BIOLOGY PRACTICALS

Experiment 1.
Aim
To prepare a temporary mount of a leaf peel to show stomata.
Materials Required
Freshly plucked leaf of Rheo or Tradescantia, petri dish, slide, coverslip, needle, forceps, brash,
dropper, watch glass, filter paper, glycerine, safranin solution and microscope.
Procedure
1. Take a freshly plucked leaf (Rheo or Tradescantia).
2. Stretch the leaf with its dorsal (lower) part facing upwards.
3. Break the leaf by applying suitable pressure so that the epidermis projects from the leaf.
4. Cut the epidermis and put it in a petri dish.
5. Take a watch glass, add few drops of water and a drop of stain in it.
6. Transfer the small piece of epidermis from petri dish into the watch glass with the help of
brash.
7. Allow the peel to remain in the stain for 2-3 minutes, so that it can take up the stain.
8. With the help of brush transfer the stained peel into a petri dish with water to remove the
extra stain.
9. Now take a clean slide and place it on a filter paper. In the centre of the slide put a drop of
glycerine and transfer the stained peel from petri dish on the slide.
10. Gently hold the coverslip with the needle and place it on the peel. Avoid air bubbles
formation.
11. Use the filter paper to clean the excess stain, water or glycerine that comes out from the
coverslip sides.
12. Ensure that the slide is clean and place it under the microscope. First view it under low
power (10X) and then under high power(45X).
13. Record your observations.
Observations

1. In an epidermal peel we see single layer of cells.

2. In between the epidermal layer small spots are seen.
3. When focused under powerful microscope the stomata pores are clearly seen.
4. Each stomata pore has two kidney-shaped cells called guard cells.
5. Each guard cell has one nucleus and many chloroplasts.

Conclusion
Epidermal layer of leaf peel has many stomata pores. Each stomatal pore has two kidney shaped
guard cells, in dicots plants. Each guard cell has one nucleus and many chloroplasts.
Experiment 2.

Aim
To show experimentally that carbon dioxide is given out during respiration.
(A) Test for release of CO2 during respiration in animals.
Materials Required
Two test tubes, a cork with two holes, two glass tubes, syringe, lime water.
Procedure
1. Take some freshly prepared lime water in two test tubes.
2. Fit cork with two holes in test tubes A and B.
3. Fix two glass tubes in this cork of test tube A as shown in the figure.
4. Exhale air into the tube and record your observations.
5. In another test tube B, which has lime water, pass air through syringe and record your
observations.

Observation

 In test tube A, the lime water turns milky sooner than in test tube B.
Conclusion

1. The exhaled air contains lot of CO2 which turns lime water milky.
2. This proves that during respiration we exhale CO2 gas.
 (B) To test release of CO2 by plants during respiration.Materials Required
A conical flask, small test tube, cork, thread, germinating seeds, a bent tube, a beaker, water and
freshly prepared lime water.
Procedure

1. Take two conical flasks, add germinating seeds with little water sprinkled over it.
2. Fix the mouth of conical flasks with cork in which a bent tube is fixed.
3. Suspend a small test tube containing KOH solution in it with the help of a thread in
conical flask A.
4. Allow the mouth of the bent tube to be immersed in water in set-up A and in lime water in
set-up B as shown below.
5. Record your observations after few hours.

Observations

1. In set-up A, the water level in the bent tube dipped in beaker increases after few hours.
This is because the oxygen present in the conical flask is taken up by germinating seeds
and CO2 released due to respiration is absorbed by KOH present in small tube. Hence, the
air pressure in the flask reduces and water level rises.
2. In set-up B, the freshly prepared lime water turns milky. This is due to excess
CO2 released into the test tube during respiration of germinating seeds.
Conclusion
This shows that CO2 is given out during respiration.
 Experiment 3.
Aim
To study binary fission in amoeba and budding in yeast with the help of prepared slides
(a) binary fission in Amoeba Experiment
(b) budding in yeast with the help of prepared slides.
Materials Required

1. Prepared slides of Amoeba showing binary fission with different stages.

2. Prepared slides of yeast showing budding with different stages.
3. Compound microscopes 2-4.
(A) Binary Fission in Amoeba Procedure
1. Place the prepared slides of Amoeba showing different stages of reproduction on the stage
of the microscope.
2. Adjust the mirror of the microscope to focus maximum light on the slide. Adjust the eye-
piece of the microscope so that the slide is clearly focussed and seen.
3. Draw diagrams of the stages of binary fission in Amoeba.

