听生物学课上一部分讲座音频-ok l.pdfVIP

Listentopartofalectureinabiologyclass.

Professor:Okay.Sowespentalotoftimethispastweektalkingaboutmigratorybirdsandhowthey

survivetheirlongjourney.Well,there’ssomeinterestingresearchthat’sbeingdonetodeterminewhat

certainmigratorybirdseatduringtheirjourney,andmoreimportantly,whattheyeatatdifferenttimes

duringmigration.Andthisresearchinvolvesusingbreathcollectors—tinybreathcollectors.Here’show

itworks.Itconsistsofasmallmassconnectedtoasmallballoonfilledwithoxygen.Themaskisfitted

overthebird’sbeakandthebirdinhalestheoxygenfromtheballoon,andthenwhenitexhales,it

replacestheoxygenwithcarbondioxide,sothenresearchersanalyzethecarbondioxideforthecarbon

signatureofthefoodthebirdaterecently.Nowthecarbonsignaturethattheresearchersmeasureis

theratioofcarbon12tocarbon13,twodifferentformsofcarboninthebird’sbreath.Andtheratiowill

varydependingonwhatthebirdate.

MaleStudent:Yousaidtheycoulddeterminewhatabirdatdifferenttimesduringmigration.Howdo

theydothat?

Professor:Well,goodquestion.Whathappensisthatoveraperiodoftime,asthebirddigestsitsfood,

andthebodyabsorbthenutrient,thecarbonsignaturemovefromthebird’sbreath,toitsblood,and

thentoitsfeathers.Thecarbonsignatureinthebreathtellsuswhatthebirdateearlierthatday.The

signatureinthebloodplasmatellsuswhatitatetwoorthreedaysbeforeandthesignatureinthered

bloodcellstellsuswhatitatetwoorthreeweeksbefore,andfinallythecarbonsignatureinthebird’s

feathertellsuswhatitateamonthorsoago.Soscientistscanbasicallycreateadietaryrecordby

analyzingabird’sbreathalongwithacarbonsignatureindifferenttissuesfromthesamebird.Okay,so

whatifthecarbonsignatureinabird’sfeatherisdifferentthanthecarbonsignatureinitsbreath?

MaleStu