Does CAFFEINE have an affect on the Heart Rate of a DAFNIA (water flea)?
Introduction
The objective of this investigation was to observe the affect of caffeine on the heart rate of a Daphnia (water flea), by observing the specimen under a microscope for a set period of time while in an environment of concentrated caffeine. By using a microscope, the collection of data regarding the heart rate of the how to make a line graph in word Daphnia was possible. Drinks such as coffee, Red bull, MONSTER and Coca-Cola contain high amounts of caffeine, causing the consumer to increase their amounts of stimulatory neurotransmitters (this is a chemical in the brain sent throughout the body telling your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, and your stomach to digest). As caffeine is a stimulant, it is predicted that the drug will increase the Heart Rate of the Daphnia. Caffeine will be used in this experiment with concentrates of black coffee.
Due to the miniature size of a Daphnia, biologists have had unique troubles with analysing the way the systems of the Daphnia function. Biologists have argued, that the circulatory system of a Daphnia relies on diffusion or convection. However, it has been decided that depending on the oxygen levels in the environment will affect the way that the circulatory system of the Daphnia functions. The levels of haemoglobin will also affect the functioning of the circulatory system in the water flea. Haemoglobin is a red blood cell, assisting the
Individual Daphnia magna are transferred to a microscopic slide using a pipette. The Daphnia was moving freely in a drop of H2O on the slide. For the control, the heart rate of D. magna is observed for 15 seconds
Daphnia, also known as water fleas, are small crustaceans about 1mm-5mm long and are part of the freshwater zooplankton (Ebert 2005, Hutchinson 2005 & Clifford 1991). Daphnia can be found in most fresh water habitats such as freshwater springs, ponds and reservoirs and are the predominant food for planktivorous fish. Dapnia are ‘filter feeders’ meaning they feed on small particles suspended in the water which can include algae. It has been found that daphnia tend to migrate to the upper parts of the water at night and return to the lower parts of the water in the day to hide from predators (Ebert 2005) (Hutchinson 2005). Daphnia can reproduce through sexual reproduction and also asexual
After completing the experiment we found that when we gave the Daphnia caffeine the heartbeat rate did show an increase. However, we also found that alcohol also increased the number of times the heart beat. Even though we performed all of the experiments very carefully, we cannot be certain that the effect we saw was due to the drugs. Perhaps the change in heartbeat rate is caused by
The following was the procedure used by the team that introduced chemicals into the environment of the Daphnia. First a zero reading was taken before any chemicals were introduced. The zero reading was an observation of the Daphnia’s heart rate before any substances were administered. All fluids were drawn off the slide using the corner of a Kimwipe. Then two drops of two percent alcohol solution were dropped onto the Daphnia. After a minute a heart rate reading was taken. The same procedure, including using the Kimwipe to draw off previous solution, was then used with four, six, eight, and ten percent solutions. A heart rate reading was taken after each solution was introduced.
In order to complete this exercise, two different procedures were conducted; one measured the basal heart rate, and the other measured the drug-induced heart rate. A sample 's basal heart rate can be defined as the “resting” heart rate. This is when no drugs or altering substances are applied. In comparison, the drug-induced heart rate of a sample can be defined as the heart rate after the drug was administered to the surrounding environment. The four drugs tested on the Daphnia specimens were Acetylcholine, Caffeine,
Investigating the Effect of Alcohol on Heartbeat of Daphnia Daphnia are the organisms that are involved in this experiment to find out what effect alcohol has on their heartbeat. It is easy to study the effects of alcohol on the heart of Daphnia as the organ can be easily seen through the transparent body of Daphnia. The number of heartbeats may be counted before submersion in alcohol and after submersion in alcohol to investigate the effect of alcohol. Daphnia belong to the Phylum Arthropoda and are Branchiopoda which belong to the class, Crustacea. Daphnia are invertebrates and also have an exoskeleton, jointed appendages, a dorsal heart and open blood system.
