What Makes Triops Successful Species

The Triop Experiment

Objective: Materials:

What Makes Triops Successful Species?

One tank, Triop Eggs, Triop Food, Nutrient Pack, Thermometer, Magnifying Glass, Gravel, One Gallon of Spring Water, Light

Hypothesis:
Triops have outlived the dinosaurs for many reasons. Throughout the experiment I will discover the reason. Triops have not changed much since their existence twenty million years ago. If triops were unsuccessful species it would have died off or go through the process of a drastic evolution. Nevertheless these two options never occurred. I believe that the ability for their eggs to remain in a state of inactivity allows this species to survive anything. For this reason, I conclude that the creatures I will harvest will be able to survive in the environment that I will create for it in the tank. Temperatures will play a major factor in the establishment of the triops in the tank. A perfect environment must be created for them to hatch flawlessly. Out of the fifteen eggs that I will put in the tank I predict ten triops will hatch however; due to the small environment the number of triops that survive until adulthood will be around 3. In about a week I expect to have a triop of at least half an inch.

Procedure:
1. 2. 3. 4. Fill the tank with one gallon of spring water. Place the strip thermometer on the side of the tank (outside) Allow the tank to reach a temperature ranging from 74F to 84 F Put the sealed nutrient pack in the tank.

5. Leave the sealed nutrient pack in the tank for fourteen hours. 6. Put the Gravel into different containers containing distilled water.

7. Add gravel into tank after the fourteen hours (step 5). 8. Before inserting the eggs make sure the temperature ranges from 74 F -84 F. 9. Insert half the eggs found in the container just in case the first trial fails.

10. Wait up to forty-eight hours and observe any hatchlings. 11. On the first day since the birth of the Triops do not feed. 12. On the second day place 1 brown and 1 green pellet from the nutrient pack on a spoon and crush it. Only put of it in the tank. 13. On the third day do not feed the Triops 14. Same as step 12. 15. On days 5 and 6 observe their feeding patterns. If the Triops finish their pellets completely give them food once a day. 16. On days 7, 8 and 9 give them any kind of pellet (alternate each day and no crushed pellets). If they finish the pellet completely give them one more after a couple of hours. 17. Remove the nutrient pack from the tank. 18. Place Triops in a container and change 1/3 of the tank water. 19. Change water twice a week. 20. Increase feeding when the Triops finish their food but dont overfeed because it will leave debris in the tank.

Results:

In order to get accurate results I noted temperatures of the night and day to further my understanding the effect of temperature on Triops.

Day One Wednesday May 20 Morning Temperature: Started experiment in the afternoon. Night Temperature: 76F at 6:00 pm Observations: In order to satisfy the newly hatched triops I must let the nutrient pack stay in the water for at least eight hours before inserting the eggs. The nutrient pack provides nutrients to the water however since it sealed it will not foul the water. Since triops live in pond water and spring water is clean, the nutrient pack contains dried plants usually found in pond water. The sealed nutrient pack was left in the tank overnight. Day Two Thursday May 21 Morning Temperature: 74 F at 8:30 am Night Temperature: 82F at 7:30 pm Observations: The sealed pack was left overnight. The temperature is 74F and it is a perfect time to insert the eggs. The eggs are contained in a circular container and are less than a millimeter big. For this reason I opened the eggs over the tank to make sure no eggs would fall onto the counter. I only put of the eggs into the tank just in case the first batch of eggs do not hatch. It takes approximately twenty-four hours for the triops to be awoken from their deep sleep. Day Three Friday May 22 Morning Temperature: 72 F at 6:15 am Night Temperature: 76F at 8:00 pm Observations: The eggs have hatched after nineteen hours. In order to see them one must use the magnifying glass used in the kit. They appear as little specks and are a millimeter small. They hover around the nutrient pack and close to the surface of the water. The number of triops present is two however they are very hard to see so there might be more.

