Brine Shrimp Core Practical - Biology

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Brine Shrimp Core Practical Hayley Lockwood 1030 VARIABLES: The independent variable: Temperature The dependent variable: Number of Brine Shrimps hatched The controlled variables: Solution Salinity: The same weight of sea salt for each fixed volume of water per beaker (2g of salt in the 100cm3 beaker) This is important as if the salinity in the water is too low, the more likely it is that the brine shrimp will absorb too much water and burst through the protective shell of the egg, due to the fact the surrounding water would have a greater osmotic potential relative to cyst compared to if a higher mass of sea salt is used. However, hatching the brine shrimp in a higher salinity solution will exploit more of the embryo’s precious energy reserves. Oxygen Concentration Light Intensity pH of water: The pH of the water should be between 8.0 and 8.5 as this is close to the natural pH of the salt pan habitat, which is slightly alkaline. If pH is below 8.0, the amount of successful hatching is likely to decrease drastically. PROCEDURE: 1. Five 100 cm3 beakers were labeled A, B, C, D and E. 2. 2g of sea salt is weighed out into each beaker. 100cm3 of dechlorinated water is added to each beaker and the solutions are stirred until a solution is formed in all beakers as the salt dissolves. 3. A tiny pinch of eggs are placed onto large sheets of white papers. A piece of graph paper is then dampened with a few drops of sea water and then dabbed lightly on the eggs to pick up approximately 40. The eggs are counted using a magnifying glass. 4. The graph paper is then cut to size and then dipped into the beaker to wash off the egg cysts into the water, it is left for approximately 3 minutes and then the graph paper is removed using forceps. 5. Beakers A, B, C, D and E are placed into five respective incubators at temperatures 5 ̊C, 10 ̊C, 20 ̊C, 30

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