Daphnia (water fleas) are grouped as crustaceans under the arthropod group of Kingdom Anamalia. They have an open circulatory system where fluid (there is no distinction between blood and nutritional fluid) in the hemocoel delivers oxygen and nutrients to the organs/ cells directly meaning caffeine enters their system much faster than it would in humans. This type of
The purpose of this lab was to determine the normal heart rate of a Daphnia Magna and decipher the different effects that various substances had on it. A Daphnia Magna is a species of water fleas and can be located in the Northern United Sates against the coastline of the Atlantic in rocky pools. The water flea’s habitat consists of rivers and streams, temporary pools, lakes and ponds, and brackish water. The Daphnia Magna range from two to five millimeters in length and are shaped like a kidney bean (Elenbaas, Molly). Relating to this lab experiment we learned in class that the normal heart rate is measured anywhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM). If your resting BPM is measured at a level above the number 100 it is known as Tachycardia. This term indicates that your heart level has exceeded the normal range. Also if your heart rate is indicated below 60 then it is called Bradycardia, which means the heart is beating slower than normal. When your heart rate is affected by a substance in the body it is called a Chronotropic agent. When the heart rate decreases because of a substance or chemical it is called a negative Chronotropic and when it is affected oppositely by increasing it is known as a positive Chronotropic agent. In this experiment we added many different substances to the slide on which the water flea was placed to calculate the increase or decrease in its heart rate due to the ingredients in the substances. The first substance used was
The effects of caffeine and alcohol on daphnia are expressive of whether these substances are harmful or beneficial to the organism. By understanding the results of this experiment, it may also be understood how these substances effect humans. In this study, one daphnia was exposed to increasing levels of alcohol, while the other was exposed to increasing levels of caffeine, each in order to test the hypothesis that when given amounts of caffeine and alcohol, the daphnia will be affected the same way a human would. The effect of each substance was measured by the daphnia’s heart rate one minute after the substance was added. Results reveal that alcohol slows the heart rate, while caffeine increases heart rate. Furthermore, caffeine shows a
This experiment is to see The Affect of Caffeine on Daphnia. Daphnia is also known as a water flea. It is a distant relative of crabs and shrimps. (Marshall Cavendish, 2002) Daphnia have a hard external skeleton with jointed appendages and limbs. The head contains a large central eye which is made of two eyes joined together. Daphnia has two pairs of antennae which are used for swimming. Each daphnia has five pairs of limbs. These limbs lie in a certain space under the body bounded by the carapace. (Marshall Cavendish, 2002) A carapace is a hard upper shell or chitinous outer covering on the back of some animals. The daphnia is well preserved because of its shells which are composed of chitin. The usual size of this microorganism is about 0.2-0.3 mm; they look like flat disks. Their bodies are divided into three parts – head, thorax, and abdomen. The head is typically dome-shaped with five pairs of appendages. Among these five are two pairs of antennae; there is a small pair and a larger pair. The smaller pair of antennae serves as a sensory function and the larger one is used for swimming. The other three appendages’ purpose is to secure food they intake. (Michael Hutchins, 2003) The thorax holds four to six pairs of legs that are used for gathering food, filtering water, or grasping mates. There are over 400 species of daphnia and they are distributed worldwide. Daphnia uses their thoracic legs to produce a constant current of water; this allows them to filter food
The experiment took place in a laboratory setting, and the first step was obtaining sixty individual Daphnia magna (that were neither adults nor tiny offspring) from a large tank in the lab. These individuals were equally divided into three groups; low density, medium density, and high density. The twenty Daphnia assigned to the low density group were split into four groups of five and pipetted into one of four tubes filled with 10mL of Chlamydomonas algae. The twenty Daphnia assigned to the medium density group were split into two groups of ten and placed into one of two tubes also filled up to 10mL with Chlamydomonas. The final twenty Daphnia were all placed into a single tube filled with 10mL of the algae. In order to avoid suffocation-related
Daphnia are used to test water toxicity, they are a vital part of fresh water ecosystems. They are a food source for smaller fish and invertebrates and considered to be a consumer of algae and bacteria (Elbert, 2005). These small crustaceans range in size from 2-5mm long and are commonly referred to as water fleas. Daphnia belong to the group called Daphniidae, which is a relative of freshwater shrimp. It is easy to see the internal organs of daphnia because of a transparent taco shell like carapace. A carapace is the hard outer part of a shell or covering. A daphnia’s life span can range between 1-56 days. (Elenbaas, 2013; Clare 2002). The comfortable pH level for daphnia is between 7.2 and 8.5 (Clare, 2002).
In this experiment we find how caffeine can affect the heart rate of a culture Daphnia. Heart rate of a living organism’s can vary depending on the individual, age, body size, heart conditions, medication use and even temperature. This report will examine if the caffeine is good or bad for the living organism’s health and body. And discuss about where the caffeine is produced and used in daily life of human beings and on the environment. Daphnia is a water flea used in this experiment because of its genomic infrastructure with wide range of phenotypic diversity. This quality of Daphnia makes them a versatile model for the experiment. Also their transparent body allows the experimenter to visually see how the heart beats and count them under the light microscope during the experiment as required. The heart rate of Daphnia is monitored under different concentration of caffeine solution and the results are shown in a table and a graph. Experiment carried out to locate the effects of caffeine on a heart rate of Daphnia may or may not be a predictor of change in human heart rate under caffeine. The effects of caffeine can also be tested on humans but those experiment involving humans contains high risk, as Daphnia can only live for a short period of time and in nature most of them get eaten within their first few days or weeks of life.
Dysticus, the diving beetle, carries a bubble of air with them when they dive beneath the water surface. This bubble of air can be trapped under the wing covers and usually covers one or more spiracles so that the insect can breathe the air from the bubble while submerged in the water. This trapped air acts as a diffusion gill and the oxygen diffuses into it from the water and then into the tracheae. The concentration gradient for the diffusion of oxygen is maintained by metabolism in the tissues. This air bubble provides the diving beetle with a short-term supply of oxygen but due to unique physical properties, the bubble can collect some oxygen molecules that has dissolved in the surrounding water. This system works more efficiently when the bubble has a larger surface area. The diving beetle can remain submerged in the water as long as the volume of oxygen diffusing into the bubble is greater or equal to the volume of oxygen that
Thesis: Caffeine can have many different effects on the body depending on the amount of consumption.