Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine on Lumbriculus Variegatus...

Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine on Lumbriculus variegatus INTRODUCTION An experiment was conducted to study and explore the circulatory system by exposing Lumbriculus variegatus, black worms, to household drugs. Lumbriculus variegatus was chosen as the experimental organism because of their transparent bodies and their simple physiology. Their transparent bodies help the experimenters to easily see their pulse. Another reason for choosing this specific organism is their body structure—large surface area to size ratio. This feature allows the substances, such as the household drugs, to easily enter their body which then can affect their health.(1) The household drugs used in this experiment were decaffeinated coffee, tea, instant†¦show more content†¦The dependent variable is pulsation rates of L. variegatus before and after they were in the treatments. The standardized variable of this experiment would be the temperature of the surroundings of the L. variegatus, the three pulsation rates taken for each worm before and after the treatments, and also the amount of time each worm was kept in their respective treatments. The level of treatment for this experiment would be ten because of the six different concentration treatments of caffeine and nicotine along with the four household drugs. The sampl e size of the experiment differed from some treatments to other. For the three different concentrations of caffeine and nicotine, the sample size was 18 black worms each. The sample size of the control treatment of week 1 was 6 black worms. 12 black worms were used for the control of week 2, decaffeinated coffee and instant coffee. 11 black worms were used for the tea treatment and 15 were used for the tobacco treatment. There were three replications of the pulsation rate readings per worm before and after the treatment. With all this information we were able to get the results we got. According to the results, the columns of caffeine in figure 1, of this experiment the hypothesis for caffeine is partially accepted. There is an increasing trend in the change of pulsation rates with increasingShow MoreRelatedWhat Is Zero Caiso ( Water Enhancer?1044 Words   |  5 Pagesspotted as the outer layer of the worm is transparent, and contraction waves are seen in the main vessel as a heart beat. (Lesiuk and Drewes, 1999b) Pulsation rate is sensitive to pharmacological agents and is significantly accelerated by both caffeine and nicotine. (Bohrer, K.E. 2006) Much like in humans, the pulsation rate is regulated by the nervous and endocrine systems. Blackworms also have a very permeable outer skin layer, making the absorption of chemicals very efficient. Most consumers don’tRead MoreThe Effects Of Caffeine, Caffeine And Nicotine1462 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction This lab covered the effects of caffeine, nicotine, caffeine extract and nicotine extract on the pulsation rates of Lumbriculus variegatus, commonly known as blackworms. The circulatory system consists of the heart and the blood vessels that circulate blood throughout the organism’s body. Blackworms do not possess a respiratory system or a heart, thus they circulate their blood through contractions of the blood vessels. The pulsation rate was observed along the dorsal blood vessel near