This lab in class related to a new aspect of evolution: adaptations. We discussed how these adaptations can occur through mutations, either be favored or not, and possibly be passed down for later generations to have. This lab was related to the Brine Shrimp's adaptation to different levels of salinity. We wanted to test and see how they would react when placed in various concentrations of salt water.
Brief Background of Brine Shrimp:
This lab has to do with the shrimp's hatching viability. Brine shrimp are very commonly used in lab setting as a demonstration of adaptation. The way this is shown is through the eggs the brine shrimp produce. These eggs are basically dormant until favorable conditions occur. This favorable condition is referring to the salt water. The salt concentration levels may vary based on the location and season they are in. For example, the brine shrimp might be located in a lake. During a rainy season, the salt levels are expected to drop since there is a much less concentration of salt in comparison to the water. During the summer, or a draught, the salt level will be much higher since the water is evaporating and increasing the salinity of the lake. Based on the adaptations of the brine shrimp, it might favor either high or low salinity for hatching.
Lab:
We were first told to prep our various salt solutions that we would be testing our brine shrimp in.
We did some calculations and found the amount of salt necessary for each petri dish. We created 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% solutions.
After, using a little rod, collected an x amount of brine shrimp that we scraped onto a slide. Then, using a microscope, we counted each of the eggs collected so that we could get exact percentages for the hatching viability.
After recording our data, we placed each of the slides into the petri dishes and waited until next class to see any observations.
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