Siri Dominguez
F Block
4/12/2014
Animal
Behavior Lab with Pillbugs
ABSTRACT:
to
study the behavioral characteristics of pillbugs, my partner and I tested three
different experiments. The first was wet v. dry, the second was light v. dark,
and the third was honey v. wet. For the first experiment we found that the bugs
did not really seem to care whether the paper was wet or not. In the second
experiment, we concluded that our hypothesis had been correct since most of the
pillbugs stayed in the shaded area. Finally for the third experiment, we found
that the pillbugs preferred to stay on the wet dish, rather than the one
covered with honey.
INTRO:
Animal
behavior is defined as anything that an organism does involving action and
response to stimulation. Therefore, there are many different types of question
one can ask concerning animal behavior. Two main types of questions are
proximate and ultimate. Proximate questions give an explanation of an animal's
behavior based on trigger stimuli and internal mechanisms. Ultimate questions
give an explanation of an animal's behavior based on evolution. Requires that
behavioral traits, like physical ones, are genetically heritable, and then
explains behavior using an explanation of why this specific behavioral trait
was favored by natural selection. Example of proximate question: What hormones
trigger birds to sing during mating season? Example of ultimate question: How
have bird songs adapted to become better at attracting mates? Imprinting is an
example of both ultimate and proximate causation. Proximate
cause: During an early, critical developmental stage, the young geese observe
their mother moving away from them and calling which allows them to remember
their mother call. Ultimate cause: On average, geese that follow and imprint on
their mother receive more care and learn necessary skills, and thus have a
greater chance of surviving than those that do not follow their mother. Within
behavior there are also many noticeable patterns which can be referred to as a
fixed action. A fixed action pattern is
one of the few types of behaviors which can be said to be hard-wired and
instinctive. An example of a fixed action pattern is the hibernation of bears
during the winter. Behavioral response also have to main categories, kinesis
and taxis. Kinesis, like a taxis or tropism, is a movement or activity of a
cell or an organism in response to a stimulus. However, unlike taxis, the
response to the stimulus provided (such as gas exposure, light intensity or
ambient temperature) is non-directional. An example kinesis: the locomotion of
a woodlice in relation to humidity. With increased humidity there is an increase
in the percentage time that the woodlice will remain stationary. An example of
taxis: the migration of birds south for the winter in response to the cold.
There are two main categories I which a behavioral technique can be introduced,
classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is a
learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response
that is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the
first stimulus alone. Operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) is a
type of learning in which an individual's behavior is modified by its
antecedents and consequences (rewards and punishments).
HYPOTHESIS:
Experiment #1: if the one of the papers is wet, then the pillbugs with
congregate to that area because they prefer cooler surfaces.
Experiment #2: if one
dish is covered, then the pillbugs will prefer to stay in that dish because
they are more accustomed and comfortable with being in the dark.
Experiment #3: if one
of the papers is covered with honey and the other is wet, then the pillbugs
will prefer the wet dish because the honey is sticky and different from what
they are accustomed to.
MATERIALS
(for all experiments):
·
10 pillbugs
·
2 petri dishes connected
·
Light
·
Circle sheets of paper
·
Box cover (to cover one side)
·
Honey
·
Water
PROCEDURE:
1st
experiment:
1.
Place two sheets of circle paper in
petri dish and wet one side.
2.
Place 10 pillbugs spread evenly on both
sides
3.
Place box cover on top of dishes and
collect data
4.
After four minutes, remove box cover and
continue to collect data for 3 more minutes
2nd
experiment
1.
Place two sheets of circle paper in
dishes and cover one side with box cover
2.
Place lamp over the other side that is
uncovered
3.
Put 10 pillbugs on dishes
4.
Record data
3rd
experiment
1.
Place two sheets of circle paper in
dishes wet one side with water and the other with honey.
2.
Place 10 pillbugs in dishes
3.
Record data
RESULTS:
1st experiment:
2nd
experiment:
3rd
experiment:
CONCLUSION:
For
the first experiment we found that the bugs did not really seem to care whether
the paper was wet or not. This disproved our hypothesis, since we originally
thought the bugs would prefer the wet dish. Our control was the dry piece of
paper, and our two constants were temperature, and amount of pillbugs. Sources
of error were miscounding, and uncovering the dishes too soon. In the second
experiment, we concluded that our hypothesis had been correct since most of the
pillbugs stayed in the shaded area. Our two constants were amount of pillbugs
and dry petri dish paper. Sources of error may have been timing incorrectly or
miss counting the bugs. Finally for the third experiment, we found that the
pillbugs preferred to stay on the wet dish, rather than the one covered with
honey. This also proved our hypothesis correct since we had guessed the wet
texture would be more “normal” to the pillbugs. Our two constants were amount
of pillbugs and temperature. Sources of error could have been too much water or
honey, and miscounting.
CITATIONS:
Merriam-Webster.
Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12
Apr. 2014.
