How Temperature affects Respiration Rate in a Fintail Goldfish

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Conclusion!

The only question to be answered now is, so what? Earlier, I mentioned the purpose of my experiment. I answered that by saying that all over the world fish are placed in different water environments and have to adjust to how climate and weather changes affect them and the temperature of the water they live in. So, I designed an experiment to see how their respiration rates adapt to and changes when the water temperature changes. I tested two different water temperatures and measured the respiration rate of fish in these two different water environments. I previously mentioned that my data agrees with my hypothesis. Because my data and statistical tests support my hypothesis, it can well be inferred that as the water temperature decreases the respiration rate of a fish will decrease as well. However, aquatic life will not be sustainable if the temperature drops to low. As long as it drops a moderate amount in a moderate time frame, the fish in the aquatic environment will be able to survive.

Analysis

After analyzing my data I have come to realize that my data agrees with my experimental hypothesis. My hypothesis states that if the water temperature decreases then the respiration rate of a fish will decrease as well. I designed an experiment to help me test my hypothesis through a controlled experiment. The data collected through my experimental trials stay consistent as the water temperature is normal and once the temperature decreases so does the respiration rate. After also analyzing my statistical data, the averages I have calculated also agree with my hypothesis. The averages of the water temperature and respiration rate differ only when the temperature is decreased. When the water temperature was decreased the average temperature and respiration rate decreased as well. Therefore, both my statistical tests and all of the data collected agree with my hypothesis.

Statistical Tests

The purpose of statistical tests are to make decisions about the qualitative data collected. They help make the data of the hypothesized experiment more meaningful by calculating an average.
To perform the statistical tests on the data I collected first I calculated the average temperature and respiration rate for each fish when the water was normal and decreased. Then I used those averages to calculate the total averages for the water temperature and respiration rate combined for all the fish.
To do this I referred back to my data tables. For example, for fish 1 i added up all of the temperatures for the three days it experienced room temperature water and divided the total by 3 to calculate the average temperature for the three days. I followed this same pattern for all of the fish. Then when I finally was able to calculate my total average I added up the three averages I collected and divided by three.
This is how I calculated the averages for each fish for the 3 days it experienced the different water conditions:

Water Temperaure Respiration Rate

Fish 1: (23.5+24.0+24.0)/3= 23.8 degrees C Fish 1:(96+132+148)/3= 125.3 BPM

Fish 2: (24.0+24.0+24.5)/3= 24.2 degrees C Fish 2:(108+148+144)/3= 133.3 BPM

Fish 3: (23.5+24.0+24.5)/3= 24.0 degrees C Fish 3:(92+152+116)/3= 120.0 BPM

Decreased Water Temperature Decreased Respiration Rate

Fish 1: (13.5+14.5+11.5)/3= 13.2 degrees C Fish 1: (84+72+76)/3= 77.3 BPM

Fish 2: (13.5+12.5+12.0)/3= 12.7 degrees C Fish 2: (56+68+56)/3= 60.0 BPM

Fish 3: (12.5+14.0+12.0)/3= 24.0 degrees C Fish 3: (80+68+68)/3= 72.0 BPM