Re: Should I use plants or daphnea?

Hi Chelsi

If I had to choose between the two, I would probably look at Daphnia 
because caffeine and nicotine work on neurotransmitter/receptor systems an 
the nervous system and are more likely to have a drug-like effect in an 
animal. I imagine that any effect you see in plants would be more to do 
with straightforward toxicity than anything else, although you might see 
toxic effects in Daphnia too, depending on the dose.

So, I would suggest Daphnia, or if you feel like being busy, try both and 
compare them.

Hope that helps

Dr David Hubble
Leicester, UK


Admin message:

Check out these other answered posts about the effects of nicotine or caffeine 
on plants or Daphnia:

About plants:
Re: 
how does caffine effect plant growth?
Re: 
Does Caffiene affect the growth of plants?
Re: 
Effects of Caffeine on Plants?
Re: How 
does caffeine effect the growth of plants?

This should be especially helpful:
Re: 
Why did the plant I am feeding with coffee grow then wither and die?

About Daphnia:
Re: 
How, and why does caffeine affect the rate of a daphnia's heart rate?
Re: 
How does nicotine affect the heart rate of Daphnia?

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for more information.