NAME: #17 PERIOD: 2 DATE: 28 March, 2016

LAB INTRODUCTION
TITLE:
Testing LC50: How Much is Too Much?
QUESTION:
How much Copper Sulfate (CuSO4) is too much that is, lethal to 50% of tested Daphnia
magna?
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
Experimental Groups:
The experimental groups are the different types of Daphnia magna used in the
experiment.
Control Group:
The control group in the experiment is the control container of Daphnia magna, which
contains 12 ml of distilled water and no Copper Sulfate.
Independent Variable:
The independent variable in the experiment is the amount of Copper Sulfate in the
container which is added to the distilled water.
Dependent Variable:
The dependent variable in the experiment is the ratio of fluorescing Daphnia to nonfluorescing Daphnia, which can be used to calculate the percentage of Daphnia that will
die from copper sulfate exposure.
Controlled Variables:
There exist three controlled variables in the experiment: concentration of distilled water
in each container, concentration of copper sulfate for each container, and the amount of
Daphnia magna that is used at the start of each trial.
Null Hypothesis:
If the concentration of LC50 is not related to the survival rate of Daphnia magna, then a
change in the concentration of LC50 would not correspond to a change in the
survival rate of the bacteria.
Alternative Hypothesis:
If the concentration of LC50 is related to the survival rate of Daphnia magna, then a
change in the concentration of LC50 would correspond to a change in the survival rate of
the bacteria.

Prediction with explanation:

I believe that a higher concentration of LC50 would lead to a lower survival rate of the
bacteria. That is, the concentration of the LC50 is inversely related to the survival rate of
the Daphnia magna.
1. Discuss bioassay and LC50
Bioassays are scientific experiments that use organisms, especially living aquatic
ones, and expose these organisms to an increasing amount of a given chemical. If the
bioassay is conducted properly, the end result gives you a number called the LC50
which gives you the concentration of the certain chemical being tested that kills 50%
of the organisms being tested.
2. What is copper sulfate commonly used for, and how can the use of copper sulfate
eventually lead to an increase in aquatic algal bloom?
Copper Sulfate is commonly as a sort of pesticide and germicide that controls
bacterial and fungal diseases in food. Copper sulfate can also fear off snails and slugs,
while also serving the purpose as to act as an herbicide in many water treatment
facilities and systems. Yet, the increase in the use of copper sulfate can eventually
lead to an increase in aquatic algal bloom. This happens because copper sulfate, over
time, gathers together at the bottom of a waterbed and thus promotes the growth of
vegetation at the bottom. A vast amount of nutrients and oxygen are thus available for
the vegetation to absorb, which leads to an algal bloom.
3. What are the two reasons for using Daphnia for the bioassay?
Daphnia magna is used for the bioassay for two reasons. The first reason is that
Daphnia is an excellent index organism, meaning that its health within its surrounding
environment is a strong indicator of the health of the environment itself. The second
reason is that Daphnia are translucent, which allows us to visually see the experiment
taking place, for the Daphnia will fluoresce. This is possible because their exposure to
copper sulfate will implement a fluorescently tagged sugar within them.
4. What is the function of the tagged sugar solution?
The tagged sugar solution will be absorbed by enzymatic processes within the
Daphnia, and will allow us to view the experiment taking place under UV light. The
visuality of the experiment will also allow us to see how well the Daphnia can absorb
the sugar, and because Daphnia make great index organisms, their ability to absorb
the sugar will relate to their health, which can also be correlated to the health of the
surrounding environment/ecosystem.
5. What is the specific function of the control in this lab?
The control in this experiment allows us to compare the effects of different
concentrations of copper sulfate on Daphnia magna.

6. How is fluorescence related to LC50 in this lab?

Fluorescence will allow us to see how well the Daphnia can absorb the sugar, and
because Daphnia make great index organisms, their ability to absorb the sugar will
relate to their health, which can also be correlated to the health of the surrounding
environment/ecosystem. This can then be traced back to the LC50 value, for if 50% of
the Daphnia show no signs of fluorescence, then whatever concentration of copper
sulfate was given to that batch of Daphnia will be very close to our LC50 value, if not
exact.