Effect of Caffeine on Lumbriculus variegatus By Monica

Effect of Caffeine on Lumbriculus variegatus By: Monica Benjovsky and Kellie O’Hearn Procedure: What is the effect of caffeine on a Blackworm? Label three specimen cups distilled water, caffeine low, and caffeine high; place 15 m. L of each solution in he This experiment tests the pulse rate of a Lumbriculus variegatus with a caffeine solution. appropriate dishes. Label three specimen cups distilled water recovery, caffeine low recovery, and caffeine high Caffeine is a drug that 90% of America consumes daily. It is a stimulant drug that can recovery; add 15 m. L of distilled water to each dish. Place ten blackworms in each of the solution dishes and let sit sometimes kill or paralyze insects and small for ten minutes. When time is up, testing one at a time, organisms. For humans it is a stimulant to the place blackworms on a well slide under 10 x nervous system, restoring alertness and magnification. Record the pulse rate at the midsection getting rid of drowsiness. L. variegatus are for one minute. After being tested place worms in used in this experiment because of their appropriate recovery dishes. transparent skin which makes it easy to see Caffeine Solution: pulse rates. Also, Blackworms have distinct Low- 0. 0005 M (194 g/1 M)=. 0097 g behaviors, the Blackworm habitat consists of High- 0. 005 M (194 g/1 M)=. 097 g Hypothesis: shallow water; therefore they are easy to If Blackworms are placed in a caffeine solution store, and access. then the pulse rate will be higher than those Blackworms placed in distilled water. Introduction: Materials: Microscope, pipette, well slide, coverslip, distilled water, caffeine solution(. 0005 M, . 005 M) stopwatch, three specimen cups (for solutions), three specimen cups (for recovery), thirty Blackworms. Variables: Independent: Caffeine Solutions (low/high) Dependent: Pulse Rate Constants: Species of worm, well slide, temp. Control: Worms kept in distilled water Results: Reference: www. eeob. iastate. edu/faculty/Drewesc. htdoc www. howstuffworks. com (Marshall Brian, Charles The average pulse rate of the Blackworms in high caffeine solution (53. 2/min) and the average pulse rate of Blackworms placed in Caffeine low solution (42. 2/min) was higher than the average pulse rate for the distilled Conclusion: Our results supported our hypothesis because the average pulse rates of the Blackworms did increase when placed in both caffeine solutions. The Caffeine solutions may have had effect on the Blackworms placed in the caffeine solutions. We noticed when transferring some Blackworms from the well slide to the recovery dish, that they began to separate. Although, we did notice a change in color. While transferring the worms into the solution cups, the solutions may have been diluted from the distilled water in the pipette. Also, because some of the pulse rates were only counted for 30 seconds error might have occurred. The amount of distilled water could have been decreased by