What was the Black Death?

NGSS Phenomena: A map showing Europe, Asia, and Africa. In 1346, the map is clear, but in 1347 a part of the map near the mediterranean sea is black. in 1348, the black area extends into Asia and by 1349 it extends all the way to the Atlantic ocean across southern Europe. By 1350 and 1351, the map is black from the Pacific ocean in Asia all the way to the Atlantic ocean in Europe.
Spread of the Black Plague across Europe and Asia in 5 years.
Wikimedia.org, TimeMaps
The Black Death spread across Asia and Europe in the 1300’s and was catastrophic. It killed up to sixty percent of Europe’s population. This Black Death is a name for an epidemic of the bubonic plague, a disease caused from a strain of bacteria by the name Yersinia pestis.
NGSS Phenomena: A rat carries the plagues bacteria, and a flea drinks the rat's blood. The bacteria multiply inside of the flea and the flea bites a human to infect them.
Yersinia pestis bacteria were carried by rats who were bitten by fleas. The infected fleas would then bite humans, transmitting the bacteria to the human body, resulting in infection and death within three to seven days.
NGSS Phenomena: A chart showing the number of bacteria in each generation.



References:

Demeure, C.E., Dussurget, O., Mas Fiol, G. et al. Yersinia pestis and plague: an updated view on evolution, virulence determinants, immune subversion, vaccination, and diagnostics. Genes Immun 20, 357–370 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41435-019-0065-0

1. Where did the bacteria Yersinia pestis get its genes from?

2.
Bacteria use a method of reproduction called binary fission as shown in the bacteria growth chart. Explain whether binary fission is a type of sexual or asexual reproduction and why. Predict what will happen to the number of bacteria cells by the sixth generation. Be sure to refer to Figures A-C and justify your response with evidence.

3. can impact the expression of traits.

Drag the answers below into the grey placeholders above

changes in the environment
consistent weather patterns
humans moving away

4. The Black Plague started in the 1300s. Which of the following could explain why this happened?

5. All of the following would be true regarding bacteria except:

6. Based on this information in the bacteria growth chart, explain why a bacterial infection could cause death within a short period of time.

7. Draw a model in the space below to show how chromosomes are transferred from parent to offspring in Yersinia pestis.

Color

Width

8. Explain how your model shows the ways that chromosomes are transferred from parent to offspring in Yersinia pestis.

9. Explain how your model shows how much genetic variation you expect to find between the parent of Yersinia pestis and their offspring.

10. Bacteria use a method of reproduction called binary fission as shown in the bacteria growth chart. Write a CER statement to answer this question:

Is binary fission a type of sexual or asexual reproduction?

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