Lab 5: Ecological Niche of Brine Shrimp

The habitat of an organism in the wild is dependent on its sources of energy and reliance on basic environmental factors. A species habitat and its role in the environment make up a specific ecological niche. An organism's behavior is strongly influenced by the conditions of its environment, and the limitations of their survival determine the range of their niche. A team of scientists at Boston University have recently discovered that temperature and light are key factors in determining the habitat of Brine Shrimp. These selective pressures are environmental factors that determine and characterize niches. Through the division of 2 meter long tubes containing Brine Shrimp, the scientists were able to determine how temperature and light variations affect the behavior of the shrimp. In order to determine the ideal living temperature the scientists placed an end of one of the tubes in front of a heat lamp and its other end covered in ice. After thirty minutes of exposure the majority of the shrimp had gravitated towards the cooler end of the tube. The scientists deducted that Brine Shrimp prefer a cooler environment. In an effort to determine the ideal light conditions, one end of the second tube was exposed to light while its other half remained completely shaded. The results showed that after 30 minutes of exposure the shrimp had a definite tendency to move toward the shaded half of the tube. Withgott, Jay, and Scott Brennan. Essential Environment. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2007.