexual reproduction is reproduction without the use of gametes. When reproduction occurs a copy of the DNA or RNA that is in these organisms are distributed among the cells. The sponge and elodea are also able to grow by dividing their cells and enlarging them through mitosis and the distribution of genetic material. Cells grow to a certain size and then divide which is the cause for an organism as a whole to be able to grow. Sponges and elodea are examples of classified living things because they have characteristics that meet the criteria for all living things.

Some examples of viruses include the influenza virus and adenovirus. Both viruses are unable to utilize energy sources to maintain order within them such as to perform biological processes. They are unable to respond to environmental changes which will cause them to potentially die because they are not able to protect themselves or adapt to the environment to stay alive. These viruses are unable to grow and develop which means their cells aren't dividing or enlarging which is customary within living things. Reproduction is also customary in living things and viruses are able to do this but only in the presence of host cells. If it wasn't for host cells, viruses would most likely be non existence which would make them nonliving.

Overall, viruses barely meet two of the seven criteria to be classified as a living thing. To be classified as a living thing, viruses would have to meet all seven of the characteristics of life and they barely meet two of them. Based on the comparison between what living things have and what viruses have, I conclude that viruses are not living things.

Chigozie's Cell Size and Diffusion Argumentation

Cell Size and Diffusion Argumentation

       Almost all living cells depend on the process of diffusion to obtain essential nutrients that are needed for survival. As these nutrients are taken in by the cells, they are broken down. The resulting energy and molecular building blocks from the nutrients are used to make more cellular components. Because of this, a cell would grow by increasing in size. However, cells never get too big; they are always small. So, why are cells so small? In this lab, my lab group and I worked towards answering this one question. We were given two potential answers to this question. Explanation 1 stated, “Cells that have a larger surface area to volume ratio are more efficient at diffusing essential nutrients”. Explanation 2 stated, “The rate of diffusion is related to cell size. Nutrients diffuse at a faster rate through small cells than they do through large cells. After collecting and analyzing data with my lab group, I concluded that although our data seemed to support both explanations, Explanation 2 was more valid.

My lab group and I tested the validity of these different explanations by constructing a model cell using agar. Agar is a gel-like substance that we could easily manipulate and cut into a variety of shapes. In this lab, phenolphthalein (a chemical indicator that changes color when it comes in contact with an acid) was added to agar so that we could see how far the acid (in this case, vinegar) diffused into the model cell. The agar was blue and would turn a yellowish-clear color when the phenolphthalein in it came in contact with the vinegar. My group cut four different rectangular prisms from the agar. Two were relatively small, and two were relatively big. We measured the dimensions of the cubes and then placed them in a plastic container filled with vinegar.

Rectangular Prism Dimensions Before Diffusion

Rectangular Prism	Length	Width	Height
1 (Small)	2 cm.	2 cm.	1.5 cm.
2 (Big)	3.5 cm.	3.5 cm.	1.7 cm.
3 (Big)	3.5 cm.	3.5 cm.	1.6 cm.
4 (Small)	1.9 cm.	1.9 cm.	1.5 cm.

Rectangular Prisms of Agar before diffusion

 

We started timing the diffusion process with a stopwatch as soon as the cubes were placed in the vinegar. The cells began to change color (from blue to yellowish-clear) at approximately 7.3 seconds. We left the rectangular prisms in the vinegar for as long as time permitted us, which was 32 minutes and 9 seconds. At this time, we pulled out the rectangular prisms. Because of this time restriction, the vinegar was not able to diffuse all the way through the rectangular prism and we had to measure the dimensions of the part of the rectangular prism that the vinegar had not touched.

Dimensions of the Rectangular Prism Not Touched by Vinegar

Rectangular Prism	Length	Width	Height
1 (Small)	1 cm.	0.8 cm.	0.7 cm.
2 (Big)	2.5 cm.	2.5 cm.	0.5 cm.
3 (Big)	2 cm.	2.5 cm.	0.9 cm.
4 (Small)	0.9 cm.	0.5 cm.	0.5 cm.

