Published by Pearson (October 25, 2021) © 2022
Allan Jones | Rob Reed | Jonathan WeyersAn essential companion for biology students throughout your entire degree programme, this seventh edition of Practical Skills in Biology, has been updated and expanded to provide you with a complete and easy-to-read guide. It's an all-in-one solution for the key practical skills needed for biology and all biosciences, including: comprehensive coverage of study and examination skills; fundamental laboratory and field methods; investigative and analytical techniques and analysis and presentation of data.
This new edition comes with increased coverage on laboratory skills, new chapters on working with bacteria, eukaryotic microbes and viruses, and on assaying biomolecules, as well as new sections on online learning in a post-COVID world. In addition, 300 new and updated illustrations, tables, and tips – including 25 new ‘how to' boxes – have been added, along with numerous end-of-chapter study exercises (with answers provided on the companion website) to support self-evaluation.
“A comprehensive and useful text on the practical techniques used in the biological sciences.”
- Dr Zenobia Lewis, University of Liverpool
Preface
List of abbreviations
Study strategies
- Developing your skills
- Self-management
- Learning effectively
- Making the most of learning resources
- Locating and citing published information
- Evaluating information
- Working with others
- Mapping your personal development
Assessment skills
- Succeeding in assessments
- Scientific writing
- Writing essays
- Reporting practical and project work
- Tackling literature surveys and reviews
- Presenting written assignments
- Preparing a poster
- Giving a spoken presentation
- Revision strategies
- Improving your performance in exams
Fundamental laboratory techniques
- Preparing for practical work
- Working safely in the lab and field
- Basic laboratory skills
- Measuring and dispensing liquids
- Preparing solutions – principles and practice
- Measuring and maintaining pH
The investigative approach
- Making measurements
- Understanding SI units and their use
- Observational skills
- Recording data in the laboratory and field
- Drawing diagrams
- Taking samples
- Designing experiments
- Understanding bioethics
- Tackling project work and placements
Obtaining and identifying specimens
- Collecting animals and plants
- Collecting and isolating microbes
- Fixing and preserving specimens
- Naming and classifying organisms
- Identifying plants and animals
- Identifying microbes
Examining specimens and samples
- Understanding microscopy
- Preparing specimens for light microscopy
- Setting up and using a light microscope
- Interpreting microscope images
- Recording and processing photographic images
- Measuring growth and responses
- Dissection techniques
Working with microbes, cells and tissues
- Learning sterile technique
- Culturing cells
- Working with bacteria
- Working with eukaryotic microbes: fungi and protists
- Working with viruses
- Working with animal and plant tissues and cells
Environmental investigations
- Developing fieldwork skills
- Describing ecosystems
- Analysing aquatic environments
- Analysing soils and sediments
- Measuring atmospheric variables
- Measuring light
Analytical techniques
- Understanding chemical analysis
- Understanding calibration and quantitative analysis
- Assaying biomolecules
- Centrifugation techniques
- Using spectroscopic methods
- Using chromatographic systems
- Methods of electrophoresis
- Studying Mendelian and population genetics
- Investigating molecular genetics
- Using immunological methods
- Studying enzymes
- Measuring oxygen content
- Quantifying photosynthesis and respiration
- Using radioisotopes
- Analysing stable isotopes
Analysing and presenting data
- Manipulating and transforming raw data
- Analysing data with spreadsheets
- Summarising data in tables
- Illustrating data in graphs
- Solving numerical problems
- Using descriptive statistics
- Selecting and interpreting statistical tests
Appendix 1
Index