1.3 - Communicating in Biology

Researchers must know how to communicate among themselves in order to deliver and share valuable research findings. Some of the basic methods used are tables, graphs and biological drawings.

Figure 5 - Data tabulation is always the first step in when collecting and recording data. It can help us to justify which kind of illustration is suitable to be used for data presentation later. During the experiment, it is important to have at least three repetitions in order to ensure accuracy of our data.

Figure 6 - Line graphs are used to see the changes or relationships between the two variables (normally the manipulated variables affect the responding variables).

Figure 7 - Bar charts are normally used to compare the differences between two or more groups.

Figure 8 - Histograms are normally used to see how the variables are being distributed. The difference between a histogram and bar chart is that histogram displays a continuous data while a bar chart displays different groups of data.

Biological Drawings

Biological drawings illustrate what is being observed while looking at a specimen. It is a simple drawing done by using a pencil without any shading, sketching or coloring. Here are some of the characteristics of a biological drawing that must be remembered.

• The lines drawn must be clear, sharp and continuous.
• All drawings must be labelled with straight lines.
• The labels cannot cross one another.
• A title must be given to all drawings.
• The details of the drawings must be of the correct proportion.
• The magnification factor of the drawings must be stated.

Figure 9 - A plan drawing of plant cells.

Plane, Section and Direction

The structure of an organism is observed and described based on the anatomical plane, section and direction. The plane is a hypothetical flat surface that cuts through the body. There are three main planes that are commonly used – sagittal plane , frontal plane and horizontal plane.

Figure 10 - Sagittal plane is what divides the body into left and right parts. Frontal plane tells us the front and back parts of an organism. The horizontal plane is what separates the upper and lower parts.

An anatomical section is an imaginary line that cuts through an object. It can be divided into cross section and longitudinal section.

Figure 11 - Imagine a banana is cut into half, from the top towards the bottom (top picture). That gives us a longitudinal section of the banana (The result is a long banana in half). Now, if you cut another banana into upper and lower parts horizontally (bottom picture), this gives us the cross section of the banana (The result is circular banana).

Most of the anatomical drawings require labels with anatomical directions. The anatomical directions can tell us the orientation of an organism. Humans and animals have rather different labels due to their posture differences.

Anatomical Directions

• Superior: The part of the body that is higher or towards the head. For example, the nose is superior to mouth.
• Inferior: The part of the body that is lower than other parts or towards the feet. For instance, the nostrils can be seen on the inferior aspect of the nose.
• Anterior: Towards the front part of the body. For example, the nose is on the anterior side of the head.
• Posterior: Towards the rear or back of the body. For example, the shoulder blades are situated on the posterior side of the body.
• Dorsal: In humans, it has the same meaning as posterior. In animals, dorsal refers to the upper part/surface of the body. For instance, the dorsal fin is the vertical fin on the back of a fish.
• Ventral: In humans, it has the same meaning as anterior. In animals, ventral refers to the lower part/surface of the body. For example, the ventral fin is the fin that is located at a fish's belly.

Figure 12 - The anatomical direction of a human being. Superior is also known as cranial (towards the head/skull region) while inferior can also be called caudal (rear).

Figure 13 - The anatomical direction of an animal.