QUESTION

Does the temperature of the water in which blackworms inhabit affect their
amount of response? Does the temperature of the water effect the amount of
response after contact with the probe?
HYPOTHESIS
Blackworms that are set in warm water as opposed to blackworms in room
temperature water will have more of a reaction. The warmer the water, the
more of a response would be induced in the blackworms. Cool water will
make the blackworms less active than the blackworms in warmer
temperatures.
PREDICTION
If the temperature of the water that the blackworms reside in were to be
warmer than the ones at room temperature, then the ones in the warmer
water will have greater responses than the ones in room temperature water.
MATERIALS

2 petri dishes (or clear bottomed containers)

Distilled water
Measuring ruler (in centimeters)
Marker
Hotplate
Tongs
Thermometer
Paper
Beaker
Probe
16 blackworms

PROCEDURE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Fill a petri dish/clear bottomed container with distilled water.

Place 8 blackworms into the previously filled dish/container.
Mark a point of reference on a piece of paper.
Place point of reference under dish/container being used for testing.
Choose a blackworm for trial and position its head close to the point of
reference.
Lightly touch the selected blackworm.
Measure the distance from the point of reference to the position of
blackworms new head position.
Record and repeat 9 more times (Total of 10 data values)
Using a hotplate, heat distilled water in glass breaker to 30 degrees
Celsius.

10.
11.

Pour warmed water into another dish/container using tongs.

Repeat steps 2-8 using warmed water.

OBSERVATIONS
Room Temperature (22 degrees Celsius)
No notable change. Blackworms squirm around from addition of water, but
settle down with the water. After several minutes, the blackworms tangle
together in a giant cluster along the edge of the beaker.
Warm Temperature (30 degrees Celsius)
The blackworms become very active. The longer ones push their tails further
against the glass of the petri dish. They are aggressive after several minutes,
when the temperature of the water decreases back to room temperature.
RESULTS
Room Temperature Data Table
Trial
Numb
er

Distance The Worm Travelled (in

centimeters)

1.5 cm

1.1 cm

1.0 cm

2.5 cm

1.2 cm

0.9 cm

1.8 cm

1.5 cm

1.5 cm

10

2.0 cm

Avera
ge

1.5 cm

Graph Showing Results from Room Temperature

3
2.5
2
1.5
Distance Moved (cm)

1
0.5
0

Number of Trials
Room Temperature

Warm Temperature Data Table

Trial
Numb
er

Distance The Worm Travelled (in

centimeters)

3.0 cm

1.5 cm

2.5 cm

3.1 cm

0.2 cm

2.5 cm

1.7 cm

2.6 cm

1.2 cm

10

2.7 cm

Avera
ge

2.1 cm

Graph Showing Results from Warm Temperature

3.5
3
2.5
2
Distance Moved (cm)

1.5
1
0.5
0

Number of Trials
Warm Temperature

Graph Showing the Results from Both Temperatures

3.5
3
2.5
2
Distance Moved (cm)

1.5
1
0.5
0

Number of Trials
Room Temperature

Warm Temperature

CONCLUSION
Our hypothesis was proven correct. The blackworms in the warmer waters
were highly reactive compared to the other ones that were located in the
room temperature water. These experiments helped in the understanding of
the effect of temperatures on the blackworms, and how they are highly
sensitive to the changes that occur in their environment. For me, it could
later help with understanding the effects of temperatures on the human
body, and how it must maintain at a certain temperature for regulation and
homeostasis.
DISCUSSION
Though I wasnt too surprised with the results we collected, it does help with
how certain types of organisms react when a change in their habitat occurs,
such as temperature. The only thing I would definitely like to do was to see
how cold water effects the blackworms, but this experiment could kill them
and also due to time restraints in class for us to actually do the lab. I think
that we should have used 10 blackworms for each experiment instead of 8,
because we had 10 trials to perform on them but it is only my opinion. Based
on our results, I feel that I have learned about how temperature effects
animals by measuring their reaction to the change in their environment. A
follow up experiment that would address a question similar to this would be
of how animals use homeostasis to regulate their body temperature during
changes in their environment, like temperature or weather. However, this
question is more complex since it would measure animals instead of simpler
organisms like blackworms, but they are measuring just about the same
thing.