Calcium Ions Effect on Planaria Feeding Behavior

Calcium is a well-known nutrient required for animal body function, playing a role in muscle contraction, movement, and neurological messaging. Laboratories use planaria, invertebrate flatworms, as a common model to study motility. These invertebrates have the ability to absorb nutrients such as calcium through their skin which aid in their metabolic processes. We hypothesize that how we house model organisms can affect the quality and outcome of our experiments. In other laboratories planaria are grown in different types of water. Which led us to ask how do different waters effect planaria motility and feeding behaviors for specific species? To test this, we observed their motility and feeding processes. These waters notably differ in their composition, including their calcium content. Previous research has focused on planarian species Schmidtea mediterranea, Dugesia japonica, and Girardia guanjuatiensis but not Giardia dorotocephala. We have tested three previously published waters, Montjuic, Kanatani, and instant ocean salt water, to see the effects of their feeding behavior. Over the course of two weeks, the worms were incubated in each water after which their feeding behavior was recorded. Each water was tested three times. The results showed that IOS control had one death along with lower feeding reactions compared to the rest. Through this study we hope to improve planaria care and data collection associated with specific species of planaria.