Zufan Abebe (Isopod Lab report 1) PDF

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PILL BUG BEHAVIOR

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Pill bug and their Response to Different Environmental Conditions Zufan T Abebe Northern Virginia Community College February 26,2019

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Introduction: In this experiment the group used pill buds to study their preferred environment to live in. Pill bug (Armadillidium vulgare) classified as terrestrial (which mean the live on land rather than aquatic) Isopods and lye under class of Crustacean. The pill bug use extremely modified lungs, called pseudotrachea, for that reason they need to choose to live in moist environment for the lung to function properly. Since they are Ectothermic animal, which makes it hard for them to control their body temperature. For that reason they avoid light. Mostly pill bugs can be found under fallen leave, logs rocks, in the soil, around the route of a plant.

Hypothesis: When isopods are exposed to light and dark environment, they will choose to move to dark environment, as it is the case in their natural habitat where they live under leaves in a forest. In addition, when exposed to dry and damp environments pill bugs prefer the damp environment because they breathe through gill like structure that need moisture to for breathing. When isopods are exposed to dark and damp and light and dry surroundings, they will prefer dark damp because of their lung structure, and they do not have watertight exoskeleton.

Materials and Methods: The experiment is carried out in three different environments. 10 pill bugs were used for each three experiments. In the first part of the experiment connected chamber and till foil were used. Five pill bugs were added in each side of the chamber. The one

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side was covered with til foil to block from the light. Then, number of pill bug in each chamber were counted for ten minutes with 30 seconds interval. The results were recorded in a table. In the second part of the experiment filter paper socked with water was used with the choice chamber. The soaked filter paper is carefully placed in one side of the chamber in a way the pill bug does not get under it. Then Five pill bugs were placed in each side of the chamber. Right after, the pill bugs place in the two different environments. Then observed the number of the pill bugs for then ten min by counting the number of pill bugs in each side of the chamber for every 30 sec interval. The result was recorded in the table. The last part of the experiment the two side choice chamber set up with two different environments. Wet filter paper was carefully placed in the chamber and the other side was dry and exposed to the room light. The damp side covered with til foil right after the five pill bugs were placed in each side. Subsequently number of pill bugs was counted in each side of the chamber every 30-second interval for ten minute. The result was recorded in a table.

Results: Figure 1.1: The Below graph shows the movement of Pill bug between the two sides of the choice chamber for ten minute. The two sides are divided to light and dark environments.

Number of Pillbugs in Choice Chamber

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Light vs dark environment 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Light Dark

00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 30 00 0: 0: 1: 1: 2: 2: 3: 3: 4: 4: 5: 5: 6: 6: 7: 7: 8: 8: 9: 9: 10:

Time in Minutes

Figure 1.2: Below graph shows the move movement of the Pill bugs between dry and

Number of Pillbugs in Choice Chamber

damp environment over a course of ten minutes. Dry vs Damp environment 10

Dry Damp

8 6 4 2 0

Time in Minutes

Figure 1.3: The graph below shows an environment with dry and light in one side of the choice chamber and with damp and dark conditions in the other side. It also shows the

Number of Pillbugs in Choice Cham

number of Pill Bugs in each environment for ten minute Light and Dry vs Dark and Damp environment Light and Dry Dark and Damp

12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Time in Minutes

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Discussion: The purpose of the study was to know Pill bugs preferred environment to live. A three parts lab experiment was carried to discover this. In the first part of the experiment, dark and light environment state was set up by using two-sided choice chamber. Five Pill bugs were placed in each side of the chamber and their movements were observed for 10 minutes and every 30 seconds number of Pill bugs was observed in each environment. The result shows that the Pill bugs choose to stay in the dark side of the Choice chamber rather than the light side. The Pill bugs are exoskeleton, which mean they relay on the environment to regulate their body temperature. The shade helps them to regulate their body temperature. That also explains why the Pill bugs found in the dark and shaded area are away from direct sunlight. In second part of the lab same procedure was used, but changed the two sides of choice chamber environment to dry and damp. Then Pill bugs movement was observed for ten minute for each of the experiment. The number of Pill bugs was counted for every 30 second in each choice chamber. The result shows that the Pill Bugs mostly stayed in damp environment, but there are some Pill bugs who choose to stay in the dry part. From the observation the Pill bugs didn’t stay for an extended period of time when they get to the dry part as much as they stayed in the damp. The Pill bugs use gill-like structure for breathing. The way their lung is structured only function in the moist environment, which explains why they avoid dry environment. The third and the last part of the experiment were to study the dark and damp in one side and with light and dry on other side of the two-side choice chamber. After these two environments were set up. The movement of the Pill bugs was observed for ten minutes. From the observation almost all the Pill bugs stay in the dark and damp part of the

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chamber. Only one or two pill bugs came out from the dark and damp side of the chamber. Moreover, the Pill bugs that came out from the dark and damp side didn’t stay for long in the dry and light side of the chamber. Because their lung structure is pseudotrachea and they have also exoskeleton. The dark and damp side of the choice chamber was better matched with their physiology and anatomy. There are a lot of thing that can be done to improve the experiment. For example, when Pill bugs placed in the damp environment, it was hard keeping the pill bugs on top of the filter paper, because the keep going under the filter paper. The other one was the size of the Pill bugs were very different in the lab. If same size pill bugs were used the out come might be different because size affects movement speed and resistance to changes in the environment. All the limitations discussed above might interfere with the result.

Conclusion: The main idea of the experiment was to learn which environment would the Pill bug preferred to live in. The hypostasis was supported by the experiment. The over all conclusions are that Pill bugs like to live in the dark and damp environment.

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7 Literature Cited

Danante, K. (2003). National Science Teacher Association. (n.d).Reseatch polypolies. Retrieved from https://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=48112 Izanne, Zorin. “Manual for BIO 102”. Lab handbook. NVCC. Alexandria,VA.2018.print. Kennedy, J. (2019). Thought Co.(n.d). Ectotermic animals. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/ectothermic-definition-2291709...