Brine shrimp are an essential part of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, and the commercial brine shrimp industry generates $40–60 million each year. In this activity, students experiment to determine the effect of abiotic factors on the hatch rates of this important organism.
Time required: 20–30 minutes to gather supplies, 90 minutes of class time for setup and design, 1–2 days to hatch brine shrimp.
In addition to completing the "Hatch-a-Cyst" activity, students may be interesting in seeing what brine shrimp look like in action. The Great Salt Lake Ecosystem program brochure provides step-by-step instructions for hatching brine shrimp in a miniature ecosystem. The brochure is also a great resource for extra information about brine shrimp and their life cycle.
Hatch-a-cyst Teacher Guide
Hatch-a-cyst Student Pages