Carlos Lopez

BSC2011L
Section.3
Kevin Olsen
W
What are the effects of light on the regeneration of
planaria?
The planaria Dugesia tigrina is a small triclad thats usually found
in the debris of lakes , ponds, and streams. They usually try to
avoid being in the light using their ocelli because it limits their
movement and show negative phototaxis when their exposed to
light. In the experiment we wanted to see what effects exposure
to light would have on the regenerative abilities of the D.tigrina, if
any at all. We had to groups in this experiment, one group was
exposed to light and the other group was kept in the complete
dark. We had predicted that the group of planarias that were kept
in the dark would regenerate at a quicker rate because of the fact
that the dark is its preferred environment. After the experiment
their final lengths were measured and compared to see what
results we obtained. The results that were obtained was not what
we had expected, as both groups of D.tigrina grew at a similar

rate; thus showing that both environments whether dark or light

did not have an effect on their regenerative abilities.
A lot of factors could have contributed and affected the results
that we obtained. In the research article "The Reproduction of
Dugesia Tigrina (Girard)." It focuses on the reproduction of the
D.tigrina, the author mentions a research paper by L.H. Hyman in
which he mentions how there might be two possible races of
D.tigrina, sexual and asexual. The environment that the sexual
reproducing D.tigrina are found are suggested to be environments
with constants movement of water, as opposed to asexually
species that are suggested in be in still water climates. L.H.
Hyman suggest that the movement of water is the best
environment for the development of sexuality in D.tigrina. The
planaria in the experiment were kept in still water conditions in
which both showed the same rate of growth. One possible that
could have contributed the lack of differentiation in results could
be because of the fact of the conditions of the water.
Another factor that could have contributed to the lack of
differentiation in the planaria and the death of the planaria could
have been the type of food that they were provided with. In the

research article by A.E. Fleming he mentions to what researchers

Duncan and Klekowski says, in which they believe that organisms
obtain a full range nutrients were provided with different types of
food. When organisms are limited to a single type of food, some
essential nutrients that an organism might need are restricted. In
the experiment that we performed, the planaria were limited to
egg yolk throughout the entirety of the experiment and some of
our planarias even ended up dying. The results that were
obtained could have been because the egg yolk didnt provide
enough nutrients for the planaria to grow and even survive.
The article effects of light and temperature on the regeneration
ability of Begonia leaf cuttings goes into detail on how different
climate factor like temperature can have a significant effect on
the bud formation of the begonia leaf at the time of the cuttings.
Temperatures at 30 degrees Celsius strongly inhibited the
formation of buds in the Begonia leafs. In the experiment, the
planaria were kept in a temperate environment. One possible
explanation on why the planaria didnt show much of a difference
in growth between the two groups could be because of the fact

that maybe planarias reproduce quicker in hotter environments

rather then temperate environments.
Food availability could have been another factor the results that
we ended up obtaining. In the article "The Population Biology of
Dugesia Tigrina (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria) in a Thermally
Enriched Alberta, Canada Lake." It focuses on the population
biology of the D.tigrina in thermally enriched lakes, the articles
mentions how when the planaria experience food shortages, they
tend to absorb their body tissue which then leads to shrinking.
D.tigrina go through this process avoid mortality, but in the
process of absorbing their own tissue they are also inhibiting their
own growth. In the experiment, the planaria were fed every two to
three days with egg yolk for about 10-15 minutes. Some of the
planarias did not end up surviving after the experiment was
conducted. One possible explanation for this outcome could be
because the planaria werent given enough time to eat and as a
result, they ended up absorbing their whole body tissue away.
In a research article focusing on the effects of light and
temperature on the growth of plants and chloroplast
ultrastructure, the experiment tested soybean plants growth

under the combinations of temperature and light and the effects

that it would have on the grana of the chloroplast. The results that
were obtained showed that plants under lower light intensities
had chloroplast with a well developed grana, as opposed to plants
who were under higher light intensities who developed lack-luster
developed grana. The D.tigrina that were exposed to light didnt
have controlled light intensities for the experiment, but the
intensity of the light could have been a factor on the rate that the
planaria would end up growing in.

Citations
1. Kenk, Roman. "The Reproduction of Dugesia Tigrina (Girard)."
The American Naturalist 74.754: 471-75. Print.
2. Fleming, A. E. "Growth, intake, feed conversion efficiency
and chemosensory preference of the Australian abalone,
Haliotis rubra." Aquaculture 132.3 (1995): 297-311.

3. Heide, O. M. (1964), Effects of Light and Temperature on the

Regeneration Ability of Begonia Leaf Cuttings. Physiologia
Plantarum, 17: 789804.
4. Folsom, Todd C., and Hugh F. Clifford. "The Population Biology
of Dugesia Tigrina (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria) in a
Thermally Enriched Alberta, Canada Lake." Ecology 59.5:
966-75.
5. Ballatine, J. Elizabeth M., and B.J. Forde. "The Effect of Light
Intensity and Temperature on Plant Growth and Chloroplast
Ultrastructure in Soybean." American Journal of Botany
57.10: 1150-159.