Effect of Benadryl on Lumbriculus Variegates By:Yasmeen Shabazz and Chanyce Powell Bio- Albion High School Hypothesis:The blackworms pulse rate decrease when it’s put in the benadryl solution Independent v. : Worms in benadryl solution Dependent v. : Pulse rate of blackworms Control: Plain worms in spring water Constant: The time the worms are exposed to benadryl & spring water Introduction: We will be testing the effect of benadryl has on blackworms pulse rate. The medical name of benadryl is diphenhydramine. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine that masks the symptoms of runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose and throat, itchy watery eyes, a common cold, hay fever, and allergy symptoms. We can look at the blackworms today because their skin is transparent. Observation: I noticed that the worms were very squirmy when I first chose them, but once they sat in the benadryl solution for 3 minutes, they did calm down A LOT. While they were being soaked in benadryl, the medicine stuckto their skin causing them to calm down. Once they were put in the recovery bowl, they were very stretched out, dazy, and very out of it. Procedure: Crush and dissolve 1 tablet of benadryl in100mL of spring water with low heat and stir with a glass stirring rod. Suck up 1 worm with a pipette and soak each worm in each solution for 3 minute. After, put the worm on a depressant slide, put the cover slip on at a 45 degree angle so theres no air bubbles. Once you have a good focus point, have you're partner set a time rfor 1 min. And count the pulse. When your done, carefully put the worm into the recovery bowl and observe their behavior and skin erruptions. Repeat for spring water worms. Results: The benadryl worms mean is 16.7, and the spring water worms mean was 22.. The graph shows that the spring water worms pulse rate were, for the most part, higher than the springwater worms. Conclusion: Obviously 810 the spring water worms pulse rate was higher than the benadryl worms. The part in our experiment that probably couldve been better was that we couldve dissolved our drug all the way. All in all, the benadryl did make the worms pulse rate did decrease when put in the benadryl solution. This is the worm in the benadryl solution that has the medicine particles stuck to his skin. This is the worm under the microscope with a little tiny benadryl particle with him. Materials: 20 Blackworms 3 deep dish trays Microscope Timer Burner Flask Glass stirring rod 2 pipettes Depressant slide Cover slip Spring water 1 tablet of benadryl References: Drewes, Charles D., Dr. "Lumbriculus Variegatus: A Biology Profile."Invertebrate Neurobiology (n.d.): n. pag. Www.eeob.iastate.edu. Iowa State University Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology Dept. Web. 4 Sept. 2015. <http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/DrewesC/htdocs/Lvgen4.htm>.