1. The Effect of Caffeine on the Survival and Development of Mealworms
By: Anna Gillin
Good morning, my name is Anna Gillin and I am in 10th grade. The title of my project is the effect of caffeine on the survival and development of mealworms.

2. Question
How does caffeine affect the growth, survival, and development of mealworms?
The purpose of my experiment is to assess the effects of caffeine on the growth, survival, and development of mealworms.
Today, caffeine is heavily consumed by people today. It is many foods and beverages consumed daily. I chose this experiment because I was interested to see the effects of varying levels of caffeine on an organism such as mealworms.

3. Research
Caffeine (C8H10N4O2) is a drug that stimulates the nervous system
It gives consumers an increase in energy and can elevate mood
Caffeine is added to many drinks and foods such as chocolate, coffee, energy drinks, and many soft drinks and is heavily consumed by people today
Some side effects of caffeine are headaches, anxiety, and dizziness. High levels of caffeine can be very dangerous, especially when mixed with other foods or drinks.

4. Research Mealworms are the larva staged of the Darkling Beatle
They are part of the Tenebrio Genus and the T. molitor species
The larval stage of mealworms can last from 90 up to 114 days
In their larval stage, the prime occupation of mealworms is growing and eating
As mealworms grow, they shed old shells and develop new ones.

5. Hypothesis
The group of mealworms exposed to high levels of caffeine will lose more mass and have a higher death rate than the groups exposed to lower levels of caffeine.
The hypothesis of the experiment was that the group of mealworms exposed to high levels of caffeine will lose more mass and have a higher death rate than the groups exposed to lower levels of caffeine.

6. Materials 500 milligrams caffeine 100 milligrams caffeine
100 mealworm larvae
Square plastic containers
Metal screens
Distilled Water
Wheat Bran
Corn meal
Shredded Newspaper
Mortar and Pestle
The materials I used for this experiment were
500 milligrams caffeine
100 milligrams caffeine
100 mealworm larvae
Square plastic containers
Metal screens
Distilled Water
Wheat Bran
Corn meal
Shredded Newspaper
Mortar and Pestle

7. Procedure
The mealworms were divided into Group A (no caffeine), Group B (low caffeine), and Group C (high caffeine), each consisting of 3 boxes
15 mealworms were put into each box
50 mL of the solutions were mixed with 50 grams of wheat bran and cornmeal and evenly distributed among 3 containers. The following solutions were made:
Group A: 100 mL of distilled water
Group B: 100 mgs ( ½ caffeine pill) in 100 mL of distilled water
Group C: 500 mgs (2 ½ caffeine pill) in 100 mL of distilled water
The mass and survivors of the mealworms were measure after a week and new bedding and solutions/food mixtures were made and distributed in the containers

8. Variables
Independent Variable- the amount of caffeine given to each group of mealworms
Dependent Variable- the effects that caffeine had on each group of mealworms and the number of mealworms still living
Control- the group of mealworms (Group C) that was not exposed to caffeine and only had food moistened by water
Constants- the type of container, metal screen, temperature, food, bedding in the container, and amount of mealworms in each group
I bolded the variables

9. Data

10. Data

11. Data

12. Data
Put the error bars in these

13. Data
Error bars

14. ttest of the Number Dead ttest of the Percent Change in Mass
Data
ttest of the Number Dead
ttest (Group A, Group B)
0.034
ttest (Group A, Group C)
0.035
ttest (Group B, Group C)
0.184
ttest of the Percent Change in Mass
Ttest (Group A, Group B)
0.306
Ttest (Group A, Group C)
0.088
Ttest (Group B, Group C)
0.708
I filled in the tests that showed significant differences
ttest of the Percent Change in Mass/Organism
Ttest (Group A, Group B)
.530
Ttest (Group A, Group C)
.916
.297

15. Conclusion
The hypothesis stated that the mealworms exposed to higher levels of caffeine would lose more mass and have a higher death rate.
The hypothesis was partially supported because caffeine had a negative effect on survival rate of mealworms, but not the masses of the survivors
It was rejected that varying levels of caffeine have different effects on mealworms
I changed the second bullet.

16. Improvements The temperature should remain constant
A different source of food could be used
The environment should remain consistent
The mealworms were kept in a basement where the temperature fluctuated which may have slowed pupation
A different source of food should be used. The food was wheat bran and corn meal which was the same as the bedding. So, some of the mealworms may no have consumed caffeine
The environment should also remain the same. The mealworms were moved from school to a home environment.

17. Further Studies Different organisms could be tested with caffeine
The same experiment could be performed for the mealworms in their adult form as beetles
A wider range of caffeine levels could be used to see if different amounts of caffeine have the same effects
Different organisms could be tested. The results could be compared with the results of the mealworms
The same experiment could be performed for the mealworms in their adult form as beetles. It would be interesting to see how the results differ.
A wider range of caffeine levels could be used to see if different amounts of caffeine have the same effects
Also, the mealworms could be fed more frequently, rather than once a week

18. Works Cited
Gavin, M. L., & Black, J. D. (2008). Caffeine. Retrieved October 19, 2010, from The Nemours Foundation website:
Kovacs, B., & Stoppler, M. C. (n.d.). Caffeine. In Caffeine [Caffeine, Health Effects, Statistics]. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from MedicineNet website:
Lieberman, H. R., Tharion, W. J., Shukitt-Hale, B., Speckman, K. L., & Tulley, R. (n.d.). Biomedical and Life Sciences. In Effects of Caffeine on Sleep loss, and Stress on Cognitive Performance and Mood During U.S. Navy SEAL Training [Caffeine, Effects ]. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from SpringerLink website:

19. Works Cited
Mealworm Store. (n.d.). Mealworm Facts and Information. In Mealworm Facts and Information. Retrieved 2007, from Mealworm Store website:
Smith Life Science. (2009, September 29). Mealworm Diagram. In Mealworms. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from Smith Life Science website:
University of Arizona. (1997). Darkling Beetle/‌ Mealworm Information . Retrieved October 21, 2010, from Center for Insect Science Education Outreach website:
Majithia, N. (2008). Caffeine: Understanding the World’s Most Popular Psycoactive Drug. Retrieved October 7, 2010, from Journal of Young Investigators website:

20. Thank You
Please feel free to ask any questions regarding my experiment.
Thank you for listening. I hope you found my presentation interesting and informative. Are there any questions?