What makes honey bees work together? - Project NEURON · Honey bee laborers will change their roles...
Transcript of What makes honey bees work together? - Project NEURON · Honey bee laborers will change their roles...
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What makes honey bees work together? How genes and environment affect behavior
Lesson 2: Why do honey bees do different jobs? I. Overview Throughout this lesson students engage in activities that teach them how changes in the environment
influence gene expression and thus behavior. First, students review different jobs that are carried out by
worker bees in the hive. The next activity involves analysis of real scientific data, which allows students
to delve deeper into different behaviors of bee laborers, nurses, and foragers, and how environment
changes gene expression patterns and thus supports these behaviors. Finally, the lesson wraps up with a
whole-class game called “Swarm,” which consolidates the learning goals of the lesson: bee labor is
divided; it changes due to environmental pressures.
Connections to the driving question This lesson directly addresses the driving question of the unit through the analysis of experimental data.
Using this data set, students learn about how the environment and changes in the environment
influence gene expression and thus behavior.
Connections to previous lessons In the previous lesson, students observed a variety of honey bee behaviors and how a division of labor
allows the species to operate successfully. In the current lesson, students expand on this knowledge by
learning more about different honey bee behaviors and differences in gene expression that support
these behavioral differences.
II. Standards
National Science Education Standards 12CLS6.2 Organisms have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli.
Responses to external stimuli can result from interactions with the organism’s own species
and others, as well as environmental changes; these responses either can be innate or
learned. The broad patterns of behavior exhibited by animals have evolved to ensure
reproductive success. Animals often live in unpredictable environments, and so their behavior
must be flexible enough to deal with uncertainty and change. Plants also respond to stimuli.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
5F/H4a Heritable characteristics can be observed at molecular and whole-organism levels—in
structure, chemistry, or behavior.
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III. Learning Objectives
Learning Objective Assessment Criteria Location in Lesson
Describe the division
of labor among the
worker bees
Acceptable answers may include:
Worker bees engage in many different jobs
throughout their lifetime to maintain the livelihood
of the hive.
Worker bee jobs include nursing the brood (or
larvae), building the hive, cleaning the hive,
guarding the hive, caring for the queen, collecting
food and water for the hive, etc.
Opening
Describe the concept
of gene expression
Acceptable answers may include:
Gene expression is the process by which proteins
are made from the genome
Gene expression can be measured by quantifying
differences in mRNA transcripts
Gene expression can change due to environmental
and or behavioral changes or vice versa
Activity 1
Explain how
environment
influences behavioral
roles of honey bees
Acceptable answers may include:
Honey bee laborers will change their roles based on
the needs of the hive
o If the hive loses foragers, then more nurse
bees will become foragers
o If the hive has a higher demand for food
then more nurse bees will become foragers
o If the hive has a need for more nurses
foragers will revert back to nursing
Opening, Activity 1
and 2
Explain how gene
expression influences
behavioral roles of
honey bees
Acceptable answers may include:
Change in gene expression of particular genes will
lead to a change in behavior. For example an
increase in Amfor gene expression results in
foraging behavior, even in bees that would
normally be too young to start foraging.
If certain genes are expressed in nurse bees then
they will likely start foraging behavior
Activity 1
IV. Adaptations/Accommodations If some students have difficulty managing game pieces while playing Swarm, other students can pair up
to help manage and move game pieces as needed.
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Safety There are no additional safety concerns associated with this lesson.
V. Timeframe for lesson
Opening of Lesson
Discussion of eusociality of honey bees – 5 minutes
Matching review of bee jobs – 5 minutes
Main Part of Lesson
Activity 1: Analyzing data that show how environment, genes and behavior interact – 30-45
minutes
Activity 2: Playing Swarm – 30-45 minutes
Conclusion of Lesson
Wrap up discussion of Swarm – 10 minutes
VI. Advance prep and materials
Opening of Lesson
Materials:
Honey Bee Jobs Identification Cards, U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCards.docx
Preparation:
Make copies of:
o Bee Jobs Identification Cards, U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCards.docx, 1 per class (can
be reused throughout the day)
Laminate and cut up the cards.
