NAME:

Nicola Shanks
CLASS: Science 4
DATE: May 8, 2014
PLANARIA LAB REPORT

Problem: If trisected, which piece of a planarian will regenerate first?

Hypothesis: If trisected, then the anterior piece will regenerate first.

Theory:

Planaria are flatworms that reproduce sexually. Planaria are hermaphrodites,

which means that they have both male and female reproductive organs. Planaria have
gonads, which are reproductive organs. When planaria reproduce sexually, they have to
find a mate and exchange sperm cells. The sperm cells are then stored in the copulatory
bursa until they move into the ovaries, or the female gonads. Once in the ovaries, the
sperm is fertilized and a zygote forms. The eggs are released with a sticky coating and
stick to rocks until they hatch. This method is better than the asexual reproduction
because it allows for more genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is good because it
increase the chance of survival and reproduction.
Planaria can reproduce asexually by utilizing the fragmentation and tail
dropping methods. Usually when fragmentation happens, it starts with a transverse
constriction just behind the pharynx, which gets more and more tight until the two
pieces separate. Tail dropping happens when a planarian is in stagnate water and there
is no other planarian to reproduce sexually. When a planarian reproduces asexually, the
offspring is a clone, or genetically identical to the parent. These offspring are usually
stunted animals, which remain like that until the water conditions improve.
Planaria use neoblasts, or undifferentiated stem cells, to regenerate asexually.

Shanks, Nicola

Friday, May 23, 2014 11:10:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:b0:0d:71

About 30% of the cells in planarian are totipotent stem cells, which means that they
have the potential to become any type of cell. When an incision is made in a planarian,
signals are sent to the totipotent stem cells and a blastema, or cluster of cells will form
at the spot of the incision. Eventually, these cells will become specialized and will
become pigmented. I hypothesized that if a planaria is trisected, the anterior would
regenerate first because the ocelli are in the head and that helps them sense which
direction to go. This could also help them find food or get away from danger quickly.

Data:

2014 Regeneration Chart

100

% First Regenerated

90
80
70
60

58
49

50
40

37

4th Period
7th Grade

33

30
20

10

14

0
Anterior

Mid Section

Posterior

Conclusion:

In this lab, we trisected a planarian to see which piece would regenerate first. I

hypothesized that the anterior piece will regenerate first. My data shows that the
anterior piece and the mid section both were fully regenerated by day 9. The mid

Shanks, Nicola

Friday, May 23, 2014 11:10:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:b0:0d:71

section had more pigmentation and the ocelli were more completely formed than the
anterior piece. In 4th period, the anterior piece regenerated first with 58% anterior
pieces regenerating first while in the entire 7th grade only 37% anterior pieces
regenerated first. In conclusion, my hypothesis was correct for my class period, but
incorrect for the 7th grade.

Analysis:

Our results for the planarian regeneration lab were not valid because our

planarian was not cut evenly and my group lost the posterior piece. The unevenly cut
pieces of the planarian made for invalid results because if one piece of the planarian has
more of its body intact, it wouldnt have to regenerate as much. Another reason that
our test was invalid is that my group lost the posterior piece. Because we lost that piece,
our groups data is invalid. This is because if we hadnt lost the posterior piece, we might
have had different results. Also, our class data was not accurate because the number of
anterior pieces that regenerated first was quite different from the seventh grade data at
58% apposed to 37%. This could have been because the data wasnt completely
accurate because the drawings werent exact. Another reason the data could have been
inaccurate is that the posterior could have been cut unevenly, like my group did. In
conclusion, my groups data was inaccurate and it is likely that the classs data was
inaccurate as well.

Although planaria and humans are extremely different, they both have the

advantage of stem cells to repair damaged or missing tissues. Stem cells are
undifferentiated cells that have the potential to become any different cell in the body.
In humans, stem cells are used to repair damaged tissue and to form a zygote, until the
cells differentiate to become an embryo. In planaria, stem cells are also used to repair
damaged tissues, but planaria can also use stem cells to reproduce asexually. The
human stem cells and planaria stem cells are different because of the amount of stem

Shanks, Nicola

Friday, May 23, 2014 11:10:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:b0:0d:71

cells. About 30% of a planarians body is made up of stem cells. Compared to humans,
this is a very big amount. In humans, there is a limited amount of stem cells, so humans
cannot always repair damaged body parts. Because of this, scientists are trying to find a
way to repair, or even replace, damaged organs and tissues by using stem cells.
Scientists are trying to use stem cells to create specialized therapy called stem
cell therapy. This is a very controversial issue, because scientists are testing their ideas
on embryonic stem cells of humans. When a mother is trying to become pregnant,
sometimes she and her husband have the option to go do a doctor and create an zygote
artificially. The doctor sends triggers to the reproductive organs to make the father
produce sperm cells and the mother to produce egg cells. Then, they put them in a petri
dish and have the sperm and egg cells combine to form a zygote. After the zygote
divides for a while, the zygote is inserted into the uterus, hoping that it will attach to the
uterus lining. The other embryos are then sent to research labs where scientists
experiment with them to figure out how stem cells work. Some people feel that this is
wrong because they feel that the embryo is human and shouldnt be tested on. Others
believe that the advantages of this study outweigh the disadvantages, and even though
scientists are harming cells that could become humans, they are helping countless
others by working on stem cell therapy. In conclusion, stem cell research could influence
our future and that is why people let them test on zygotes.

Shanks, Nicola

Friday, May 23, 2014 11:10:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time

70:56:81:b0:0d:71