Observations
1. Amoeba is a protozoa that lives in water and has irregular shape.
2. In the centre of Amoeba dense nucleus is seen.
3. In second stage, Amoeba shows the nucleus division, i.e., karyokinesis.
4. In third stage, we can see the cell body division, i.e., cytokinesis.
5. In the fourth stage, two daughter cells of Amoeba are formed

Conclusion
The given slides showed the division of a single cell body into two equal halves. The division of
nucleus and cell body are seen which led to the formation of two daughter cells. Hence, the kind
of reproduction seen in Amoeba is binary fission.
(B) Budding in Yeast
Procedure

1. Place the permanent/prepared slides of yeast showing different stages of reproduction on

the stage of microscope.
2. Make the adjustments in mirror of the microscope for focussing maximum light on the
slide.
3. Adjust the eye-piece so that the slide is clearly seen.
4. Draw diagrams of the stages of budding yeast cells.

Observations
1. Yeast is oval or spherical in shape.
2. It is a unicellular organism.
3. In the second stage, yeast shows a small growth on it called ‘bud’.
4. In the third stage, yeast shows that in some situations many such chain of buds is seen on
the parent cell. This process is called ‘budding’.
5. On maturity the buds get separated from parent cell to form and grow’ as a new organism.
This process is called budding.

Conclusion
The given slides showed the small growth (bud) on yeast. These buds on maturity separates
from parent cell and grow as a new organism, hence, yeast shows budding.
 Experiment 4.

Aim
To identify the different parts of an embryo of a dicot seed (pea, gram or red kidney bean).
Theory

 Seed: Seed is a small embryonic plant present in a safe coating of seed coat, it stores food.
 Seed formation: The male gamete of plant, i.e., pollen grains and female gamete of a
plant, i.e., ovules fuse together to form seed. The seed formation takes place due to
fertilization, and it is the product of reproduction in plants. The embryo of seed is formed
from the zygote.
 Food in seed: The food is stored in the cotyledons of embryo in some plants and in the
endosperm, a special tissue outside the embryo in other plants.
 Three basic parts of a seed:
1. An embryo
2. Nutrient for embryo
3. Seed coat.
 Embryo: The embryo of seed is an immature plant from which a new plant can grow.
 The radicle that comes out of the embryo is the embryonic root. The plumule is the
embryonic shoot.
 Cotyledons: It is the seed leaf present in seed. If the embryo has one seed leaf it is
monocotyledon and if it has two seed leaves it is dicotyledon.
 Epicotyl: The part of the embryonic stem above the point of attachment of the cotyledon
is the epicotyl.
 Hypocotyl: The area between the radicle and the place of origin of cotyledons is termed as
hypocotyl.
 Nutrients for the Embryo: Seed stores nutrients for the growth of an embryo during
germination. The nutrients/ stored food is in the form of oil, fat and protein.
 Seed Coat: The seed coat protects the embryo from mechanical injury and from drying
out. It can be a paper thin as in case of peanut or may be very thick e.g. coconut.
Materials Required
Water soaked seeds of pea, gram or red kidney beans, petridish, forcep, needle, brush
andsimple microscope and slide.
Procedure

1. Take 8-10 soaked seeds of pea/gram/red kidney beans, place them on wet
cotton in petridish overnight. The seed coat becomes soft which helps in the
opening of the seeds.
2. With the help of forcep, slowly remove the seed coat and study different
parts of seedembryo.
3. Now, slowly remove the embryo axis with needle and place it on the slide.
4. Observe these three parts of the seed obtained, record your observations
and drawdiagrams.

Observations

1. The seed has a small pore called micropyle.

2. It is a dicot seed, i.e., the seed has two cotyledons.
3. The embryo axis shows radicle and plumule, (as shown in the figure), the radicle
is futureroot and the plumule is future shoot.
4. The food is stored in cotyledons.

Conclusion
The different parts of an embryo of a dicot seed were identified as plumule (future
shoot),radicle (future root), seed coat (outer covering) and cotyledons (food store)