...Daphnia Practical Write-up Purpose and Hypothesis The purpose of this experiment was to determine how affected the heart rate of the daphnia. The results gained from this experiment aids scientific researchers in finding out how caffeine can affect heart rate as well as human health. My hypothesis was that as we increase the caffeine dose the daphnia heartbeat would increase at the same time. Variables The independent variable was the amount of caffeine we administrated to the daphnia. The dependent variable was the heartbeat of the daphnia before and after their caffeine intake. The control variables were the species of daphnia used, the water temperature and the type of microscope used Method Ultimately our method was successful despite the experiment itself not being successful .We was able to carry out all of the steps without difficulty despite environmental troubles. 1. Gather all the relevant equipment including the daphnia, solutions of no caffeine concentration and two of different solutions of caffeine concentrations. 2. Remove the daphnia from its initial environment using a pipette, disposing of excess water in a few drops. 3. Pipette the daphnia onto a microscope side into the dipped part, remove excess water still remaining using a filter paper or a paper towel. 4. Add a few drops of distilled water and remove excess water using a filter paper or a paper towel to prevent the daphnia from moving around more than need. 5. Focus the daphnia in the...
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...Introduction The Daphnia magna, more commonly known as the water flea, is a tiny freshwater crustacean. Its clear exoskeleton and jointed appendages point to its classification as an arthropod. This is further evidenced by the location of its heart—the dorsal region. The Daphnia magna’s importance in the aquatic food chain can be attributed to its essential place in the diet of young and adult fish (Elbert, 2005). The Daphnia magna belongs to Class Branchiopoda, which are free-floating crustaceans that. It is also, more specifically, a member of Genus Daphnia (Ebert, 2005). Branchiopods always have flattened, partially leaf-like, legs. As a branchiopod, the Daphnia magna belongs to the Order Cladocera, which is protected by a calcified...
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...Introduction Temperature is one of the key environmental factors that affects the survival and reproduction of living organisms. There are certain temperature ranges on which reactions inside a living thing would perform optimally and its performance would decrease as the temperature deviates from that range. The measurement of heart rate can be considered as an indicator of the performance for many living things. Licht et al [1965] studied the effect of temperature on the capacity of performing an activity for the Lizards [1]. Du et al [2001] studied the effect of temperature on different reptilian embryos and showed that the increase in temperature resulted in increased heart rate [2]. The closest study to our work is done by Lankeymeyer et al [2003] who studied the performance various animals, such as water flea Daphnia magna Strauss, with respect to temperature [3]. In our study, we want to see the effect of a stimulant such as caffeine on the heart rate of Daphnia. We quantify the...
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...This experiment was designed to test the effects of certain environmental factors and chemicals on the heart rate of Daphnia. The Daphnia’s transparency allows the heart to be identified and counted under a microscope when the Daphnia are exposed to these factors. To study the influence of these factors on the Daphnia, four petri dishes were filled with a few drops of room temperature water, ethanol, sugar water, and about 5℃ water respectively. The sugar water was made by mixing a dash of sugar added to water until the sugar dissolved; whereas, the 5℃ water was made by placing in the dish and adding a few ice cubes until the temperature reached 5℃. For each liquid, a few fibers from a cotton ball were separated and placed on a slide in the...
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...Introduction Every animal has their own optimum temperature in which they are able to survive Daphnia are small aquatic crustaceans...(). The daphnia’s exoskeletons are transparent which allows their heart to be visible, which makes it simple to observe the heartbeat rate without cutting them open (). The rate of the daphnia can be monitored and counted in different conditions such as changing water temperature. Daphnia are ectodermic animals which mean that they do not perform thermoregulation they rely on their external environment to warm their internal bodies, the water temperature they float in is the same as their body temperature. Ectoderm animals use a small amount of energy to maintain their body temperature since they rely on the environment but they are also disadvantaged because they are limited as to the environments that they can inhabit as the case of Daphnia they are water fleas so they can retain they source of temperature regulation in the water they live in ().Other animals like human, birds and most mammals may have a different reaction under the same temperature conditions because they are endodermic: they perform homeostasis of body temperature (thermoregulation) which maintain a constant body temperature irrespective of their external...
