Introduction Artemia franciscana, known commonly as Brine shrimp, are aquatic arthropods within the animal kingdom who can readily adapt to extreme conditions. While they mainly live in saltwater lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake and the Caspian Sea, Artemia are able to survive in most inland saltwater excluding ocean (Gonzalo and Beardmore, 2012). Their main source of nutrition comes from Phytoplankton and microalgae: organisms that require sunlight to prosper. In addition, Artemia reproduces both sexually and through parthenogenesis, processes that require specific abiotic conditions for temperature and salinity*. In fact, Wear et al. (1986) states that higher temperatures are more effective in reproduction and maturation of Artemia. Primarily, this experiment is important for acknowledging the ecology of Artemia as well as their biodiversity in a time of climate change. Understanding habitat requirements is essential in aiding preservation, survival and reproduction. …show more content…
Since each condition should play a different role within Artemia’s environment, when Artemia franciscana is exposed to each treatment, they will prefer some conditions over others. Based on our hypothesis, Artemia will stay in areas of higher salt concentration; referring to higher pH zones where the basic environment is most prominent. For temperature, warmer water will be preferred compared to cold and our light treatment will show more Artemia in areas with brighter light as their food source mainly inhabits these areas in the wild. Ultimately, we predict that Artemia will not overtly avoid conditions, but will rather show a preference to specific
After results, it was concluded that isopods prefer normal temperature conditions over warm conditions. We created these environments by adding water onto filter papers with the accounted for temperature measurements. The reason for the results could be seen in a usual isopod environment, it is usually dark, fresh, and moist, and the normal water temperature being the closest to that was the reason for their choosing. The Isopods seemed to locate the appropriate environment by the use of their antennas. For the investigation the normal water and warm water temperatures were independent variables. The observations were the control. The isopods behavior served as the dependent variables. The isopod behavior would be classified as movement in response to a cooler temperature environment taxis. All in all the hypothesis, “If the isopods are exposed to normal and warm temperatures then the normal temperature will be preferred” proved to be
To begin the lab, the variable treatment was prepared as the Loggerlite probe, used to later measure oxygen consumption, warmed up for approximately 10 minutes. To prepare the variable treatment, 200ml of Sodium and Ammo-lock water was measured in a container and a pre-prepared “tea bag” of tobacco was steeped in the room temperature treated water until a light yellow color was visible. After preparing the tobacco solution the preparation for the live goldfish began as two beakers were filled with 100 ml of treated water. Each beaker was weighed before addi...
...zebra mussel’s optimal temperature can effect their reproductive cycle. When the temperature of the water reaches about 13°C, the zebra mussels being their reproduction in Lake Erie. The eggs get fertilized when both the eggs and the sperm are released into the water, which then, develop into free-floating larvae called veligers. The larvae are carried by water currents, which allows them to expand their distribution. For about 10-15 days, the larvae are in the planktonic stage. After this stage, the veligers seek for a place of attachment and attach by using elastic fibers known as byssal threads. The point where mussels start to form their shells is known as the settling phase. If the temperature of the water is heated beyond their optimal temperature, then the zebra mussels will be under anaerobic conditions and will be halted from their process of reproduction.
During the summers the oxygen content atop the water normally has a salinity level consistent with “more than 8 milligrams per liter”; but when oxygen content drops down to “less than 2 milligrams per liter” the water is then known to be in hypoxic state (CENR, 2000; USGS, 2006). Hypoxia is the result of oxygen levels decreasing to the point where aquatic organisms can no longer survive in the water column. Organisms such as fish, shrimps, and crabs are capable to evacuate the area but the fauna that cannot move either become stress and/or die. Due to this, many call the hypoxia zone the “dead zone” (Overview, 2008; USGS, 2006).
The Artemia franciscana can survive in extreme conditions of salinity, water depth, and temperature (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010), but do A. franciscana prefer these conditions or do they simply cope with their surroundings? This experiment explored the extent of the A. franciscanas preference towards three major stimuli: light, temperature, and acidity. A. franciscana are able to endure extreme temperature ranges from 6 ̊ C to 40 ̊ C, however since their optimal temperature for breeding is about room temperature it can be inferred that the A. franciscana will prefer this over other temperatures (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). This is much the same in regards to acidity as Artemia franciscana, in general thrive in saline lakes, can survive pH ranges between 7 and 10 with 8 being ideal for cysts(eggs) to hatch (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Based on this fact alone the tested A. franciscana should show preference to higher pH levels. In nature A. franciscana feed by scraping food, such as algae, of rocks and can be classified as a bottom feeder; with this said, A. franciscana are usually located in shallow waters. In respect to the preference of light intensity, A. franciscana can be hypothesized to respond to light erratically (Fox, 2001; Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Using these predictions, and the results of the experimentation on the A. franciscana and stimuli, we will be able to determine their preference towards light, temperature, and pH.
