Paramecium tetraurelia is a unicellular ciliate that can be found in almost all still water samples. Paramecium tetraurelia is a widely distributed, free-living unicellular organism that feeds on bacteria and can be easily cultured in the laboratory (Beisson, et al., 1970). Its large size and complex cellular organization facilitate morphogenetic studies of conserved structures, such as cilia and basal bodies, as well as electrophysiological studies of swimming behavior. The paramecium moves by means of hair-like extensions on its surface, the cilia. The swimming behavior of the Paramecium culture is easy to observe under the light microscope. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Magnesium chloride is primarily used to prevent and treat low amounts of magnesium in the blood. It is essential for the maintenance of our body, especially for the normal functioning of cells, nerves, muscles, bones and heart. Usually, a well-balanced diet provides normal levels of magnesium in the blood. After learning about magnesium, many questions began to arise. How can a mineral supplement affect the speed of a single-celled organism? In addition to this, we observed the swimming behavior of Paramecium tetraurelia cells. The purpose of our experiment was to observe how environmental factors might play a role in the behavior of Paramecium (Course Supplement for Biological Fundamentals I Bio 10100, Fall 2016). In our initial observation the Paramecium culture was moving in random directions. Then we plugged in the power supply and watched them move from left to right. We then reversed the connection of the wires and saw them move in the opposite direction, from right to left. We then followed the procedural instructions provided in the laboratory manual. After the first observation, we formulated an overall hypothesis for our second experiment. Our initial hypothesis as a class was that if we added a treatment (magnesium chloride) to the solution, the average swimming speed might increase or decrease. Experimental Design To inaugurate our experiment, as a group, we first had to identify our variables. In our group experiment, the species we tested were paramecium culture. Our independent variable was voltage added to detect any sudden changes in direction, magnesium chloride would also be our independent variable. The dependent variable was Paramecium velocity (mm/s). Our standardized variables were (30 volts) and the total liquid volume of 250 ml of Dryl solution. As treatment levels, we had 0 ml, 5 ml and 20 ml of salts. The sample size of the experiment was 4 mL of Paramecium culture. Our control treatment was performed while Paramecium was dropped into 250 mL of Dryl solution with no added salts in a 30 volt electrophoresis chamber. We replicated the control treatment twice. The 5 ml and 20 ml treatments were replicated ten times each. The supplies used for the performance are a culture of Paramecium tetraurelia, IX Dry solution, magnesium chloride (MgCl2), dissecting microscope, compound microscope, timer, pipettes. We used the optical microscope to observe the swimming behavior of Paramecium under different treatment levels. We predicted that if we add more salts, the swimming speed will be slower. To analyze the data, I used Excel.