The objective of this study was to determine how temperature affects the activity level of the Cepaea nemoralis. Both experiments showed the same relative trend of increased movement in a warm environment as opposed to decreased movement in a cold environment. Both trials had a much greater mean distance travelled over one minute in the warm environment than they did in the cold environment. However, many snails displayed no activity in the cold environment by retracting into their shells and whenever fresh hot water was added to the hot treatment to keep the temperature stable, the snails would get agitated and begin to crawl up the walls of the glass bowl. Generally, the 30 degrees Celsius temperature increased the locomotion of the snails, and the 5 degrees Celsius restricted its ability to move. In a study, it was concluded that muscle contraction is inhibited by low temperatures, therefore we predicted that the C. nemoralis would move much quicker when exposed to high temperatures than it would when exposed to lower temperatures (Holewijn & Heus, 1992). Our results were consistent with our prediction because in both trials, the C. nemoralis on average had a higher mean distance travelled in the hot treatment than in the cold treatment.
These findings are in agreement with the results of a similar experiment which tested the effect of temperature on locomotion of the Lymnaea stagnalis, a close relative of to the C. nemoralis (Sidorov, 2000). The experiment showed that the snails moved at a rate of 1.4mm/s in temperatures from 4-6 degrees Celsius, whereas some snails moved at a mean rate of 5.4 mm/s in temperatures ranging from 24-26 degrees Celsius. In our experiment, the average rate of movement was 2.38mm/s in 5 degrees Ce...
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...l habitat, or how much more or less they might travel during night at a given temperature. It is possible that the florescent light in the classrooms might have agitated the snails, causing a change in their behavior. To remove this constraint in future studies, experiments should be conducted dim settings, but not in completely dark rooms as this would prove measuring the path length of the snail difficult.
In conclusion, our results showed that overall, increased environmental temperature results in an increased activity levels of the Cepaea nemoralis. Likewise, a cold environmental temperature was shown to decrease its activity level. It was also found that larger snails travelled further in both temperature treatments than small snails and snails that were exposed to the cold treatment (5 degrees Celsius) displayed signs of endogenous aestivation (hibernation).
Fox, R. 2001. Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine: Artemia Franciscana. Lander University. http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/artemia.html, retrieved February 13, 2011.
Levis, N. A., Yi, S. X., & Lee, R. E. (2012). Mild desiccation rapidly increases freeze tolerance of the goldenrod gall fly, eurosta solidaginis: evidence for drought-induced rapid cold-hardening. Manuscript submitted for publication, Available from Journal of Experimental Biology. (215, 3768-3773)Retrieved from http://jeb.biologists.org/content/215/21/3768.full
Oxygen breathing lungs are a universal trait of class reptilia. As such, it would have been necessary for the Plesiosauroid - a marine reptile, to return to the ocean surface to inhale air. Oxygen expenditure in reptiles is proportional to strenuosity of locomotion (Frappell, Schultz & Christian, 2002). Therefore the Plesiosauroid must have held physiological traits that enabled the species to avoid oxygen deficit while hunting deep-sea dwelling prey. This essay will outline the hypothesised respiratory, circulatory, pulmonary and sensory attributes of the Plesiosauroid as they relate to diving. These hypotheses will be supported by investigating the physiological adaptations of the Plesiosaur’s biological analogues, and the prospect of similar adaptations in the former will be speculated upon.
...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 this experiment Brine Shrimp were placed in four bowls. These four bowls contained 2 cups of either water, vinegar or a water and vinegar solution with 50 shrimp in each. Over a course of 3 hours all of the shrimp in the vinegar mixtures died. Beginning this experiment, the control group, placed in two cups of water moved around the bowl actively. This differentiated from the groups placed in vinegar solutions. These shrimp were placed in one of three bowls. In group 2 the tank consisted of one and a half cups water and a half cup vinegar. The third bowl contained one cup water and one cup vinegar. Lastly, the fourth bowl included two cups of vinegar. The shrimp in the control group were the most active. The shrimp in these bowls moved
In some cases the eggs will get flushed out of the host. When this happens it releases miracidia that penetrate in to the snail. The snail is the intermediate host. When in the snail the organism uses asexual reproduction then development of cercariae. The cercariae can survive in...