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...Otto Loewi famously had a recurring dream that suggested how he could demonstrate neurotransmission in the lab. The key experimental details escaped him until he captured the dream in a bedside notebook. Later that day, he performed his Nobel-prizewinning experiments with the aid of a few frog hearts and a water bath. Now, a team led by Ying-Hui Fu reports that a single mutation in a gene called DEC2 can cause people to sleep for only about six hours per night instead of the usual eight (Y. He et al. Science 325, 866–870; 2009). This mutation seems to be exceedingly rare, with only two carriers found so far. Only by introducing this mutation into transgenic mice and fruitflies could the researchers show compelling evidence of the mutation’s effect. These two additional waking hours each day are quite remarkable when you consider that, over 80 years, this would add up to more than 8 years of extra productivity! Why are extreme short sleepers so rare? Surely evolutionary pressures should favour less sleep? In prehistoric times, short sleepers would have had more time to hunt, gather food and guard against predators. In modern society, we must constantly balance home, work and other demands. Sleep is often sacrificed, so a drug that could provide hours of extra productivity would be hugely popular. A better understanding of the reasons for sleep could provide a...
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...Asexual reproduction Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only; it is reproduction which almost always does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. The offspring will be exact genetic copies of the parent, except in the specific case of automixis. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without the fusion ofgametes. Asexual reproduction is the primary form of reproduction for single-celled organisms such as the archaea, bacteria, and protists. Many plants and fungi reproduce asexually as well. While all prokaryotes reproduce asexually (without the formation and fusion of gametes), mechanisms for lateral gene transfer such asconjugation, transformation and transduction are sometimes likened to sexual reproduction.[1] A complete lack of sexual reproduction is relatively rare among multicellular organisms, particularly animals. It is not entirely understood why the ability to reproduce sexually is so common among them. Current hypotheses [2] suggest that asexual reproduction may have short term benefits when rapid population growth is important or in stable environments, while sexual reproduction offers a net advantage by allowing more rapid generation of genetic diversity, allowing adaptation to changing environments. Developmental constraints[3] may underlie why few animals have relinquished sexual reproduction completely in their life-cycles...
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...5868 Sublethal Effects to Individuals 2009 Sublethal Effects Sublethal effects: changes in physiological processes, growth, reproduction behavior, development, etc. - common theme: adverse effect on individual’s fitness Ecological context and concepts: - sublethal effects may have lethal consequences - individuals must compete for food, avoid predation, mate, etc. - ecological mortality v. somatic mortality - toxicant-related diminution of fitness may equal somatic mortality (effects expressed in the next generation) General Adaptation Syndrome Seylean stress - response- specific suite of responses to generalized stress General Adaptation Syndrome 1) Alarm reaction - short-term - catecholamine release; epinephrine, norepinephrine) - glucocorticosteroid release; e.g. cortisol, corticosterone - increased blood pressure - increased blood sugar high - immune suppression Alarm 2) Adaptation or resistance – mid/long term - tissue-level response - hypertrophy, atrophy 3) Exhaustion - long term - depletion of reserves - failure to compensate - eventually leads to death rapid heart rate Adaptation Exhaustion adrenal hypertrophy death “Cost” low Immediate Long-Term Exposure Duration Sublethal Effects - Growth Growth - common response variable for sublethal effects - easy to measure - integrates a suite of biochemical and physiological effects - often related to individual fitness Toxicant-influenced growth – potential biomarker - often shows dose-response effect of toxicants -...