*The day was very sunny as a result the video camera projects a triop that appears bigger when in reality it is very small. * Day Four Saturday May 23 Morning Temperature: 78 F at 11:00 am Night Temperature: 82F at 6:00 pm Observations: There are currently five triops present in the tank. There are two triops that are larger than the others. The triops seem to have doubled in size and the larger ones are approximately 2 millimeters. They now move around the gravel digging themselves inside. Since it is day 2 since their birth I can feed the animals their pellets. I take one brown and one green pellet and crush it onto spoons. I put of this mixture into the tank. The triops did not eat the food I gave them.

*Triop Food*

*Day Four* Day Five Sunday May 24 Morning Temperature: 76 F at 10 am Night Temperature: 78F at 8:30 pm Observations: When I move the tank I can see the skins of the triops. In other words the triops embark on a journey of molting in order to grow. They shed their skin and it can be seen throughout the tank. I can count six shedding however there can be more that are stuck on the bottom of the tank. The triops are mostly around the nutrient pack and the surface of the water. They keep going toward the water and the reason is that they need oxygen. Their gills are located on the legs as a result, when they swim up they do it backwards somewhat like a swirl. I have noticed that most triops gather where the light source is located. The food that I put on day four was either eaten or has dissolved. I do not feed them today. Day Six Monday May 25 Morning Temperature: Below 70 F at 6:20 am Night Temperature: 72F at 10:30 pm Observations: It seems as though four triops have died as I can no longer see them. This can be attributed to many reasons stemming from inadequate food, cannibalism, insufficient tank space or disease. There is one triop left measuring .2 millimeters. Day Seven Tuesday May 26 Morning Temperature: 74 F at 6:20 am Night Temperature: 76F at 7:30 pm Observations: There are two triops in the tank now; one is newly hatched and the other is the triop that survived the other four deaths. The baby triop that presently inhabits the tank will most likely get eaten by the other triop. It is their way for survival to eliminate competition and have

the food and tank space for themselves. They do not need any sexual partners as they are hermaphrodites and can asexually reproduce. Since there are less triops, the survivors do not need to go to the surface of the water that much because less triops means more oxygen hence more periods of time staying underwater.

*Triop (Tail to Head) Day Eight Wednesday May 27 Morning Temperature: 78 F at 6:15 am Night Temperature: 72 F at 8:30 pm Observations: Not many changes occurred with the triops. There are still two of them left and they were fed. The tank water is dirty however the instructions say to change the water after eight days. I used a flashlight to guide my triops. Triops are light sensitive creatures hence they will follow a light source. The temperatures over the last couple of days have been low so maybe thats why they are not growing drastically. So far the big one is 3 millimeters. I can also see its feet move rapidly when it approaches the sides of the tank. Day Nine Thursday, May 28 Morning Temperature: 78 F at 6:15 am Night Temperature: 80 F at 8:30 pm Observations: There is only triop left. The other creature must have been eaten by it. I can clearly see the tail of the triop forming. In order to provide an adequate environment I had to change 1/3 of the water. Since today is the eighth day I removed the nutrient pack from the tank and I disposed of it. The tank is now cleaner. During the process I tried to attain a molt however it was too small so whenever I tried to retrieve it, the molt would be crushed. The nutrient pack ripped while in the water as a result dry plant matter scattered around the tank. This posed to be a huge problem as it led to the bottom of the tank. Therefore I grabbed a small cup and began to dispose of the fouled water containing the dried plants. The cleaner water seems to have helped the triop receive oxygen as it no longer goes to the surface for a long period of time.

Day Ten Friday, May 29 and Day Eleven Saturday, May 30 Morning Temperature: 70 F at 6:20 am Night Temperature: 80 F at 8:00 pm Observations: The last triop has died. I can no longer spot it or see it swim through the tank. The changing of the tank water may have killed it however it is very difficult to find out. I stirred the water to see if the little creature would appear nevertheless I did not witness anything moving besides the molts and other debris. On day eleven I rechecked and my suspicions were correct the triop has died. Temperatures Over the Course of Nine Days
90 85 80 75 70 65 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Morning Temperature Night Temperature

