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Zoology Science Fair Project

Toad Breathing and Water Temperature

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Toad Breathing and Water Temperature | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
How does cold water change the breathing rate of a toad? Toads breathe by closing their nostrils. You can count each breath by watching this movement over one minute. You place two toads in separate water containers. One stays at room temperature as the control (the thing you keep the same). The other gets cooled in ten-degree steps down to 15 degrees Celsius. At each step you count breaths for one minute. After reaching the coldest point you slowly warm the water back up. You graph temperature against breathing rate to see how the two connect.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that temperature affects the respiration rate of toads.

Method & Materials

You will work with a partner to measure the length and mass of a toad, count its breaths over one minute, and record the temperature of the water in its enclosure.
You will need a scale, a visible clock or timer, crushed ice and warm water, lab aprons, goggles, beakers, two amphibian enclosures with lids, two toads/frogs, two thermometers, graph paper, and a data sheet.

Results

After collecting data, students will be able to draw conclusions about how temperature affects the respiration rate of toads. An interesting observation is that toads breathe more quickly when the temperature is higher.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting and unique because it allows students to observe the behavior of toads and measure their respiration rate in response to temperature changes.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include measuring the respiration rate of toads in response to light changes or measuring the respiration rate of frogs instead of toads.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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