Activity 1: Analyzing data that show how genes, environment and behavior
interact
Materials:
“How honey bees are studied” Video, U8_L2_Interview.mp4, available from
https://uofi.box.com/honey-bee-videos . Please note that the interview videos are currently in
draft form, and we are in the middle of creating more polished final videos for this unit.
Student sheet for Data Analysis and Interpretation, U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx
Preparation:
Set up a way for the class to view the “How honey bees are studied” Interview Video
Make copies of:
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o U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx, 1 per student
To learn about the techniques and expected student answers for this activity, refer to
U8_L2_StudentSheet_TechniquesAnswerSheet.docx
Activity 2: Playing Swarm
Materials:
Student Game Rules Sheet, U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx
Swarm Student Sheet, U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx
Teacher Game Rules Sheet, U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_GameRules.docx
Environment Cards, U8_L2_Swarm_EnvironmentCards.pdf
Teacher Spreadsheet, U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx
Swarm Game Board, U8_L2_Swarm_GameBoard.jpg
Game pieces (30-50 game pieces in dixie cup labeled “new bees”)
Empty Dixie cup labeled “dead bees”
Dice (1 die per student group/ student pair)
Dry erase boards and markers, 1 per student group (optional)
Preparation:
Download U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx, and have it available on your personal
computer during game play. This spreadsheet is required only for the teacher to help facilitate
game play.
Get familiar with the rule book and have it available to refer back to throughout the game.
Place 2 cups in the center of each student group. Have one cup labeled “dead bees” and the
other cup labeled “new bees”. The “new bees” cup should be filled with 30-50 game pieces (if
each student group is 4 people). The “dead bees” cup should be empty, and it will fill as the
game is played.
Game pieces are tiddlywinks (penny-sized pieces of plastic) that are used to mark the board.
Essentially anything can be used to mark the board (buttons, pennies, small pieces of paper or
plastic, etc.). Tiddlywinks can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-
LER0131-TRANSPARENT-COUNTERS/dp/B00004WKPM/
Make copies of:
o U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx, 1 per student
o U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx, 1 per student
o U8_L2_Swarm_GameBoard.pdf (laminate for reuse), 1 per group
Print one copy of U8_L2_Swarm_EnvironmentCards.pdf (laminate for reuse)
Optional: Hand out dry erase boards and markers to student groups of 4.
Homework and Assessments
Materials:
Collect the following student sheets:
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o U8_L2_HoneyBeeSocietyJobs.docx
o U8_L2_WhoAmITeamSheet.docx (optional)
o U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx
o U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx
VII. Resources and references
Teacher resources Winston, M. L. (1987). The biology of the honey bee. Harvard University Press. Cambridge
Massachusetts.
References Ben-Shahar, Y., Robichon, A., Sokolowski, M.B., Robinson, G.E. (2002). Influence of gene action
across different time scales on behavior. Science, 296: 741-744.
http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/2007/09/lesson-five-honey bee.html
Keck, M., Cole, T. (n.d.). The buzz about bees teacher’s booklet. Retrieved from
http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides/school-ipm-
curriculum/Extension%20Pages/documents/Bees_TeacherBooklet.pdf
Medieval Society Pyramid Retrieved from: http://tripio.deviantart.com/art/Medieval-society-
piramid-141532893
Wang, Z., Gerstein, M., Snyder, M. (2009). RNA-seq-a revolutionary tool for transcriptomics.
Nature Reviews Genetics 10: 57-63.
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VIII. Lesson Implementation
Opening of Lesson: Remind students about social behavior of honey bees. Ask students:
What does it mean to be eusocial?
o Instead of procreating, the majority of the organisms in the species dedicate their lives
tending to the needs of their younger siblings.
