daphina and coffein effect on its heart rate
Caffeine effect on Daphnia’s heart rate
Prepared for: Androniki Kloni
By: Maria Mitsi
October 6, 2013
Abstract
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants, as well as enhancing the reward memory of pollinators.
An experiment was held, on an aquatic invertebrate called ‘Daphnia’, to investigate the effect of caffeine on its heart rate. The fact that Daphnia is a transparent organism facilitates the experiment as it allows us to see its internal organs. Different caffeine solutions of different concentrations were used including one control solution without any caffeine in it at all. A caffeine solution is placed onto a Daphnia and the number of its heart beats within 10 seconds was counted. This procedure was repeated 10 times using the same concentration of caffeine but different Daphnia individuals each time. Afterwards this was repeated using different concentrations. All factors should be kept constant in order to be able to compare the results. The overall results were that as caffeine concentration increases, Daphnia’s heart rate increases too.
Introduction
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a psychoactive stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the beans, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. It is most commonly consumed by humans in infusions extracted from the cherries of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut. In humans, caffeine has a stimulant effect, causing increased amounts of stimulatory neurotransmitters to be released. If the consumption of caffeine is
Prepared for: Androniki Kloni
By: Maria Mitsi
October 6, 2013
Abstract
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants, as well as enhancing the reward memory of pollinators.
An experiment was held, on an aquatic invertebrate called ‘Daphnia’, to investigate the effect of caffeine on its heart rate. The fact that Daphnia is a transparent organism facilitates the experiment as it allows us to see its internal organs. Different caffeine solutions of different concentrations were used including one control solution without any caffeine in it at all. A caffeine solution is placed onto a Daphnia and the number of its heart beats within 10 seconds was counted. This procedure was repeated 10 times using the same concentration of caffeine but different Daphnia individuals each time. Afterwards this was repeated using different concentrations. All factors should be kept constant in order to be able to compare the results. The overall results were that as caffeine concentration increases, Daphnia’s heart rate increases too.
Introduction
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a psychoactive stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the beans, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. It is most commonly consumed by humans in infusions extracted from the cherries of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut. In humans, caffeine has a stimulant effect, causing increased amounts of stimulatory neurotransmitters to be released. If the consumption of caffeine is