Using model organisms in an undergraduatelaboratory to link genotype, phenotype, and theenvironment

We developed laboratory exercises using zebrafish (Danio rerio) and nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) for a sophomore-level Integrative Biology Laboratory course. Students examined live wildtype zebrafish at different stagesof development and noted shifts occurring in response to fgf8a deficiency. Students were introduced to developmentin other fish species to demonstrate how variation in developmental systems affects phenotype. Finally, studentscultured glp-1(bn18ts) C. elegans mutants under different conditions to illustrate how the environment andgenetics act concurrently to modulate development. Undergraduate students responded positively to both thefish and C. elegans laboratory modules. These novel laboratory exercises are intended to promote an integrativeview of biology and to help prepare undergraduate students for independent research with faculty