How does eusocial behavior go against the idea of the evolutionary drive to procreate?
o Most species dedicate their lives to finding a mate and raising their offspring and
continue this cycle throughout adulthood, into old age to ensure the passing on of their
genes. Eusocial insects cooperatively care for the young, and the sterile workers create a
division of labor that is generally associated with helping behavior. Thus, sterile workers
don’t procreate; instead they raise the offspring of their sibling (the queen) and work
towards the survival of their family’s genes.
Why do you think the honey bee is a good model to study social behavior in insects?
o This is an open-ended question, meant to stimulate discussion. Honey bees display a lot
of highly eusocial behaviors while some closely related species do not, and that makes
the honey bee a good model for the study of social behavior.
Next review different honey bee jobs by passing out the Honey Bee Jobs Identification Cards
(U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCards.docx). You can copy one sheet for each student to be used as a
matching sheet, or you can cut the sheet into cards to be reused with multiple classes as a matching
activity. Give students a few minutes to match the cards, and take time to address any difficulties that
you observer. An answer key can be found with the lesson materials as
U8_L2_BeeJobsIdentificationCardsAnswerKey.docx.
Teacher Content Knowledge Below are a list of the different types of worker bees and their roles in the hive, listed
from youngest to oldest:
-house keeping-cleans the cells of the honeycomb for the queen to lay new eggs.
The queen will not lay a new egg in a cell unless the debris left behind by previous
developing bees has been removed.
nurses-feeds and cares for the brood (the larvae)
-drone feeders- feed the drones
-queen’s attendants-groom and feed the queen
-pollen packing-storage of pollen, mixed with a little bit of honey to keep it from
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going rancid
-construction-builds the cells of the honey comb out of wax, and protects honey,
pollen and nectar by covering the cells with wax
-guard-guards the hive from enemy invaders
-undertaker-removes dead or sick bees from the hive to protect the hive from
disease and keep the hive clean
-forager- navigates the world to collect pollen, water, and nectar to bring back to the
hive
Although specific jobs of honey bees are carried out by specific bees, there is some
overlap in the jobs such that one bee may perform multiple jobs that are all related
to each other.
However other bees carry out only one specific job and that is all they focus on,
unless environmental factors in or around the hive cause a change in job demands.
For example: bees working in the hive will become foragers when they are old
enough or if there is a massive loss of foragers in the hive young nurse bees will
prematurely become foragers. The opposite is true, if there is an increase in brood
care and there are not enough nurses to care for the larvae then some foragers will
revert back to being nurses to help care for the brood.
Tell students that today they will learn about different jobs of honey bees and how they work together
for the overall health and survival of the hive.
Main Part of Lesson
Activity 1: Analyzing data that show how genes, environment, and behavior interact
Show the class the video U8_L2_interview.mp4.
Following the video, discuss the concept of honey bee genetics with the students.
Ask students:
If the queen bee is the only bee laying eggs then how similar genetically are the worker bees?
o The worker bees are all sisters or half-sisters; they share some of the same genes.
So if all the worker bees share a similar genome what makes the worker bees engage in
different jobs?
o Age, environmental pressures, and changes in the expression of their genes.
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Why do the scientists in the video try to extract and measure the RNA from the honey bee
brains?
o The scientists are interested in changes in gene expression due to their behaviors. Since
mRNA is created in the process of transcribing genes into proteins, this is one of the best
ways to measure changes in gene expression.
What changes might occur in a cell due to a change in gene expression?
o A change in gene expression would lead to a change in protein expression. A change in
protein expression could change the activity of a cell.
Tell students that they are going to look at different methods of studying gene expression in two types
of worker bees: the nurses and the foragers. As you are handing out the data analysis sheets
(U8_L2_StudentSheet_Techniques.docx), ask students:
What is the difference between foragers and nurses?
o Nurses stay in the hive and feed the larva and clean the combs whereas forager bees
collect food outside of the hive to feed the colony.