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...The Effect of O2 Concentration on Chaoborus (Phantom Midge Larvae) ABSTRACT The aim of this investigation was to examine the effect the abiotic factor O2 concentration has on the abundance of Chaoborus, also known as the phantom midge larvae. This entailed using a net to catch the organism and counting them under timed conditions. The test was repeated in a vegetated and open area of water in order to be able to evaluate different oxygen concentrations. The abundance of phantom midge larvae was measured by manually counting and the concentration of oxygen at the two sites was measured using an oxygen probe. Results indicated that in open areas the number of midge larvae was vastly larger than that of vegetated areas; they had also confirmed that the area of open water had a lower O2 concentration as compared to the vegetated area. These results are fitting to the scientific background of Chaoborus, as they are known to inhabit water with less concentration of oxygen1. Further analysis of these results were conducted using a Mann-Whitney U-Test which proved there was a significant difference in the number of phantom midge larvae in the two areas for which the reason was the different concentrations of oxygen. RESEARCH & RATIONALE This aim of this investigation is to measure the effect Oxygen Concentration of fresh pond water, an abiotic factor, has on the number of Chaoborus (Phantom Midge Larvae) present by studying their abundance in areas of the pond which...
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...Journal of Global Biosciences ISSN 2320-1355 Volume 4, Number 2, 2015, pp. 1448-1455 Website: www.mutagens.co.in E-mail: submit@mutagens.co.in researchsubmission@hotmail.com Research Paper HUMAN URINE AS A FERTILIZER- A COMPARATIVE STUDY USING SOLANUM LYCOPERISCUM AND CAPSICUM SP. Rajani, V1., Alaka, R. S2., and Sajitha Rajan S.3 1, 2 P G Department of Environmental Sciences, 3Department of Botany All Saints’ College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Abstract Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin (other than liming materials) that is added to soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. Urea fertilizer production has developed during the last decades so that urea is one of the most important industrial nitrogen fertilizers and new urea–ammonia fertilizer plants have been built recently, for instance in India. Human urine is a natural resource, which is available in all human societies even in the poorest ones which can be used as a natural fertilizer. Urine contain rich plant nutrients, since the human kidney is the main excretory organ and thus urine contains most of the nutrients present in human food which have not been utilized for new cell growth or energy consumption. In the present study two plant materials were selected- Solanum lycopersicum and Capsicum sp. In this study, soil analysis as well as estimation of protein, ascorbic acid, proline and Ascorbate Peroxidase...
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...Asbestos and Asbestos Health Effects What is asbestos? Asbestos is the name given to a number of naturally occurring fibrous minerals with high tensile strength, the ability to be woven, and resistance to heat and most chemicals. Because of these properties, asbestos fibers have been used in a wide range of manufactured goods, including roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper and cement products, textiles, coatings, and friction products such as automobile clutch, brake and transmission parts. The current federal definition of asbestos is the asbestiform varieties of: chrysotile (serpentine); crocidolite (riebeckite); amosite (cummingtonite/grunerite); anthophyllite; tremolite; and actinolite. What are the health effects of asbestos exposure? Exposure to airborne friable asbestos may result in a potential health risk because persons breathing the air may breathe in asbestos fibers. Continued exposure can increase the amount of fibers that remain in the lung. Fibers embedded in lung tissue over time may cause serious lung diseases including: asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. Smoking increases the risk of developing illness from asbestos exposure. Three of the major health effects associated with asbestos exposure include: • Asbestosis – Asbestosis is a serious, progressive, long-term non-cancer disease of the lungs. It is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers that irritate lung tissues and cause the tissues to scar. The scarring makes it hard for oxygen...
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...successful and effectiveness high. As some oil would come ashore, discussion remains on what effectiveness is required to significantly reduce the shoreline impact. A major issue is the actual effectiveness during spills so that these values can be used in estimates for the future. The second motivation for using dispersants is to reduce the impact on birds and mammals on the water surface. The benefits of using dispersants to reduce impacts on wildlife still remain unknown. The third motivation for using dispersants is to promote the biodegradation of oil in the water column. The effect of dispersants on biodegradation is still a matter of dispute. Some papers state that dispersants inhibit biodegradation others indicate that dispersants have little effect on biodegradation. The most recent papers, however, confirm that inhibition is a matter of the surfactant in the dispersant itself and the factors of environmental conditions. It is clear, on the basis of current literature that the surfactants in some of the current dispersant formulations can inhibit biodegradation. No...
