case study 1
Rachel Pepe
June 19th 2015
Microbiology
Case Study #1
1. The social structure and behavior of chimps in their communities or troops suggest many questions. What research questions might Dr. Hahn and her associates ask?
Research questions Dr. Hahn and her associates may ask would include things about how the chimp’s interact and communicate, about their diet affecting behavior and if different groups do things differently?
2. Choose one of the research questions from above and consider it in more detail. Based upon the question, what would be a reasonable hypothesis?
Does their diet affect the behavior of the chimps?
Diets will not always be the same between other groups, which also means behaviors wouldn’t be the same either. Hypothesis: If chimps have different diets, they will have different behaviors
3. Based upon this hypothesis, what types of data might the scientists collect and for what reasons? How would these data allow Dr. Hahn to test the proposed hypothesis?
Data scientists should collect based on this hypothesis would include collecting feces and testing for nutrients and stress hormones. High stress chimps should show high levels of stress hormones in their feces. Low stress chimps should show low levels of stress hormones in their feces.
4. Dr. Hahn and her associates are specific ally collecting fecal pellets. Why do you think Dr. Hahn is interested in the contents of fecal pellets? Generate a list of the possible “contents” of fecal matter.
Nutrients from earlier consumption of food will shown in feces, giving evidence of their lifestyle
Feces show traces of DNA or RNA
25% of the feces is solid matter, 30% of this solid matter is dead bacteria
5. How might the social structure of the chimpanzee community influence what is contained in the fecal matter? How might chimp social interactions influence what is contained in the fecal pellets or how they are distributed on the forest floor?
Social structure of the chimp community would not be
June 19th 2015
Microbiology
Case Study #1
1. The social structure and behavior of chimps in their communities or troops suggest many questions. What research questions might Dr. Hahn and her associates ask?
Research questions Dr. Hahn and her associates may ask would include things about how the chimp’s interact and communicate, about their diet affecting behavior and if different groups do things differently?
2. Choose one of the research questions from above and consider it in more detail. Based upon the question, what would be a reasonable hypothesis?
Does their diet affect the behavior of the chimps?
Diets will not always be the same between other groups, which also means behaviors wouldn’t be the same either. Hypothesis: If chimps have different diets, they will have different behaviors
3. Based upon this hypothesis, what types of data might the scientists collect and for what reasons? How would these data allow Dr. Hahn to test the proposed hypothesis?
Data scientists should collect based on this hypothesis would include collecting feces and testing for nutrients and stress hormones. High stress chimps should show high levels of stress hormones in their feces. Low stress chimps should show low levels of stress hormones in their feces.
4. Dr. Hahn and her associates are specific ally collecting fecal pellets. Why do you think Dr. Hahn is interested in the contents of fecal pellets? Generate a list of the possible “contents” of fecal matter.
Nutrients from earlier consumption of food will shown in feces, giving evidence of their lifestyle
Feces show traces of DNA or RNA
25% of the feces is solid matter, 30% of this solid matter is dead bacteria
5. How might the social structure of the chimpanzee community influence what is contained in the fecal matter? How might chimp social interactions influence what is contained in the fecal pellets or how they are distributed on the forest floor?
Social structure of the chimp community would not be