What are some major differences in the behavior of foraging bees compared to nurses?
o Foraging bees fly long distances to search for food, nurse bees never leave the hive, but
turn the pollen collected from the foragers into honey.
Have students work in groups through the data analysis sheet and answer the questions on the student
sheet.
Scientific Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Students are asked to look at a real data set to analyze and interpret the data
presented. Scientists use this practice after running experiments and generating data
sets to draw conclusions. In this lesson, the data provided in the data sets offers
multiple possible interpretations. Through the guided questions students may or may
not reach the same conclusions even though they are using the same data set.
Scientists also struggle with data interpretation because there are different legitimate
ways to interpret data. However, in the data set presented in the current lesson several
different experiments were executed to draw appropriate conclusions. When executing
several experiments, scientists can convince their peers that they are properly
interpreting their data because they have replicated their findings using multiple
methods.
When the students have finished working through the data ask the students:
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Based on your analysis of the data, how would you describe the genetic differences between the
nurses and foragers?
o There were differences in gene expression in these workers. Since all of the bees are
from the same hive they should share similar genetics. But their differences in gene
expression were a result of an environmental change leading to a change in gene
expression, which changed their behaviors.
Was it age or environment that changed gene expression in the foragers? How do you know?
o In the data set on the top of the first page it seemed like it was age, but in the single
cohort colonies (the bottom of the first page) it was environment that changed their
behavior and their gene expression.
How did gene expression change behavior?
o When the gene product of the foraging gene was given to the nurses they started their
foraging activities.
Activity 2: Playing Swarm
To consolidate the information learned throughout the lesson the whole class will work together to play
a game called Swarm. Tell the class that in this game they will model how the worker bees (nurses and
foragers) work together for a summer season to reach their goal of storing as much honey as possible
for the winter months, while maintaining the survival of new bees (larvae) in the colony.
Scientific Practices: Developing and using models
Students are asked to model the behavior of worker bees (nurses and foragers) in the
hive. In this lesson, the students learn about the roles of nurses and foragers in the hive
and how they behave in response to changes in gene expression. The game SWARM is
used to model how the environment dictates the transition of nurses to foragers and
the transition of foragers to reverted nurses.
Have students split into groups of 4 or more.
Set out a supply cup on each student group table. Fill the supply cup with 30-50 game pieces.
Hand out the student game rules sheets (U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx). Tell students to
read through the game rules as you pass out the game boards (U8_L2_Swarm_GameBoard.png). Tell
students that for the first few rounds they should frequently refer to the game rules to help them learn
the game.
Ask students if they understand the objective of the game. Be sure to verify that they understand the
game by asking a student to explain their understanding of the game.
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If there is confusion about the game, refer to rulebook and reassure students that they will better
understand the game after a couple rounds. However, some common points of confusion are explained
in further detail throughout the lesson plan.
The beginning of the game starts out with 4 bees per student, which is the default number in the Excel
sheet U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx. If the teacher would like to try different numbers of
bees per student to begin the game, be sure to change this in the spreadsheet in order to keep the math
accurate when calculating the “hive statistics.”
Have students keep in mind that they will each be in charge of the fate of their bees depending on the
needs of the hive. The needs of the hive are determined by the “hive statistics” which the teacher will
calculate at the end of each round in the Excel file U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_Spreadsheet.xlsx. At the end
of each round the teacher will share the “hive statistics” with the class.
Students will need to remember that dead bees can only be replaced during the game if they have
enough nurses in the hive caring for the larvae. The goal of the game, then, is to have enough foragers in
the hive so the honey goal is met, but also maintain enough nurses in the hive to care for the brood, so
that the dead bees can be replaced.