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...Biology 2F03: Lecture 1 Chapter 2: Life on Land • • • • • • • • Labs start on the Sept 17 Why horses and cattle help restore Guanacaste forest of Costa Rica? o This forest was in decline for thousands of years, when Indians colonized central America, it caused its decline. o Its regenerated when the Europeans came with the cattle o The trees only produce a new plant after processes: the fallen fruit has to be eaten by a larger animal (mule, or horse or cow) à it has to pass through the body and ends up in a pile of fertilizer only then it can regenerate and produce a tree o Why did it evolve to be depended to this process? § There must be animals there in the past, in the past it was a camel (llama, alpaca). When the Indians came from asia (50000 years ago) these animals went extinct and the tree lost its major dispersal system What is the most obvious foundation of life on land? o Is landà soil Climate defines biomes, the ‘shapes’ of vegetation o Defines the major types of land on earth o Temperature and precipitation to be specific Soils in turn greatly affect the aspects (roots, water, nutrient) à rentention, root attachment, etc. Soil typically form layers (horizontal) retaining a range of physical and chemical layers: o Classification of soil: O= organic, A, B, C Soil horizons: description o O: organic, litter on top, fine litter deeper (gets broken down, hence fine), pollen, dead organisms o A: mineral soil, some organic matter...
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...GMO MYTHS AND TRUTHS An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops Michael Antoniou Claire Robinson John Fagan June 2012 GMO Myths and Truths An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops Version 1.3 by Michael Antoniou Claire Robinson John Fagan © Earth Open Source www.earthopensource.org 2nd Floor 145–157, St John Street, London EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom Contact email: claire.robinson@earthopensource.org June 2012 Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this paper, or otherwise published by EOS, are those of the authors and do not represent the official policy, position, or views of other organizations, universities, companies, or corporations that the authors may be affiliated with. GMO Myths and Truths 2 About the authors Michael Antoniou, PhD is reader in molecular genetics and head, Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King’s Cols: lege London School of Medicine, London, UK. He has 28 years’ experience in the use of genetic engineering technology investigating gene organisation and control, with over 40 peer reviewed publications of original work, and holds inventor status on a number of gene expression biotechnology patents. Dr Antoniou has a large network of collaborators in industry and academia who are making use of his discoveries in gene control mechanisms for the production of research, diagnostic and therapeutic products...
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...Aquaponics—Integration of Hydroponics with Aquaculture A Publication of ATTRA—National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service • 1-800-346-9140 • www.attra.ncat.org By Steve Diver NCAT Agriculture Specialist Published 2006 Updated by Lee Rinehart, NCAT Agriculture Specialist © 2010 NCAT Aquaponics is a bio-integrated system that links recirculating aquaculture with hydroponic vegetable, flower, and/or herb production. Recent advances by researchers and growers alike have turned aquaponics into a working model of sustainable food production. This publication provides an introduction to aquaponics with brief profiles of working units around the country. An extensive list of resources points the reader to print and Web-based educational materials for further technical assistance. Introduction Contents Introduction ..................... 1 Aquaponics: Key Elements and Considerations ............... 2 Aquaponic Systems ...... 3 Organic Aquaculture .................. 11 Evaluating an Aquaponic Enterprise ........................ 12 References ...................... 13 Resources ....................... 13 Appendix I: Bibliography on Aquaponics ............. 20 Appendix II: Dissertations ................. 25 A quaponics, also known as the integration of hydroponics with aquaculture, is gaining increased attention as a bio-integrated food production system. Aquaponics serves as a model of sustainable food production by fol low ing certain principles: • The waste products...
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