Example Of Report On Syrian Hamster Behavior Lab Report

Introduction

Most animals show rhythms in their activity. These activities vary based on the period within of the day. The experiment involves a Syrian Hamster in a cage. It is one year old and female with brown hair. The Syrian Hamster is known to exhibit certain characters while in captivity. The behaviors of the animal are monitored over a period time. The feeding, burrowing, sleeping, urinating, housekeeping, chewing and running tendencies of the Syrian Hamster is monitored over a period of time. The experiment will assess the behavior of the animal in the presence of light and the absence of light as well as the significant weather condition. The experiment is also intended to reveal whether the behavior of the Syrian Hamster is consistent throughout the night or the activities are done only at specific periods in the night and whether this is significantly affected by the temperature in the environment.

Research Question

How does light and temperature influence the activities of the Syrian Hamster in the wheeled cage?
Hypothesis and Prediction
The hypothesis of the experiment is that light and temperature have significant effects on the activity of the Syrian Hamster.
The testable hypothesis is that wheel movement will be observed more during the night indicating activities by the Syrian Hamster. Similarly, it is also believed that more activity is observed during colder temperature. The wheel will move less during the day and during warmer temperature indicating less activity.
The Syrian Hamsters operate mostly at night. This is an adaptation technique that the animals have developed due to the hot Syrian climate. This means that more activity is expected from the animals where there is less sunlight than when there is light. Less wheel movement will be observed from the Syrian hamster.
The null hypothesis is that light has no effect on the Syrian Hamster and as such there will be no difference in activity of the animal throughout the day. There is not effect of light on the activity of the animal.

Materials and Methods

For this study, an experiment shall be conducted using two Syrian Hamster which will be observed under two distinct condition. The experiment group shall be observed mimicking a natural environment. Morning and afternoon having to receive sufficient amount of light as would in its natural environment. Light will be withheld at night to assume the darkness of the night. Hence, the Syrian Hamster will be observed at specific times during the night and the day. On the other hand, for the controlled group, light will be withheld to see how the Syrian Hamster will respond to the absence of light. A bike odometer will be used to measure the distance moved by the animal in the process to represent the subject’s activity during the course of the experiment. The weather outside the cage will also be taken only as a modulating variable.
The light will be the independent variable in the experiment. The movement of the wheel measured by the odometer at specified times of the day. The distance moved by the while will be the independent variable in the experiment. The independent variable is measured by the odometer.

Results

The condition of the environment where the experiment group was done under normal condition. This indicates that in the morning and the afternoon, light was present. However, at night the experiment was done in the absence of light to test whether light significantly affects the activity of the Syrian Hamster.

Graph

While the control group’s experiment was done simultaneous with the experiment group, the controlled group was performed in a space without the presence of light. However, the temperature remains similar with the experiment group.

Graph 2

Analysis of results
The results shown in the table above and the graphical representation displays the varying distance across time. It reveals the activity exhibited by the Syrian Hamster over a specified period of time. The results of the control experiment show uniform activity across time.
Basing the results from Graph 1 and 2, it indicates the significant role of light in affecting the activity of Syrian Hamster. Consistently from the results of graph 2, it indicates that in the absence of light, Syrian Hamster are moving at a constant rate. In addition, it was also observed from Graph 2 that the activity did not change despite the variance in the weather condition. However, from the data generated from the Experiment Group it indicates that there was zero activity documented in the after with light and hot temperature being significantly present. Nevertheless, the Syrian Hamster performed comparative lesser in the morning with the presence of light but in cold temperature. This was, however, doubled at night when light was withdrawn and the temperature was colder indicating that the Syrian Hamster performs more activity in the absence of light and during cooler weather condition. To verify this conclusion, chi square has been computed to the correlation of light with the activity of Syrian Hamster. Upon computation, it revealed that light is inversely proportionate to activity. When there is the presence of light, the activity of the Syrian Hamster is significantly lesser. However, in the absence of light this is increased.

