Pill Bug Behavior The purpose for performing the experiment on pill bugs was to see the taxis and kinesis of pill bugs in different conditions. The different experiments performed on the pill bugs was to see the behavior of pill bugs and this was done through different types of experiments to study the taxis of pill bugs and an experiment on kinesis. The taxis experiments done on the pill bugs was a chemotaxis, testing pill bugs choice of basic or acidic soil. Also hydrotaxis, this was done by testing pill bugs choice of a wet or dry side. Also another taxis experiment was phototaxis, this was done by testing pill bugs choice of a dark or room light side. The kinesis was tested on the pill bugs by sudden amount of light after being …show more content…
• Covered enclosed area with a notebook, to expose them for darkness. • Exposed to darkness for 5 minutes. • Uncovered the notebook • Flashed light on the pill bugs for 1 minute. • Recorded observations. Chemotaxis: • Placed Acidic soil on one side and Basic soil on the other side, of the choice chamber • Left open spot in choice chamber with no dirt to place pill bugs. • 1 Pill bug was placed at a time facing North. • The Pill bug was placed in the choice chamber for 1 minute • After 1 minute of the pill bug being in the choice chamber the location of the pill bug was recorded. • A new Pill bug for each trial Phototaxis: • Set up choice chamber with one side covered with black notebook and the other side to receive ample room light. • 1 Pill bug was placed at a time facing North. • The Pill bug was placed in the choice chamber for 1 minute • After 1 minute of the pill bug being in the choice chamber the location of the pill bug was recorded. • A new Pill bug for each trial Hydrotaxis: • Set up choice chamber with water on one side and the other side is dry. • Place 10 pill bugs into choice chamber • Record location of pill bugs every 2 minutes for 10 minutes. Data Table and …show more content…
Keeping them in the dark for a longer time period could have better tested the kinesis reaction and making sure all the pill bugs we used were from the same species and location. Chemotaxis: The results were split in half with 5 pill pugs in acidic soil and 5 pill bugs in basic soil. The reason for a non-definite answer could have been linked to the fact that the pH of the soil wasn’t tested, so it was unsure if both soil samples were equally distant from neutral to convince the pill bug for one side or another. Also the acidity or alkalinity of the soil could not have been strong enough for the pill bug to differentiate for their positive success in that side or other side of the choice chamber. Also the pill bugs were collected from two different places, and the soil that they came from could have impacted their choice of acidic or basic soil based on where the pill bugs environment originally