Conditioning Paramecium caudatum to Avoid Microplastics with Auditory Stimulus

Overview

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that have become a widespread environmental concern, with 99% of seafood products containing them. A major cause of this contamination is trophic transfer throughout marine ecosystems, where microorganisms like Paramecium caudatum ingest microplastics and are consumed by other organisms. Paramecium caudatum is capable of learning, though this is a majorly unstudied phenomenon. This project seeks to investigate if Paramecium caudatum can be conditioned with a 300Hz sound stimulus to avoid microplastics. Paramecium specimens were separated into two groups: an experimental group and control group. The experimental group was subjected to a training phase with a 300Hz auditory stimulus at intervals for ten rounds, repeated over 3 sessions. After the training phase, both groups were separately transferred into a petri dish with two zones: one containing microplastics, and one without. No stimulus was applied, and the activity and movement of the specimens was observed and recorded. Due to scientific limitations, the exact distribution of specimens were not accurately recorded; however, the control group specimens were spotted spending more time inside the microplastic zone, while the experimental group specimens escaped the area using their avoiding reaction. Therefore, my hypothesis that Paramecium caudatum would learn to exhibit an avoiding reaction to microplastics after training with a sound stimulus was supported. This project does not provide an immediately applicable solution, but provides insight into the ability of unicellular organisms like Paramecium to experience stimulus-specific adaptation and learning behavior, along with possible solutions for microplastic pollution specifically targeting microorganisms.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Microbiology (Junior Division) · Entry J-16-13

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