In this experiment there were two hypotheses formed. The null hypothesis stated that different light intensities will not affect the response of the house crickets, Acheta domesticus. In contrast, the alternate hypothesis stated that A.domesticus will be affected by different light intensities which will then hinder its response. The prediction made initially was that A. domesticus will be affected by light and it will prefer a brighter environment because of the potential heat that could be generated from the light source. However, further research showed that the crickets prefer shady areas such as cervices or burrows underneath rocks to prevent predation.
We compared the untreated Daphnias’ data with the data of Carolina Biological Company. It was observed that the temperature plays a major role in increasing the heartbeat of the Daphnia, for example, at 10 degree Celsius it had the lowest heart rate
A relative of the Southern two-toed sloth is the three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus). Generally, the three-toed sloth is smaller than its two-toed cousin; measuring at about 18 inches in length. Both species sleep for about 18 hours per day. When awake, they spend most of their day eating leaves. However, unlike the two-toed sloth, the three-toed sloth is an agile swimmer. Sloths are able to crawl on land, but they are painfully slow. They crawl on the ground at a speed of 2 meters/minute and climb at 3 meters/minute. They spend most of their lives in trees. However, they usually only climb about 125 meters/day. All modern sloths are herbivores. A sloth’s fur can house an entire ecosystem. Beetles and other small insects can be found living in its fur. There are also species of moths that depends on the sloth’s decent to the ground for its life cycle (Bradley, 1982). The mother moth lays her eggs in the excrements of the sloth and returns to her home in the sloth’s fur. Once the eggs hatch and the larvae become moths, they also find their own sloth to live on and repeat the
Cold water is the key aspect in the phenomenon called the mammalian diving reflex. This reflex has been beneficially used for thousands of years by whales, dolphins, seals and other mammals that inhabit the frigid waters of the world. The diving reflex slows heart rate and causes peripheral vasoconstriction to keep blood and oxygen to the brain and other vital core organs. This reflex allows these mammals to conserve oxygen and stay submerged over longer periods of time, providing them more time for finding food, protection and travel.
Thomas, Lewis. The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher. New York: Viking, 1979.
It has been found that higher temperatures cause an increase in viral load in mosquitos and cause the incubation period to shorten. This makes the disease more prevalent in mosquitos and easier to transmit to other animals. Studies have also found that human West Nile Virus infection rates in the United States have increased with warmer temperature, elevated humidity, and heavy precipitation (Soverow). This is information that could possibly play into the study of increased bird transmissions due to higher temperatures,
After a short time, the giant African snail arrived to the Western Hemisphere. For example, there have been verifications of it in the United States. These detections have mainly happened in the Southern states; however, there has been notice of this snail in the states of Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. On the other hand, the giant African snail entered the United States by people introducing it in (Stokes). A couple of theories as to how it entered are a couple of boys putting the snail in their suitcases from Hawaii and bringing it back to the states in 1958 and 1966. Another story is of a Nigerian woman sneaking it in by hidi...
Chapter 6 of Diseases and Human Evolution discussed schistosomes, or parasitic worms. I didn’t know snails were a vector of these types of parasites. The most important evolutionary mechanism that stood out to me was that Schistosomiasis haematobium mostly infects children. Because high levels of the eggs become displaced, the parasite continues to cause havoc in the body, causing the bladder to be unable to contract and expand, and can ultimately cause bladder cancer. This is the evolutionary mechanism. Even though you are expected to have resistance to reinfection, even though you don’t experience any symptoms, the eggs and flukes continue to live in your body with the potential to cause problems years down the line. Dormancy as a whole is something many parasites share, and it is a mechanism that allows them to continue to reproduce and thrive.
Osmoregulation is an example of an organism maintaining homeostasis. More specifically, osmoregulation involves an animal regulating osmotic pressure, or its fluid content. Brine shrimp, Artemia, use osmoregulation to regulate the saline levels of fluid within their body. Because brine shrimps live in seawater, an environment with a high saline concentration, they must actively excrete excess salt. Brine Shrimps use metepipodites as the location of the ion pump which secretes sodium. This is an active transport of ions because it is moving against the gradient, a higher salt content outside the body. The two following studies describe the environmental conditions ideal for brine shrimp and the possible genetic explanation for the osmoregulation of brine shrimp, respectively.