Planaria Experiment Flatworms

Planaria are commonly known as flatworms. Ordinarily, these flatworms tend to stay near the edges or walls (Akiyama & Shitaro). They receive oxygen through their skin. They may not look like humans but their reactions to certain drugs or stimulants are quite similar to those of humans. Caffeine is known to increase individual’s energy and physical activity, leading to the question of how different concentrations of caffeine would affect planaria’s physical activity. Low doses of caffeine enhance oxygen consumption in these flatworms (Pagán, & Oné 2009). If planaria are put in the middle of a petri dish containing water, the lower the concentration of caffeine added to the water, the more oxygen planaria will obtain. That increase in the oxygen level will consequently allow them to move faster from the middle to the edge of the dish, their favorite location.
Planarian will be put in the middle of the dish containing water. Three planaria will be tested in 3 different petri dishes. We will measure how long it takes the planarian to move from the middle of the petri dish to edge containing just water. Then start by adding the lower concentration of caffeine to the water, replacing planarian in the middle and measure how long it takes now to go back to the edge. Repeat the same procedure with higher concentrations of caffeine. Take the average of time all three planaria took to move from the middle to the edge in different