Triops heartbeat research
•Triops heartbeat can be difficult to study
–Heartbeat rate very sensitive to O2 level
–Small size of larval stage makes study difficult
–Triops larvae are extremely fragile
–Heartbeat rate is modified by pressure
–Beat rates can exceed 600 BPM
–Heart usually removed from body of adults
•Research Goal
–Develop a method to accurately measure the heartbeat rate of live Triops in the larval stage and
test this method by analyzing the effects of caffeine, acetylcholine, and nicotine on the heartbeat rate