Sordaria fimicola is a species of microscopic fungus that is an Ascomycete and are used to test for genetic variation in the lab setting (Sordaria fimicola: A Fungus used in Genetics, Volk). These organisms are what are called model organisms, or species that has been widely studied usually because it is easy to maintain and breed in a laboratory setting and has particular experimental advantages (Sordaria fimicola, Volk). S. fimicola, because it is in the Ascomycota phylum, have a distinguishing reproductive structure called the ascus, which is surrounded by the perithecium. This cylindrical sac-like structure houses 8 haploid spores; created through meiosis to produce 4 haploid spores and then mitosis to make 8 (Lab Manual, pg. 59-68). Based on the genotype they will vary in order and color. There are 3 different ratios that can arise from the 8 ascospores: 4:4, 2:2:2:2, and 2:4:2 (black/wild type and tan coloration). The 4:4 ratio suggests that no crossing over had occurred because there is no difference in order of the color parents that were mated. The two other ratios suggest genetic recombination, or crossing over, because of the
The isomerization procedure was done in order to create dimethyl fumarate from dimethyl maleate. Dimethyl maleate and dimethyl fumarate are cis and trans isomers, respectively. This procedure was done via a free radical mechanism using bromine. The analysis of carvones reaction was done in order to identify the smell and optical rotation of the carvone samples that were provided. The odor was determined by smelling the compound and the optical rotation was determined using a polarimeter.
Laboratory reared wild-type (Tropical 5D) D. rerio were maintained in a recirculating AHAB system (Aquatic Habitats, Inc., Apopka, FL, USA) on a 14:10 h light/dark cycle. Water quality was maintained at 28-29°C, pH 7.0-7.5, and 60 ppm artificial seawater (ASW; Instant Ocean, Foster & Smith, Rhinelander, WI, USA). Adult fish were fed twice daily ad libitum with Artemia nauplii in the morning and Zeigler’s Adult Zebrafish Complete Diet (Zeigler Bros., Inc., Gardners, PA, USA) in the afternoon.
... The Web. 4 Feb. 2014. Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. Biology.
Daphnia are a common freshwater zooplankton, they are a member of the crustacean family. Daphnia are ectothermic animals which means their core body temperature fluctuates depending on the temperature of their environment. Temperature has a powerful effect on the biological processes of ectothermic animals. Acute changes to water temperature can have major impacts upon genetic growth and development as well as physiological and metabolic processes. Changes in temperature that remove Daphnia outside their optimum temperature range can affect processes such as oxygen transport, heart and ventilation rates in ectothermic animals. Daphnia make excellent subjects for studying the effect of temperature on ectothermic animals because
As the following report demonstrates, some species are adapting to climate changes while many others are not. In some cases, laboratory experiments have lead to the conclusion that certain species can or cannot adapt and evolve. This research is not sufficient to make definitive statements regarding what will happen to species if temperatures and sea levels continue to rise.
The experiment measured the survival rate, the growth rate, and the size of the brine shrimp at the time harvested in various environments. To obtain these measurements, three environments were created: sea water, brackish water, and freshwater. For this experiment the scientists used 5 liter plastic buckets. Every two days, half of the water from each bucket was discarded and new water, of each respective salinity, was added into each bucket...
The careless acts of everyday people are endangering the lives of coral reefs; however; with proper conservation and awareness theses reefs can be saved. Located in warm shallow waters coral reefs can be found near the coasts of paradise. Although theses reefs are composed of mainly calcium carbonate skeletons of dead coral animals they create a protective exoskeleton which protects the thousands of species living within it (Coral, 2007). Reefs are filled with vibrant colors caused by a semiotic relationship between coral and algae called Zooxanthella. This relationship gives coral its color and assists in nutrient production. The coral in return provides the algae with an environment to live within and supplies a steady amount of carbon dioxide for the Zooxanthella’s photosynthetic process. (Buchheim, 1998- 2013). These reefs have the most biodiversity habitats in marine life, home to twenty five percent of marine animals (Earthjustice, 2014).
The pH of natural water stays in between 6.0 and 8.5 but could be affected by chemicals entering the waterways (Chapman and Kimstach 1992). Assessing water quality can be best done with the use of this parameter as it affects many biological and chemical processes within a water body (Chapman and Kimstach 1992, p.62). Extreme pH affects the adaptation of many aquatic macroinvertebrates by disrupting their natural physical and environmental processes. Moreover, the availability of nutrients such as calcium and magnesium may be affected when pH becomes too low from river’s normal
In many parts of the world, ecosystems’ temperatures begin to rise and fall to extreme levels making it very difficult for animals and plants to adapt in time to survive. Climate has never been stable here on Earth. Climate is an important environmental influence on ecosystems. Climate changes the impacts of climate change, and affects ecosystems in a variety of ways. For instance, warming could force species to migrate to higher latitudes or higher elevations where temperatures are more conducive to their survival. Similarly, as sea level rises, saltwater intrusion into a freshwater sys...