Since October I’ve been finishing up the statistics and final edits of my senior comp. I’m glad to finally have found my results.
My research assessed the differences in tail morphology of Ambystoma laterale and Plethodon cinereus and if that had an effect on swimming performance in varying flow rates. I found that tail shape and surface area have some influence on swimming velocity, but A. laterale did not significantly differ in swimming velocity compared to P. cinereus, despite having a significantly flatter tail with more surface area. I also found that slow flowing water did not have a significant impact on either species while swimming. These findings, along with observations of differing swimming styles between the two species, suggest that tail morphology may have a greater influence on swimming performance beyond velocity. Other factors such as tail beat amplitude, swimming gait, and tail beat frequency, may have a greater influence on swimming performance than tail morphology alone, and these factors need also to be assessed to properly compare these two species in terms of swimming performance. What was most interesting to me was finding that my two species, though they do differ in tail morphology, do not differ in swimming velocity, but do seem to differ in swimming gait which may be explained by their morphological differences. There could be an interesting follow up project for a Saint Mary’s or UNDERC student about those observed gait differences. I also found that having these salamanders swim against slow flowing water did not have any impact on swimming velocity as I originally hypothesized. I’m excited to finish my comp and share my findings and all I have learned with my peers and professors at Belle Biology Day, an event where all the senior biology students share their research through poster and oral presentations. I’ve sent my paper to committee and have made the edits they recommended to me. After one more round of final edits, hopefully my committee members will sign off on my paper, and I will officially be done with my senior comprehensive project! I have just started working on my poster and presentation for Belle Biology Day, which is coming up on March 2nd. This last month is the final stretch for my project, and I’m looking forward to completing it. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorsAlok Agwick Archives
February 2024
Categories |