Virus Graphing Practice Lesson with Critical Thinking Questions - Free Printable

Problem Analysis:

The task involves analyzing the effect of temperature on the growth pattern of *Drosophila* (fruit fly) larvae. The data provided includes three variables:
1. Temperature (in °C): The temperature at which the experiment was conducted.
2. Number of eggs per cell: The number of eggs laid by the fruit flies under each temperature condition.
3. Number of worms per cell: The number of larvae that hatched from the eggs after a 2-day period.

The goal is to:
- Understand how temperature affects the number of eggs laid and the number of larvae hatched.
- Create a graph to visualize these relationships.
- Interpret the results based on the data.

Step-by-Step Solution:

#### Step 1: Organize the Data
The data is already organized in a table format. Here it is for reference:

| Temperature (°C) | Number of eggs per cell | Number of worms per cell |
|------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|
| 35 | 365 | 77 |
| 30 | 495 | 88 |
| 25 | 695 | 1760 |
| 20 | 1425 | 2000 |
| 15 | 745 | 1200 |
| 10 | 65 | 33 |
| 5 | 24 | 2 |
| 0 | 3 | 2 |

#### Step 2: Identify Relationships
We need to analyze two relationships:
1. Temperature vs. Number of Eggs: How does temperature affect the number of eggs laid?
2. Temperature vs. Number of Worms: How does temperature affect the number of larvae hatched?

#### Step 3: Create Graphs
To visualize these relationships, we will create two graphs:
1. Graph 1: Temperature vs. Number of Eggs
2. Graph 2: Temperature vs. Number of Worms

##### Graph 1: Temperature vs. Number of Eggs
- X-axis: Temperature (°C)
- Y-axis: Number of Eggs per Cell
- Data Points:
- (35, 365)
- (30, 495)
- (25, 695)
- (20, 1425)
- (15, 745)
- (10, 65)
- (5, 24)
- (0, 3)

##### Graph 2: Temperature vs. Number of Worms
- X-axis: Temperature (°C)
- Y-axis: Number of Worms per Cell
- Data Points:
- (35, 77)
- (30, 88)
- (25, 1760)
- (20, 2000)
- (15, 1200)
- (10, 33)
- (5, 2)
- (0, 2)

#### Step 4: Interpret the Graphs

##### Graph 1: Temperature vs. Number of Eggs
- At high temperatures (e.g., 35°C), the number of eggs laid is relatively low (365 eggs).
- As the temperature decreases, the number of eggs increases significantly, peaking around 20°C (1425 eggs).
- Below 20°C, the number of eggs drops sharply, with very few eggs laid at 0°C (3 eggs).

This suggests that there is an optimal temperature range for egg-laying activity, likely around 20°C, where the highest number of eggs are laid. Temperatures outside this range (both higher and lower) reduce the number of eggs.

##### Graph 2: Temperature vs. Number of Worms
- At high temperatures (e.g., 35°C), the number of larvae hatched is low (77 worms).
- There is a significant increase in the number of larvae hatched as the temperature decreases, peaking around 20°C (2000 worms).
- Below 20°C, the number of larvae hatched drops sharply, with very few larvae hatching at 0°C (2 worms).

This indicates that there is an optimal temperature range for larval development, likely around 20°C, where the highest number of larvae hatch. Temperatures outside this range (both higher and lower) reduce the number of larvae hatched.

#### Step 5: Conclusion
- Optimal Temperature for Egg Laying: Around 20°C.
- Optimal Temperature for Larval Development: Around 20°C.
- Effect of Extreme Temperatures: Both very high and very low temperatures negatively impact both egg laying and larval development.

Final Answer:

The optimal temperature for both egg laying and larval development appears to be around 20°C. Temperatures above or below this range reduce the number of eggs laid and the number of larvae hatched.

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\boxed{\text{Optimal Temperature: 20°C}}
$$