INTIAL SUBMISSION Background: Biological Materials Animal Tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta) were provided for this experiment due to their desire to feed on the plant family Solanaceae. Essentially, each tobacco hornworm used in this experiment was reared on an artificial diet of wheat germ in order to have all hornworms at the same stage. Plant Two different plant species were used in this experiment with the same defense mechanism. Both plants, the Nicotiana rustcia and Nicotiana alata produce nicotine. The N. rustica produces higher amounts of nicotine due to it being transported through the roots and leaves. Unlike, N. alata only provides nicotine throughout the roots. Equipment A lid was placed on each plant to ensure the hornworms would not escape. All measurements were established with a scale. Within a six-day period, four days access to the hornworms was available to take measurements and record observations. Experiment To determine if there was an increase in mass in the tobacco hornworms, we measured them four times. Twelve hornworms were split evenly into four groups, each individual hornworm was placed on separate plants. Six N.rustica plants and six N.alta plants were provided. Caution was taken when placing the hornworm on the plant to avoid causing stress and a potential confound. The mass of each hornworm was measured prior to the first placement on plants and on each designated day for a total of four measurement values. Each plant and hornworm were placed in the lab under a light minimizing the effects of temperature on the experiment. We made an observation of the hornworm's mobility how much of the plant was present each designated day. Analysis We estimated the growth of each tobacco hornworm using a line graph on a mass versus time plot using the mean and standard error of each groups mass of their hornworms. We compared the mean mass between the groups that utilized the N.rustica plant to the N.alta plant. Two out of the twelve hornworms that were placed on the nicotiana alata plant did not make it, those measurements were excluded from the data. The difference between these masses would be used to determine whether the mass of hornworms increases with nicotine present.
FEEDBACK - Clearly identify the number of worms and plants that were included in each treatment - Identify how confounding variables were controlled for while describing the experimental design - Clarify how the analysis was conducted REVISED SUBMISSION Background: Biological Materials Animal Tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta) were provided for this experiment due to their ability to feed on the plant family Solanaceae. Each tobacco hornworm used in this experiment was reared on an artificial diet of wheat germ in order to have all hornworms at the larval stage. Plant Two different plant species were used in this experiment with the same defense mechanism. Both plants, the Nicotiana rustcia and Nicotiana alata produce nicotine. The N. rustica produces higher amounts of nicotine due to it being transported through the roots and leaves. Unlike N.rustica, N. alata only