Artemia Franciscana and Preference Regarding the Effects of Light, Temperature, and pH.

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Introduction

The Artemia franciscana can survive in extreme conditions of salinity, water depth, and temperature (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010), but do A. franciscana prefer these conditions or do they simply cope with their surroundings? This experiment explored the extent of the A. franciscanas preference towards three major stimuli: light, temperature, and acidity. A. franciscana are able to endure extreme temperature ranges from 6 ̊ C to 40 ̊ C, however since their optimal temperature for breeding is about room temperature it can be inferred that the A. franciscana will prefer this over other temperatures (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). This is much the same in regards to acidity as Artemia franciscana, in general thrive in saline lakes, can survive pH ranges between 7 and 10 with 8 being ideal for cysts(eggs) to hatch (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Based on this fact alone the tested A. franciscana should show preference to higher pH levels. In nature A. franciscana feed by scraping food, such as algae, of rocks and can be classified as a bottom feeder; with this said, A. franciscana are usually located in shallow waters. In respect to the preference of light intensity, A. franciscana can be hypothesized to respond to light erratically (Fox, 2001; Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Using these predictions, and the results of the experimentation on the A. franciscana and stimuli, we will be able to determine their preference towards light, temperature, and pH.

Materials & Methods

The procedure was simple as for each stimulus tested a metre length, clear, plastic tube, over a centimetre in diameter, and marked in quarters was filled with Artemia franciscana (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010). Then, following the Biology 10...

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...hypothesis that states they show preference to only brighter environments. Both preliminary hypothesis for pH and temperature were confirmed as A. franciscana prefer basic habitats and cannot survive in acidic ones; also they prefer high temperature ranges between 20-35 ̊ C which expands on what was originally predicted (room temperature).

Works Cited

Al Dhaheri, S. and C. Drew. 2003. Guide for the Management of the Brine Shrimp (Artemia Franciscana) at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve. Terrestrial Environment Research Centre, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Biology 108 laboratory manual. 2010. Lab 3, habitat preferences of artemia franciscana, pp. 45-62. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Fox, R. 2001. Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine: Artemia Franciscana. Lander University. http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/artemia.html, retrieved February 13, 2011.

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