Students will have opportunities throughout the game to change roles of their bees, and it’s important
that they consider what the new role will contribute and what their brood needs in terms of the goals of
the game (7 or more Honey Bonuses and 7 or more Brood Bonuses). Also, each position has benefits and
drawbacks that the students should consider. For example, turning their nurses into precocious foragers
will contribute toward the honey goal, but they will contribute less than the mature foragers because
precocious foragers are younger and less developed. Similarly, reverting their foragers back into nurses
will increase their contribution to larvae care, but will be less efficient at caring for the larvae than
nurses because of the physiological changes that a honey bee undergoes to become a forager (losing
many of its physical attributes that support nursing behaviors).
After each round once the hive statistics are announced the “environment card” is drawn, which will be
recorded by the class on their student sheets (U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx). If the teacher says
that there is sufficient brood care (high enough ratio of nurses to foragers) after the hive statistics are
announced and the environment cards drawn, have the students whose bees died that current round
replace their bees with a game piece from the supply cup.
When students have an overview of the game, hand out the Swarm Student Sheets
(U8_L2_Swarm_StudentSheet.docx). Tell students that they will record their own data from their game
board as well as the hive statistics and consequences of the environment card for each round.
Encourage students to include evidence and reasoning in the last column to support their decisions for
each bee’s role.
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Once the class understands the goal of the game and what is to be recorded on the student sheet, have
students start the “game set-up.” Have students carefully follow the instructions for the game set-up
found in the upper right on U8_L2_Swarm_Student_GameRules.docx.
Remember to refer to U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_GameRules.docx for a quick-guide of the game, the game
rules, and your role during game play.
Once the students have established the age and occupation (nurse or forager) of their 4 bees, start the
first round by having students report their nurse and forager numbers so that you can generate the hive
statistics. In order to enter statistics into the spreadsheet, the first thing you need to specify is how
many students are playing the game. Enter this number in cell F4. The game mechanics are based off of
this starting value. Then enter the bee points in each round, and the spreadsheet will calculate a honey
score and a brood score.
After announcing the hive statistics, draw an environment card and announce to the classroom the
outcome on the card. Have the class record the outcome in the last column of their student sheets.
Continue by having students age their bees and then make decisions for their bee roles. Remind
students that these decisions should be based on the hive statistics reported earlier and, if necessary,
the outcome of the environment card. Space is provided on the student sheets for students to record
their reasoning for any changes they made. The next round begins when students report their updated
bee points. Remind students that precocious foragers count as ½ of a forager and reverted nurses count
as ½ of a nurse.
Every subsequent round will be carried out similarly to round one, following the instructions listed in the
two paragraphs above (these instructions are also found in U8_L2_Swarm_Teacher_GameRules.docx.
Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge For students to get the most out of the game and for the general flow of the game, it
will work best if your class plays the first 2-3 rounds of the game as warm up on one
day, and then continues the game the following day for the rest of the class period.
In our game testing sessions, we have noticed that new comers to the game get
much more out of the rules and understanding of the game and can make more
logical and rational decisions about the fates of their bees if there is a break between
learning the game (using the first couple of rounds) and playing the game after it has
been learned.
Conclusion of Lesson
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After the students have played several rounds of the game or have failed to reach the honey goal 3
times during game play, engage the class in a whole class discussion about the game they have just
played.
Ask students:
Did you confer with other members of your group or other members of the class?
a. Do you think this models bee behavior? Explain.
How did knowledge provided by the environment cards influence your decisions?
a. How does this model environmental conditions for bees?
How do the goals of this game reflect the lifestyle of honey bees?
What aspects of the game aided in gaining Honey Bonuses? What behaviors and roles of the
bees helped?
What aspects of the game aided in gaining Brood Bonuses? What behaviors and roles of the
bees helped?
What aspects of the game reflected the influence of the environment on bee behavior?
What aspects of the game reflected the influence of genetics on bee behavior?
What other simplifications have been made to make this a game? (What are other weaknesses
of the model?)