Document Type

Honors Thesis

Major

Marine Science

Advisor(s)

Scarlett Tudor

Committee Members

Heather Hamlin, Gail Schwieterman

Graduation Year

May 2024

Publication Date

Spring 5-2024

Abstract

Nitrate is a ubiquitous pollutant that is becoming more prevalent in both fresh and saltwater environments. Short term effects are often studied, but an organism’s response to stress can change due to whatever the stressor is. In order to research this, a study was run using environmentally relevant nitrate treatments (0 mg/L, 10 mg/L NO3-N, and 100 mg/L NO3-N) to see the effect of nitrate on scototaxis behaviors, a measure of anxiety. This study used Betta splendens because they are easy to rear and have very well documented behaviors. In addition to the scototaxis, the effect of temperature on mortality was also analyzed. It was found that mortality had a positive correlation with temperature and females spent more time on the black side in the 10 mg/L NO3-N treatment than the 100 mg/L NO3-N treatment.

Download

Share