Tigriopus Calfornicus Lab Report

Tigriopus Californicus is from an area where its environment is under a constant fluctuation of variables. The salinity and temperature of its environment are often changing on a daily basis. Because of this T. californicus can often adapt well extremes in it environment. We chose to test the copepods ability to survive in extreme temperatures. This experiment is important to the development of knowledge of copepods due to temperatures vast influences on the development of health copepods. "Because temperature influences water column stability, nutrient enrichment, and the degree of new production, and thus the abundance, size composition, diversity, and trophic efficiency of zooplankton" (Richardson, 2008). During this procedure we hypothesize …show more content…
A male and female were placed in each well for a total 12 wells with 2 Tigriopus califonicus apiece. In each well plate we put 1mL of water with a 35 ppt salinity, then 0.5mL of fresh water algae for food using a 1mL pipette. The 2 experimental groups were 10 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius, the set up was exactly the same except in the experimental groups we only used 6 well plates, one male and one female in each well for a total of 12 copepods and a light to dark cycle of 14;10 instead of 18;6. They were left in the incubators for one week. After checking on the copepods it was found all the copepods (male and female), in 35 degrees Celsius were dead. A new experimental group was set up and these changes were made; 35 degrees Celsius was changed to 30 degrees Celsius with no change in the structure of 30 degrees than in the 35-degree group. For the next 2 weeks the copepods would get checked on once a week using a microscope to see which ones’ survived based on movement. It was important to carefully record what plate each survivor was in and whether they were male or female. The organisms were only fed twice during the first trail which was during the set up and on wellness check #2. .5mL of fresh water algae was placed in each well of all the plates. After the second week a new trial was to be held. The …show more content…
All specimen in the 30 degrees were alive because they were fresh. The Room temperature group showed identical results to the week before with all females alive and only 4 of the 6 males survived. For the 10 degrees Celsius, the female survival rate was twice the amount of the males in which the females had all original specimen and the males only having 3 out of the 6 alive. Week Three showed consistent results in which the females had more living than the male counterparts. The males had only two out of the 6 living in all three of their temperatures. The females had 4/6 in the 30 degrees Celsius, 3/6 in the room temperature, and 6/6 living in the 10 degrees Celsius. By week 4 we needed to start new trial groups because the majority of the copepods in all of the temperatures both male and female were dead due to their normal life cycle duration. The only surviving copepods were in the 10 degrees Celsius and again the females showed a slightly higher survival proportion of 4/6 and the male survival proportion was 3/6. The fifth week we found that in the male groups 4 out of the 6 were living in the 30 and in the 10 degrees Celsius and actually had all of its specimen alive in the room temperature. For the females, we found that the 30 degrees was the same as the males (4/6) and the 10 degrees had a proportion of 5/6. The room temperature for the females was the same as the males in the way that there were