Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi.
my Project is going to be on The Effect of Water Temperature on Tadpole Development. I am prepared to complete this project, but i am not sure if this project would be at a suitable difficulty level for AP Biology. This may be due to me being a sophomore, but i need a response ASAP so i can acquire my materials.

13jlin
sophomore

ps. how exactly would I vary the temperature over 10 fish bowls?

Hi,

My advice would be to think of ways that you could increase the difficulty of your project, within reasonable expectations. For example, instead of just asking what the effect of temperature is, additionally ask why that is the case, or if there is variation depending on the type of tadpole. To answer the why question, you could maybe just do some simple additional work, like finding temperature sensitive proteins in the genome of the tadpole species that you are using, or attempting to identify which stages in development are most affected (in terms of transcription factors, etc). A lot of this work could be done from BLAST or similar tools and would really show that you are thinking about the why question rather than just the what question.

In terms of varying temperature, I'm sure that there are temperature control devices available for fish tanks that maintain the water at a certain temperature. Perhaps your school could help you get funding to buy such devices.

Hope this helps!
Aaron Lin

thanks.
I see what you mean about asking the why and how instead of just the what. I know that i can order tadpoles from a biology supply store, but they are all of the same type and come in quantities of at least 50. being in the Northeast, it really isn't possible for me to go to area ponds to find tadpoles. Is there any website where i can order different types of tadpoles?

13jlin

@aaron fitting. we have the same last name.

Hi Aaron,

I hope this post finds you well.

I agree with what Aaron (Lin) has said. The question is broad but you can really tackle other aspects that temperature encompasses. As Aaron suggests, there may be temperature sensitive proteins. I believe you can look at the question on both the molecular and physiological level. On the molecular, looking at the effects of temperature on molecular structure. Here you can use BLAST and research other databases for tadpole genomes that have already been annotated. Furthermore, you can also look at the effects of temperature on the physiological level. Here, you have to determine what physiological areas you want to look at (e.g. growth size, metabolism, etc).

First and foremost. Do background research. Study everything you can about tadpoles and the specific species you plan on using. It is important to see what experiments have been done and what you can do to design a good experimental design.

Some possible reference (some are really old papers but may be good reads anyways). Please use a network at your school or ask your science instructor for help accessing these articles (or Pubmed for that matter).

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1445724

http://www.jstor.org/stable/30155387

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/b ... awler=true

http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v88/n ... 0088a.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=eDKEKy ... th&f=false

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_o ... archtype=a

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17404289.html

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1446148


There looks to be places online that you can purchase tadpoles. A google search for instance, took me to this site:

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pag ... .htm#frogs

http://www.growafrog.com/orderweb.html

I do not know how legitimate these sites are so please be careful. But the point is, it looks like you can purchase tadpoles online.

Another thing is, make sure the species you order for your state is not an invasive one. Even though you are doing this for science, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble so please keep this in mind. Here is an article from 2008 that details tadpoles sold online that is illegal in at least 11 different states.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2008- ... frog_N.htm

In regards to your question about temperature. Find out from experiments on what temperature you should use, make sure its a good range in order to observe significant results statistically. After doing research, you can determine what temperatures you can set. I think there are heat lamps (hopefully you can adjust intensity). you can use to vary the temperature, be sure to have a thermometer. With every experiment, do not neglect controls!

Hope that helps!

Best,

Phong

thanks for the additional insights. I have purchased tadpoles from Carolina Biological Supply, a company recommended by my teacher, so the tadpoles should be fine. plus its the middle of winter in MA, so no real possibility of release. the links are quite helpful in planning and execution the experiment. Heat lamps are an interesting idea. i ordered fish bowl heaters, but i could use heat lamps as well and just check the temperature on a regular basis.

Thanks,

13jlin
sophmore