George Mason University - BIOL 104Daphnia Lab notes effect of Caffeine and Ethanol on Daphnia heart rate

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Daphnia Lab Abstract: The experiment was conducted to discover the effect of Caffeine and Ethanol on Daphnia heart rate. Daphnia were collected from a freshwater lake and given to 3 groups of stude... nts to place on depression slides. The depression slides were placed on microscopes in order to observe and measure the heart rate of Daphnia either soaking in a constant of water, Caffeine, or Ethanol respectively. The experiment measured how Caffeine and Ethanol will effect Daphnia as Daphnia heart rate is similar to that of humans (Campbell, et al). After measuring the heart-rate of Daphnia within the 3 control groups, the Daphnia heart rate was counted and compared. The results revealed that the experiment was inconsistent as there were too many variables created by having multiple persons counting the heartbeats. The results were also skewed in this experiment as several students had an observational bias created by the knowledge that Ethanol is a depressant in humans, and that caffeine is a stimulant in humans. On the opposite aspect, the collective data indicated that heart rate increased with the presence of Ethanol and with the presence of Caffeine. Introduction [Show More]

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