1. The Effects of Nicotine on the Heart Rates of California Blackworms

2. Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to test the effects of nicotine for adverse repercussions on the health of worms, and link the problems to the traditionally unhealthy chemical nicotine.

3. Hypothesis and Null If Lumbericulus Vericuels are exposed to nicotine solutions, their heart rates will increase because nicotine is a stimulant. Null: If Lumbericulus Vericuels are exposed to nicotine, there will be no visible effects on the physiology of the blackworms because nicotine will not alter any physical processes.

4. Dependant Variable The dependent variable is the heart rate of the worms. This can be measured by the counting of visible heart rates. [INSERT DEMO VIDEO]

6. 0.00132 mg/ml

7. 0.00066 mg/ml

9. Temperature, age, light, and other factors remained constant.

10. Time exposed was also controlled.

11. Roughly 20 trials were repeated for control and both nicotine concentrations

13. Cigarettes (6)

14. Dissection Microscope (1)

15. Microscope camera (1)

16. Computer

17. Clear, plastic petri dishes

18. Pipettes

19. Tweezers

20. Procedure: Preparing the Solution Stir the tobacco from 6 cigarettes (1.1 mg nicotine/cigarette) in 500 ml of very warm water for 15-20 minutes. Strain or filter the solution after soaking. (You will lose about 50 ml through straining) = 450 ml (0.0132 mg/ml) Solution A: 30 ml stock solution + 270 ml water = 0.00132 mg/ml Solution B: One part solution A, one part water (500ml:500ml)

22. Use pipette to put 2-3 drops of distilled water on worms

23. Take heart rate of all worms

24. Put 2-3 drops of Solution A or B on each worm

25. Take heart rate

26. Dispose of worms

28. Expose to appropriate solutions

29. Place under dissection microscope

30. Take 30 second video that has a visible heart beat

32. DATA

33. GRAPHS

34. Chi-Square Analysis