Qubit Systems offers a range of Q-teach packages for teaching animal, insect, plant, algal, and aquatic biology. These educational packages allow for studies of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration in plants, and respirometry in insects, small animals, and aquatic species. Q-teach Packages come complete with gas analyzers, sensors, a data interface, software, and all the accessories, including sample chambers, required for a successful hands-on laboratory educational experience. Each package contains an operational manual and an experimental manual with detailed descriptions of suggested experiments. Q-teach packages are easy to set up, have low maintenance, and are economically priced for outfitting the teaching laboratory with multiple systems.
Q-teach Animal CO2 Package (from $3,100 US)
LoggerPro software included with the Q-teach packages provides a graphical display of all data, as well as meters showing instantaneous numerical data. LoggerPro has numerous built-in mathematical functions for easy and intuitive data processing. Data are saved in spreadsheet format and may be exported to Excel or other spreadsheet programs if desired. LoggerPro comes with a site license for the purchaser’s department.
Q-teach packages are extremely flexible. Other sensors and analysers may be added to the package if required, such as the Q-teach O2 analyser ($500 US). Qubit can also provide a range of additional sample chambers for insects, small animals, and aquatic organisms. Learn more about the Q-teach Animal CO2 package HERE and about the Q-teach Plant CO2 package HERE.
Q-teach plant CO2 Package (from $4,000 US)
Sample Q-teach Experiments:
- Measurements and characterization of photosynthesis at different light intensities
- Measurements of CO2 dependence of photosynthesis
- Physiological analyses of sun versus shade plants; C3 versus C4 plants etc.
- Measurements of metabolic rate in different animals
- The effects of temperature on the metabolic rate of ectotherms
- The effects of temperature and substrate availability on the metabolic rate of yeast.
- Headspace analysis of chambers with aquatic animals and plants.
Other Low-Cost Equipment for Teaching and research
Q-Box AQUA (from $5,800 US)
Metabolic O2 consumption is measured by intermittent flow respirometry in which measurements are made sequentially without removing the fish from the chamber. The chamber is flushed with fresh water between measurements. Dissolved Oxygen data corrected for salinity, temperature, and pressure are displayed in software and used to calculate VO2. All of the components of the Q-Box AQUA Package are housed in a rugged weatherproof case for easy transport and storage. Learn MORE
Mini-AQUA for Small Samples
For aquatic respirometry measurements of small fish and insect larvae (~1g) Qubit offers the Mini-Aqua package, a modified version of the Q-Box AQUA with a small aquatic respirometer chamber (9mL) and components for a smaller total volume system. The mini-AQUA package also features a micro-chamber (1.23mL in volume) with DO probe inserted in the top portion for measurements of VO2 of very small samples such as larvae and juvenile fish less than 0.5g. The micro-chamber is used in the intermittent stop flow mode resulting in higher sensitivity and resolution of the system.
References
- Rahi L et al. (2020) Impact of salinity changes on growth, oxygen consumption and expression pattern of selected candidate genes in the orange mud crab (Scylla Olivacea). Aquaculture Research 51: 4290-4301 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/are.14772
- Lucey NM, Collins M, Collin R (2020) Oxygen-mediated plasticity confers hypoxia tolerance in a corallivorous polychaete. Ecology and Evolution 10: 1145-1157 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.5929
OX1LP Dissolved Oxygen Package (from $3,400 US)
The OX1LP Dissolved Oxygen Packages incorporate a polarographic dissolved oxygen electrode to measure photosynthesis and/or respiration in the aqueous phase, using suspensions of plant cells, animals, organelles (chloroplasts and mitochondria), invertebrates, or algae. These packages may also be used to monitor chemical and biochemical reactions that either produce or consume O2 in the aqueous phase. Interchangeable water-jacketed cuvettes with volumes of 1.0, 2.5, 4.0, 6.0, 30, and 50 mL may be supplied with the system. Each uses the same O2 electrode base and stirrer. Learn MORE
References
- Koblizek M et al (2020) Utilization of Light energy in phototropic Gemmatimonadetes. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B 213: 112085 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1011134420305352?via%3Dihub
- Nair P, Huertas M, Nowlin WH (2020) Metabolic responses to long-term food deprivation in subterranean and surface amphipods. Subterranean Biology 33: 1-15 https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/9805
Testimonials
“The quality of their systems is equally matched by the service that they provide. They offer a personal, friendly touch to service that is not often found by companies today. I almost feel as though they are family. Qubit offers the absolute best service and support of any company that I have encountered in my 27 years of teaching”.
Dr. Janice M. Coons, Professor of Botany, Biological Sciences Department, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
“We purchased twenty Respiration Packages with support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. With minimal training, all 150 student teams were able to measure the effects of temperature on respiration rates in mice and lizards. The Qubit Respiration Package certainly works as advertised”.
Dr. Bob Hodson, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
“The system has enough built-in flexibility to allow students to make many of their own reasoned decisions regarding experimental design, which enhances their understanding of the entire process dramatically. The equipment is easy to set up and very robust. The software is powerful and extremely user-friendly”.
Dr. Barb Vanderbeld, Biology Department, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada