GMU:Being a Unicellular Organism

Werkmodul Fachmodul
Lecturer(s): Mindaugas Gapševičius
Credits: 6 ECTS, 4 SWS
Date: October 22-23 and November 19 and 20; all days 10.00-18.00
Venue: DIY Biolab @ Marienstr 7b, Room 202
First meeting: 14.04.2020

Description

What is it like to be a unicellular organism? How do peers interact with other peers of the same species? We will take a look at the different unicellular organisms: Kombucha bacteria, slime molds, Euglena. As we look at them and care for them, we will try to understand how they interact in the environment. The block seminar will take place over two weekends at DIY Biolab. The first weekend we will look at artwork using the organisms, try to understand the organisms themselves, and learn how to cook a medium for them. The second weekend is reserved for discussion, development, and documentation of your ideas.

Result: individual experiments and sketches of ideas that can lead to a comprehensive project.

Organisms

Komagataeibacter xylinus

"The bacterial component of kombucha comprises several species, almost always including the acetic acid bacteria Komagataeibacter xylinus (formerly Gluconacetobacter xylinus), which ferments alcohols produced by the yeasts into acetic and other acids, increasing the acidity and limiting ethanol content."(wikipedia)

Euglena gracilis

“Euglena are found in fresh and salt waters. They are often abundant in quiet inland waters where they may bloom in numbers sufficient to color the surface of ponds and ditches green (E. viridis) or red (E. sanguinea).” (wikipedia)

“Most species of Euglena have photosynthesizing chloroplasts within the body of the cell, which enable them to feed by autotrophy, like plants. However, they can also take nourishment heterotrophically, like animals.” (wikipedia)

Physarum polycephalum

Is unicellular, multinucleated plasmodium "Physarum polycephalum, literally the "many-headed slime", is a slime mold that inhabits shady, cool, moist areas, such as decaying leaves and logs. Like slime molds in general, it is sensitive to light; in particular, light can repel the slime mold and be a factor in triggering spore growth."(wikipedia)

References

• Shared Habitats website

Grading

The outcome of the course is an interactive setting between humans and organisms. The successful completion of the course is the attendance of the Blockseminar and a project documented in the GMU wiki. The documentation may contain text, video, images, sketches, sound, and other digital formats.

20 % Theory 50 % Individual project 30 % Documentation including 20% of updates in Wiki