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  • Essay / The effect of magnesium chloride on the average swimming speed of Paramecium Tetraurelia

    Paramecium tetraurelia is a single-celled ciliate that can be found in almost any still water sample. Paramecium tetraurelia is a widely distributed free-living unicellular organism that feeds on bacteria and can easily be cultured in the laboratory (Beisson et al., 1970). Its large size and complex cellular organization facilitate morphogenetic studies of conserved structures, such as cilia and basal bodies, as well as electrophysiological studies of swimming behavior. The paramecium moves by means of hair extensions located on its surface, the cilia. The swimming behavior of Paramecium culture is easy to observe under a light microscope. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Magnesium chloride is primarily used to prevent and treat low levels of magnesium in the blood. It is essential for the maintenance of our body, especially for the normal functioning of cells, nerves, muscles, bones and heart. Usually, a well-balanced diet provides normal blood levels of magnesium. After learning about magnesium, many questions began to arise. How can a mineral supplement affect the speed of a single-celled organism? In addition to this, we observed the swimming behavior of Paramecium tetraurelia cells. The purpose of our experiment was to observe the effect that environmental factors might play on the behavior of Paramecium (Biological Foundations Course Supplement I Bio 10100, Fall 2016). In our initial observation, the Paramecium culture was moving in random directions. We then plugged in the power supply and watched them move from left to right. Later we reversed the connection of the wires and saw them moving in the opposite direction, from right to left. We then followed the procedural instructions provided in the laboratory manual. After the first observation, we thought about an overall hypothesis for our second experiment. Our initial hypothesis as a class was that if we added a treatment (magnesium chloride) to the solution, then the average swimming speed might increase or decrease. Experimental Design In order to inaugurate our own experiment, as a group we first had to identify our variables. In our group experiment, the species we tested were paramecium culture. Our independent variable was voltage which was added to detect any sudden change in direction, magnesium chloride would also be our independent variable. The dependent variable was Paramecium velocity (mm/s). Our standardized variables were (30 volts) and the total liquid volume of 250 ml of Dryl solution. As treatment levels we had 0 ml, 5 ml and 20 ml of salts. The sample size of the experiment was 4 ml of Paramecium culture. Our control treatment took place when the Paramecium was placed in 250 ml of Dryl solution with no added salt in a 30 volt electrophoresis chamber. We replicated the control treatment twice. The 5 ml and 20 ml treatments were repeated ten times each. The supplies used to carry out are a culture of Paramecium tetraurelia, a solution of IX Dry, magnesium chloride (MgCl2), a dissecting microscope, a compound microscope, timers, pipettes. We used the optical microscope to observe the swimming behavior of Paramecium at different treatment levels. We predicted that if we added more salts, the speed of.