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Love of Lab Maggots

1) The document describes an experiment to determine if maggots can spontaneously generate from meat or fruit without existing life. 2) Three jars were set up with different coverings - one open, one with stockings, and one closed. Observations found maggots and fungi grew in the open and stocking-covered jars but only fungi in the closed jar. 3) The conclusion is that maggots grew from existing life like flies, while fungi grew in conditions with just abiotic factors, supporting the idea that early life like bacteria and fungi ancestors did not need existing life to form.

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Saves Mae
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67 views

Love of Lab Maggots

1) The document describes an experiment to determine if maggots can spontaneously generate from meat or fruit without existing life. 2) Three jars were set up with different coverings - one open, one with stockings, and one closed. Observations found maggots and fungi grew in the open and stocking-covered jars but only fungi in the closed jar. 3) The conclusion is that maggots grew from existing life like flies, while fungi grew in conditions with just abiotic factors, supporting the idea that early life like bacteria and fungi ancestors did not need existing life to form.

Uploaded by

Saves Mae
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Spontaneous

Growth of Maggots?
A Love of Lab Activity

Submitted by: Saves Mae M. Tacaca


XII – STEM
Introduction:
Spontaneous generation or abiogenesis is the idea that life could appear from
nonliving material. On the other hand, biogenesis is the belief that life originates from
preexisting life.

Objective:
Determine if maggots can be spontaneously generated from meat using a
controlled experiment.

Materials:
3 glass jars of the same size
3 slices of fresh meat or mashed fruits as substitute
Clean stocking or gauze
Rubber bands

Estimated Time Frame: 1-2 weeks

Observations:
Jar A Jar B Jar C
Growth of Maggots (There were (There were few
small flies around flies around the jar,
the jar.) most probably
trying to enter, but
since the jar was
closed, they were
just outside the jar.)
Smell (The jar was
unopened so there
was no awful smell
in the area.)
Color or meat or brownish to black brownish to black brownish with
fruit with white parts then white (white streaks of black
(white due to the due to the presence and white (white
fruit: mashed presence of of maggots) and black streaks
banana maggots) were fungi)
Growth of fungi (Few parts of (Several parts (Many parts of
the mashed fruit of the mashed fruit the mashed fruit
had fungi.) had fungi.) had fungi.)

Conclusion:
Maggots grow on rotting or decayed matter with a temperature similar to what
human’s need. They may grow in areas with a little amount of sunlight but they will grow
more in a darker and damp area. Too much exposure in the sun may prevent the
growth of maggots. Fungi, similar with maggots, grow on darker and moist areas and in
temperatures ideal for humans. The difference is that the fungi in Jar C grew even if the
jar was completely closed while maggots grew only in the jars that were open and not
closed securely. Jars A and B were in an area that has little sunlight while Jar C was in
a dry area. Despite Jar B being covered with stockings, it still had attracted flies. Jar A
was open so there were a lot of flies going around and in it; thus, there were maggots
and fungi present. Jar B was covered with a stocking but there was maggot and fungi
formation. Since Jar C was securely closed. The mashed banana had secreted water
(since plant cells hold water and the rotting released it) which caused for fungi to grow.
There were no signs of maggot formation.

Maggots grew from pre-existing life forms while fungi grew in an environment
with only the abiotic factors present. This may lead to a conclusion that the earliest life
forms may have been bacteria and possible ancestors of fungi – which, according to
scientists, have been first on Earth apart from plants and animals.

Post-Laboratory Questions
1. What is a controlled experiment?
A controlled experiment is an experiment where all of the factors or variables in the
experimental and comparison group/set-ups are the same except for one altered factor
or variable in the experimental set-up.

2. What is the manipulated variable in the experiment?


The cover used for the jars is the manipulated variable as one jar was not covered,
one jar was covered with stockings, and one jar was completely closed.
3. Why do you observe growth of fungi in all setups after several days of the
experiment?
Fungi are heterotrophic organisms that grow in damp and dark areas. There are fungi
that feed on rotting hosts. Some feed on dead matter. They may feed on anything as long
as it is available as a host. The jars in the experiment were kept in an area with few
sunlight rays and the water from the banana made it damp. The banana became the host
of the fungi which is the reason why all setups had fungi after several days of the
experiment.

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