Brine Shrimp Hatchability
ABSTRACT
Because Mono Lake's salinity dramatically increased, the experiment being conducted is asking, " What is the optimum salinity for the hatching of brine shrimp eggs?" We tested brine shrimp eggs under several circumstances including water that has a salinity of, 0%,2%,4%,6%,8%, and 10%. The results showed that the best possible salinity for brine shrimp to hatch is 2%. In the 10% and 0%, almost no shrimp were hatched at all.
INTRODUCTION
Mono Lake is a saltwater lake in Mono County, California. The lake is home to two million migratory sea gulls that feed on the billions of brine shrimp (Artemia Salina) also occupying Mono Lake. In 1941, the L.A. Department of Water and Power began to divert Mono Lake's tributary streams 350 minkes south to meet growing water demands. As a result, the lake's water halved, which means that the salinity doubled. The experiment being conducted is to see how well brine shrimp can hatch and survive in different salinities.
MATERIALS
2 250 mL beakers -150 mL 10% salt solution -150 mL spring water
1 50 mL graduated cylinder
1 10 mL graduated cylinder
6 Petri dishes
Brine shrimp eggs
METHODS
First, you pour 150 mL of the salt solution into beaker #1, then about the same of fresh water into beaker #2. In the 10% Petri dish, you need to put 30 mL of 10% salt water. In the dish labeled 8% you need to put 24 mL of 10% salt water, and 6mL of spring water. In the