Results
After two weeks of UV exposure, the butterflies began emerging from their chrysili over a span of 57 days. Digital pictures of the adult butterflies were taken and NIH Image was used to measure body length, wing span, and the black in their wing patterns (see Table 1).
The mean body lengths for the three groups ranged from 2.38 cm to 2.57 cm. An ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference in body length between the groups. The null hypothesis was therefore retained. The means for the wing span were varied from 9.52 cm to 9.77 cm. An ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference in wing span between the groups. The null hypothesis was again retained. The percentage of black on the wings was determined by first finding the area of the black and then finding the total area of the butterfly. The percentage of black on wings varied from a mean of 56.74% in the control group to 56.31% in the 1 minute of UV exposure group and 54.86% in the 5 minute of UV exposure. It can be seen from this data that the percentages were very close together, and no true difference was found in the percentage of black on the butterflies' wings.
Abstract | Introduction | Materials & Methods | Conclusions | Bibliography | Acknowledgements | Awards