Rectangular Prism after diffusion

 

            Afterwards, my lab group and I calculated the diffusion rates. Instead of just averaging the dimensions (length, width, height) and putting that average distance over time to find the rate, we had to find the dimensions of the space that had been touched by vinegar since the vinegar did not diffuse all the way through the rectangular prism. Mr. Hammer helped us greatly with the visualization and explanation displayed below. In order to find the dimensions of this space, we had to take the dimensions of the rectangular prism not touched by the vinegar, subtract it from its respective dimension of the original rectangular prism, and divide by two. For example, if the original length was 14 and the length of the rectangular prism not touched by vinegar was 5, we would do 14-5, which is 9, and divide by 2 and get 4.5 as one of the new dimensions that we will use to find the rate of diffusion.

How to Calculate the Sides Needed for the Calculation of the Rates of Diffusion

Side one= (original length minus non-diffused cube length) ∕2

Side two= (original width minus non-diffused rectangular prism width) ∕2

Side three= (original height minus non-diffused rectangular prism height) ∕2

Mr. Hammer's very useful diagram

 

Results of Calculations of Sides Used for Rates of Diffusion Calculations

Rectangular Prism	Side One	Side Two	Side Three
1 (Small)	0.5 cm.	0.6 cm.	0.4 cm.
2 (Big)	0.5 cm.	0.5 cm.	0.6 cm.
3 (Big)	0.75 cm.	0.5 cm.	0.35 cm.
4 (Small)	0.5 cm.	0.7 cm.	0.5 cm.

           

To find the rate of diffusion, we had to divide total distance travelled by the vinegar into the rectangular prism by the total amount of time the rectangular prisms spent in the vinegar. First, we had to average out the dimensions of in the table above for each rectangular prism (sum of length, width, and height divided by three). We then converted the total time, 32 minutes and 9 seconds, into seconds and got 1929 seconds in total. We divided each average dimension by 1929 seconds, the total time, to get the rate of diffusion for each rectangular prism.

Rates of Diffusion for Each Rectangular Prism

Rectangular Prism	Average Dimension	Rate of Diffusion
1 (Small)	.5 cm.	.000259 cm/sec.
2 (Big)	.53 cm.	.000276 cm/sec.
3 (Big)	.53 cm.	.000276 cm/sec.
4 (Small)	.57 cm.	.000294 cm/sec.

           

My lab group and I also calculated the surface area, volume, and ratio of surface area to volume.

All Calculations

Rectangular Prism	Surface Area (SA)	Volume (V)	Ratio of SA to V	Decimal Representation of SA to V Ratio	Rate of Diffusion
1 (Small)	20 cm.2	6 cm.3	10 : 3	3.33	.000259cm/sec.
2 (Big)	48.3 cm.2	20.825 cm.3	48.3 : 20.825	2.32	.000276cm/sec.
3 (Big)	46.9 cm.2	19.6 cm.3	46.9 : 19.6	2.39	.000276cm/sec.
4 (Small)	18.6 cm.2	5.415 cm.3	18.6 : 5.415	3.43	.000294cm/sec.

 

After analyzing all of this data, I concluded that Explanation 2 was more valid. Again, Explanation 2 states, “The rate of diffusion is related to cell size. Nutrients diffuse at a faster rate through small cells than they do through large cells”. At first, it looked like the data that we collected supported both explanations. Explanation 1 states, “Cells that have a larger surface area to volume ratio are more efficient at diffusing essential nutrients”. For Explanation 1, the rectangular prism with the largest surface area to volume ratio also had the highest rate of diffusion. However, rectangular prism 1 refutes this statement because it has the second largest surface area to volume ratio but the lowest rate of diffusion. For Explanation 2, the smallest cell (rectangular prism 4) had the fastest rate of diffusion. However, the other small cell (rectangular prism 1) also had the slowest rate of diffusion, so that rectangular prism also disproved Explanation 2. Because of this, I decided that rectangular prism 1 should not be totally considered for this conclusion. It is the only rectangular prism that refutes both explanations. After taking all of this into consideration, I noticed that the surface area to volume ratios for rectangular prisms 2 and 3 are different, but their rates of diffusion are not. One would expect them to have different rates of diffusion since their surface area to volume ratio is different. However, they have the same rate of diffusion. Because of this key piece of evidence, Explanation 2 is more valid. Rectangular prism 2 and 3 are both the two pieces of agar that we made relatively big, so they support Explanation 2 in that the bigger cells have the same rate of diffusion and also a lower rate of diffusion than that of the smallest cell.