Objectives/Goals
The question was whether caffeine increases or
decreases the total growth of planaria during their regeneration period, than
if they were to be in their usual pond water. The hypothesis was that caffeine would
decrease the total growth of the planaria, because it is a harmful drug.
Methods/Materials
To test this, 20 planaria were cut in half, and 20
of the halves were left to regenerate in their usual pond water. The other 20
were placed to regenerate in caffeine water.
40 plastic cups, 1 metric measuring cup, 20
freshwater planaria, 1 100mG caffeine pill, 2000 mL of pond water, 1 permanent
marker, 1 disposable plastic dropper, 1 small utility knife, 20 petry dishes, 7
icepacks, and 1 metric ruler were the materials used to test my question.
Results
After 12 days of observing the planaria and
recording their growth, the results showed that the untreated planaria had an
average growth of 0.7mm, while the caffeine treated ones had an average growth
of only 0.5mm.
The results pertain to the objective because they
show that planaria grow better in their usual pond water. The results also show
that caffeine is harmful to planaria.
Conclusions/Discussion
The results did prove the hypothesis correct. I was
able to attain my objective of observing what type of effect caffeine has on
the growth of planaria.
This experiment helps people learn more about Animal Biology
because it tells us that what is stimulating to humans may not have the same
effect on animals. Also, it gives us more information on how animals adapt to
new environments.
Project Summary
The project's central focus was to see whether
caffeine does or does not have a stimulating effect on the regenerational
growth of planaria.
Project by Ariba S. Aboobakar
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