The effect of iron(III) oxide on \u3ci\u3eDaphnia\u3c/i\u3e magna heart rate and mortality rate

Due to the decrease in water infrastructure maintenance, many contaminants such as lead and rust find their ways into freshwater bodies. This increase of contaminants in bodies of freshwater could potentially have adverse effects on freshwater aquatic life. This experiment was designed in order to determine whether adverse effects of rust are present in Daphnia magna, a vital part of the freshwater ecosystem. Daphnia magna heart rate as well as mortality rate were tracked throughout experimentation, with the hypothesis that an increase in heart rate and mortality rate would occur in Daphnia exposed to rust. Ninety Daphnia were used in experimentation, with 29 Daphnia being exposed to the control treatment, 32 Daphnia being exposed to the 5 mg/L iron (III) oxide treatment, and 29 Daphnia being exposed to the 5.5 mg/L iron (III) oxide treatment. All three treatments were kept in a constant environment, and Daphnia food was administered every 2 to 3 days. Heart rate data was analyzed with the use of an ANOVA test at alpha equal to 0.05. It was found that heart rate averages between the three treatments did not significantly differ, with p\u3ealpha (F(2, 27) = 0.64, 0.5336). It was also found that no significant impairment of lifespan occurred. A presence of iron (III) oxide was observed within Daphnia and on the exterior of deceased Daphnia, leading to the conclusion that ingestion of this substance did occur