Thus: y (activity) is inversely proportionate to x (light)

Which is significantly the same with,
y (activity ) being directly proportionate to 1x
Written as : y=1x
Chi-square computed at 6.154 which is significantly higher to the Chi–square critical value for (df =1) = 3.84. Hence, the decision is to reject null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis. Thus, the presence of light has a significant effect on the Syrian Hamster and as such there is a notable difference in activity of the animal throughout the day.
The wheel movement in the morning is fairly good. This indicates moderate activity during the morning hours. The distance recorded during the morning hours is 5. The morning hours are relatively cold hence the activity. The Hamsters prefer cold and humid conditions to go on with their activity. This explains the observed activity during the morning hours. The animals are still active but lesser than the evening period.
As times moves to the afternoon, the wheel movement is zero. This means that there is no activity during this time. In the afternoon the temperature is hot. This temperature prevents the Syrian Hamster from being active. The hamster prefers cold weather. This means that hot temperatures make them less active. High temperatures affect the animals. This supports the hypothesis that light influences the way the animals behave. In a real ecosystem, the Hamsters remain inactive in the afternoons. However, this is contradicted in the results of the controlled group where the subject records movement amidst the high temperature but in the absence of light. According to research that has been done, it is revealed that the Hamster spends its afternoon sleeping (Pavia, Web). This can be a good explanation why the hamster does not move in the cage after the afternoon. The animal wakes up in the in the evening to begin its activities. However, the contradicting result in the controlled group challenges this assumption.
The Hamster in an outside ecosystem prefers cold temperatures. This explains why they live in barrows. The barrows offer the humidity that is needed by the animals. The experiment, therefore, supports existing research about the nature of the Hamster. The Hamster generally prefers cold temperatures and that is why they are fewer in dessert places (Horatiu, 7)
These results rejects the null hypothesis of the study. It had been hypothesized before that light has no effect on the activity of the Syrian Hamster. The activity of the animal is believed to be insignificantly affected by light and assumed to increase with an equivalent decrease in temperature. However, this is not seen in the experiment as verified by the chi-square statistical analysis. This, therefore, means that the study supports the alternative hypothesis advanced before the lab experiment.

Proposals

However, the study has limitations that need to be addressed in order to come up with a proper and reliable report. The experiment could not reveal the type of movement in the cage. It could only measure the wheel movement. The type of activity should be capable of being revealed in the experiment. Instruments to monitor internal movements should be incorporated in the study. Perhaps better and powerful cameras should be used in identifying the specific activities of the animals. Knowing the type of movement is helpful in determining the nature of the Syrian Hamster. Its feeding habits and other characteristics can only be assessed if the type of the activity in the cage can be identified. In addition, a 24-hour experiment may not fully substantiate the conclusion and might require a longer period.

Works cited

Gattermann, R et al. Golden hamsters are nocturnal in captivity but diurnal in nature, Retrieved on 21 March 2015, Retrieved from http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/3/253
Pavia, A. Understanding Your Hamster’s Sleep Schedule, 2015, Retrieved on 21 March 2015, Retrieved from http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/hamsters/hamster-behavior/hamster-sleep-schedule.aspx
Horatiu, V. Hamsters, Retrieved on 25 March 2015, Retrieved from http://research.fiu.edu/facilities/acf/documents/hamster-biology-husbandry.pdf
Davis, J What Does It Mean if a Hamster Sleeps at Night, Retrieved on 21 March 2015, http://animals.pawnation.com/mean-hamster-sleeps-night-1624.html
APPENDIX A
Chi-Square Computation
Statistical Computation
Chi –square critical value for (df =1) = 3.84
Computed chi-square is 6.154
Decision: Reject null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis
Thus, the presence of light has a significant effect on the Syrian Hamster and as such there is a notable difference in activity of the animal throughout the day.