The first experiment I ran showed no difference between the wounded and the unwounded seaweeds. I decided to do the experiment again but only run it for 24 hours instead of 48, and I put the samples in the dark so that the amphipods would feed faster. I also cut off the tips of all the seaweed before I wounded them or not.
During the first experiment I was trying to see if the whole seaweed turned on chemical defenses to make itself not tasty to the herbivores; this time, I was seeing if the wounding would effect just a small part of the tip. Both times, however, there were not significant differences between the wounded and unwounded seaweeds. Next, I am going to run another experiment where I either wound or do not wound the tissue, but then I'm going to freeze the seaweeds and grind them up and feed them to the herbivores. It's possible that the seaweeds, when left alive and in water with the amphipods, stop putting out their chemical defenses after a short period of time. If I freeze the tissue right after I grind it, I'm hoping it will freeze the chemical defense the seaweed is putting off. I'll let you know the results I get!
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PATRIOTS POINT
Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum
40 Patriots Point Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
40 Patriots Point Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464