Effect of Epinephrine on the heart rate of Daphnia
Daphnia, popularly known as water fleas, are small crustaceans that live in fresh water such as ponds, lakes, and streams. ... Daphnia are excellent organisms to use in bioassays because they are sensitive to changes in water chemistry and are simple and inexpensive to raise in an aquarium. ... Because Daphnia are transparent, it is possible to conduct bioassays using endpoints other than death. For example, through a microscope you can measure their heart rate or observe whether they have been eating. ... Our group first picked up one Daphnia with the pipette and placed it on the slide with two drops of the water. Then we placed the slide on the stage of our microscope and focused to find the Daphnia’s heart.