Conclusion:
My triop was able to survive approximately a week in ever changing conditions. The temperatures since Monday May 25, 2009 have been colder than previous days. I was able to hatch approximately a maximum of five triops and I was unable to produce the results from my hypothesis (ten triops). Many factors could have played into the death of the other triops as anything human made can affect them. Examples include dirty water, chemical sprays, chlorinated water and etc. Nevertheless the last triop survived longer than the other ones. Only the strongest survive and that was the case with this triop. However the triop did not grow as expected before it died; it grew to become 4 millimeters unlike my predicted half an inch. Temperature might have played an effect into their development as they are life sensitive creatures. Therefore since the last days have been cloudy and a little colder the triop did not grow to its full size. Even though I did not have my expected results it is remarkable that these creatures can hatch after their eggs were produced twenty years ago. Just like sea monkeys these creatures can hatch instantly however Triops experience a faster growth. The reason that they outlived the dinosaurs is for this sole reason. Their life span is very short thus leading a baby triop to become an adult in a short period of time. When an adult it plants eggs leading to a number of triop generations. Whatever happened to the dinosaurs it did not affect the triop species that much as they have not changed drastically for millions of years.

Why have Triops been so successful? Triops are classified as a member of the crustacean class Branchiopoda. Crustaceans are animals that contain an exoskeleton and have joints named appendages. Branchiopoda are crustaceans that appear as shrimp. These creatures do not live very long. Their average lifespan is from twenty-days to ninety-days. There are numerous reasons on why they have a short life. The triop habitat consists of wet lands such as muddy fresh water ponds and temperatures from 72 F and 90 F. The ponds that they inhabit usually become dry thus no water. When drought occurs the adult triops perish however; their eggs live on in a period known as diapause. Diapause is when the eggs of the triops become dormant for a period of time until specific conditions are met. In the dormant stage the eggs are in suspended development meaning that they do not grow. Triop eggs can stay in diapause for a long period of time. This is the key to their survival; most eggs can stay in this period for twenty years. The female triop before it dies sends a chemical message to the egg notifying it to stay in diapause. When specific conditions are met the triops will hatch. These conditions include the presence of water and temperatures ranging from 72 F and 90 F. Triops come in many different colors such red, brown, green and whitish. These animals can grow up to 3 inches long in a very short span of time and have two tails. The tails enable them to determine if there is danger behind them and to navigate in the water. Like most fresh water creatures they use gills to breathe. Their gills are positioned in their legs and when they swim the water flow increases thus increasing oxygen. When oxygen levels are low in the tank they swim upside down toward the top of the surface. The triop body consists of carapace located at their head and thorax. A carapace is, a bony shield, test, or shell covering some or all

of the dorsal part of an animals, as of a turtle. (Dictionary.com) The carapace covers appendages that are hidden underneath it. Each time a triop melts it gains more appendages. Triop feeding sources include algae, bacteria, protozoa and small organisms. In certain circumstances they can resort to cannibalism. This occurs when there is not enough food or their habitat is too crowded. Triops digest their food using their mandibles located in the mouth. Their predators include small fish, frogs, fish, dragonflies, beetles and other species. Triop behavior is very interesting in that they respond to light. Throughout their lifespan the sun plays a huge role in their development. For example, triops grown a light environment develop quicker than in a dark environment. Another way that the Sun plays a huge role is that triops follow the light. They will pursue the light source because they need the light to develop. Triops are hermaphrodites meaning that they possess female and male reproductive organs. There are instances where specific male and female triops have been found nevertheless they are very rare. Triops like to dig and bury themselves in sand or gravel. When planting their eggs they burrow into the sand and deposit them there. It takes two weeks for a triop to become an adult. During their upbringing they grow the process of molting and become bigger. The creatures known as Triops have not changed since the Triassic period which is about 248 million years ago. A theory on their survival relies on diapause to explain their existence in todays world. Scientists theorize that the events after the dinosaur extinction led to a period of drought. During this drought Triop eggs stayed in diapause until conditions were right thus the reason they outlived the dinosaurs.

Pictures of Triops

Bibliography
http://www.triops.com/ http://www.tadpoleshrimp.info/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsforkids/75ab/ http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Triops http://www.discoverthis.com/article-triops.html http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/605644/Triops http://mytriops.com/articles/triops_appeal.stm http://members.tripod.com/~Johnkit/

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