Isopod Behavior Lab

Isopod Behavior Lab

Abstract:

The objective of this lab was to determine the preference of a pill bug between a Higher and a lower PH level. In this experiment it was required to have two plastic cups with paper towels, one soaked in PH 7 and the other soaked in PH 5. In this experiment the isopods seemed to prefer the higher PH level meaning the less acidic environment. The Pill Bugs displayed a kinesis movement rather than a taxis movement. The pill bugs did not make an obvious decision, but due to the recorded data there was a preference for the higher PH level.

Introduction:

In this lab, we explore the behavioral tendencies of the pill bug and determine whether or not there is a preference of environment. We also examined the type of motions that the pill bugs displayed when placed in various PH levels. Typically Pill bugs are found in humid habitats, the pill bugs have overlapping gills visible on the underside of the bug which are required to stay hydrated (Northern.edu). Pill bugs, unlike other insects did not evolve the waterproofing cuticle waxes. The bugs often display a common liking for water; they have an adaptive trick to help them. Once the humidity exceeds 87% the pill bugs can absorb the vapor to re-hydrate themselves (Northern.edu). In most cases when people have found these pill bugs near their homes they have been located near pipes or under rocks where they can attract the humidity (Northern.edu).

The Main objective of this lab was to determine the pill bugs behavior based on environment preference, and movement styles. Pill Bugs are good to use in an experiment like this because they respond quick to environmental changes and they are easy to keep alive. They create a simple experiment to explain what happens when certain animals and insects are placed in an unfamiliar environment (Northern.edu).

Looking at the background information we hypothesized that if the pill bugs are given the choice to be in an environment with a lower or a higher PH level then the pill bugs will prefer the higher PH level. We also hypothesized that the movement of the pill bugs would be something closer to a kinesis movement, because neither liquid was something that would kill the bugs or a huge difference in PH levels. We decided that it would take longer for the bugs to determine where they would like to be and the movements would be more random.

Methods:

This Experiment was a behavioral observation. This experiment was conducted by collecting our pill bugs to take part in the experiment and all the materials necessary to receive the correct data.

(Materials) Pill bugs, plastic cups, paper towels, scissors, tape, PH5 & PH7, Pencil & paper, calculator to calculate results

(Procedures) In this lab we took the two plastic cups and cut out a small window in each cup creating a doorway for the bugs to travel through, we then cut out the paper towels to fit the bottoms of the cups and taped them down, assuring that the bugs were not able to crawl underneath the paper. We then dropped a very small amount of the PH7 into one cup and dropped the same amount of the PH5 in the other cup. We then separated the pill bugs 5 in one cup and 5 in the other. Every 30 seconds we recorded the amount of pill bugs in each cup. After 10 minutes we took the totals of each PH level and found our results.

Results:

Overall the pill bugs seemed