Ups and downs of a tiny (organism’s) life: relative effects of ethanol and caffeine on heart rate of Daphnia magna

Abstract

Caffeine and ethanol are some of the most widely consumed chemicals worldwide, yet little is known about their effects on heart rate. Many studies explore the effects of each solution separately, but not which one has a greater effect on heart rate than the other.D. Magna share a close resemblance to the human heart, making them a more ethical alternative for our research. We conducted 12 trials comparing the heart rate of D. Magnawhen exposed to ethanol or caffeine. Even though D. Magnahave a large span of average heart rates, our findings suggest that both caffeine and ethanol increased heart rate.