Daphnia Research Paper

The popular name for Daphnia is ‘water fleas’ because they resemble fleas in shape and movement. Unlike fleas, which are insects, Daphnia are crustaceans classified under the scientific order, Cladocera. The purpose of this experiment was to examine the alertness of Daphnia ambigua alertness at different temperatures. It involved the incubation of 30 Daphnia ambigua in three 100ml beakers. Exposing each beaker to a different temperature revealed that temperature of the surrounding environment had a significant impact on the alertness of the Daphnia. The control group for this study was the Daphnia placed at room temperature i.e. 22° Celsius. The experimental groups were the ones placed at 5° and 28° Celsius. The constant variables were food
All of them live in water mostly lakes, small streams, and ponds. The Daphnia ambigua is one of the smallest species in this group. Its food source mainly consists of protozoa and algae. They provide sustenance for animals such as small fish, aquatic insects, tadpoles, salamanders, and newts. Nutrients from algae move through them to their predators and then to animals that consumer some of these predators including humans (Melissa, 2016). Therefore, they form an important part of the food chain in ecosystems where they
Their alertness was the most visible indication of their response. The research will help conservationists to lobby for changes in industrial practices around water bodies to prevent thermal pollution harmful to Daphnia ambigua. They cannot do so without a clear, measurable, and easily verifiable scientific study such as this one. The study can also form a basis for similar research into the effect of temperature changes on the alertness of other species in this genus. The testable hypothesis for this experimental study is that Daphnia ambigua will do best when acclimated at 22°