Can snails become habituated to a stimulus

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Rhiannon Smith

Can snails become habituated to a stimulus?

Aim: To investigate habituation of snails to a stimulus.

A snail only withdraws when it is either inactive or threatened. When touched, it withdraws to avoid danger. Do snails become habituated to the stimulus, ceasing to withdraw with repeated stimulation? In this investigation you will collect data to find out if habituation to a touch stimulus does occur in these organisms.

I believe that as the experiment progresses the snails will become used to this stimulus (touch), at first the snails will be quick to respond but after maybe 8 touches it will not be as affected as it did at first.

Apparatus

One Giant African land snail

Cotton bud

Small container of water

Stopwatch

Table of results

Procedure

1. Collect one giant African land snail and place it on a clean, firm surface. Wait for a few minutes until the snail has fully emerged from its shell and is used to its new surroundings.

2. Dampen a cotton wool bud with water.

3. Firmly touch the snail between the eye stalks with the dampened cotton wool bud and immediately start the stopwatch. Measure the length of time between the touch and the snail being fully emerged from its shell once again, with its eye stalks fully extended.

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4. Repeat the procedure in step 3 for a total of ten touches, timing how long the snail takes to re-emerge each time.

5. Record your results in a suitable table.

6. Present your results in an appropriate graph.

Safety procedure

Wear goggles and gloves at all times during the experiment.

Make sure hands are washed after the experiment even if gloves have been worn.

Disinfect the work surface after the snails have been put away and either throw all disposable equipment away or disinfect that as well.

Handle the snails  carefully DO NOT tap them on the ...

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