What conditions do woodlice prefer?
What conditions do woodlice prefer?
Woodlice like damp, dark places and can be found hiding in walls, under stones and in compost heaps. Some species such as the common sea slater are only found on the coast.
What stimuli do woodlice respond to?
Woodlice usually show a preference for a damp environment. Given a choice of light or dark, they usually show a preference for dark. It could be interesting to establish which preference is stronger – dark or damp.
What should the ethical considerations be when using woodlice in this investigation?
Ethical issues Although they are simple organisms which may not ‘suffer’ in the same way as higher animals, they still deserve respect. Animals should be returned promptly to their natural environment or a suitable holding tank after being tested in the maze.
Why do woodlice show turn alternation?
Background: Woodlice are crustaceans and require a moist habitat to enable gaseous diffusion across their gill filaments. When placed in a dry area they will exhibit an increase in hygro- kinesis i.e. an increased level of movement in response to low moisture levels.
What type of behaviour do woodlice show do you survive?
Woodlice show positive photokinetic and negative hygrokinetic responses. Using a choice chamber, you can observe how quickly woodlice move in different conditions and gather evidence which shows that they move around more in dry conditions than in damp.
Why do I keep finding woodlice in my house?
Not only that, but if you do find a lot of them inside the house, it’s a sign of a humidity problem: woodlice actively seek out damp areas. They also tend to congregate in dark, sheltered locations, and are mostly active at night.
Why do woodlice like dark and damp?
Woodlice do not have a highly developed nervous system but do show some basic forms of behaviour. They have a relatively high surface area to volume ratio and lose water through their surface. This type of behaviour is called kinesis and results in woodlice accumulating in the dark and damp conditions that they prefer.
How does the distribution of woodlice increase their chances of survival?
– Organisms increase their chance of survival by responding to changes in their external environment. -Eg Woodlice have simple responses to keep them in a favourable environment, with their response either being tactic or kinetic. Taxis (Tactic Response) – Directional movement in response to a stimulus.
Can you conclude that Woodlice show turn alternation Behaviour?
Woodlice kept in a bright, warm environment prior to testing made greater numbers of successive alternation responses in a multiple T maze and showed faster running speeds. It was concluded from this that adverse stimulation increases alternation merely by causing more rapid movement between turns.
Do maggots demonstrate turn alternation?
Turn alternation in maggots Many animals show turn alternation. If an animal is forced to turn in one direction it is more likely to turn in the opposite direction next time it has a choice. This investigation uses a maze to study turn alternation in maggots.
Do woodlice like light?
In their natural environment, woodlice are found in damp, dark places (e.g. under stones and amongst rotting wood/leaf litter). They dry out quickly in dry air (e.g. in the open and/or in bright sunlight).
Are woodlice bad in the house?
Woodlice, which are not known to transmit disease, may cause superficial damage to decorations and possibly furnishing in your home. Woodlice feed on mould growth, leaves and rotting wood, they are known to damage wallpaper which may be due to feeding on minute mould growth on the paper causing incidental damage.
What are the results of the woodlice experiment?
The results are quite clear; the majority of the sample woodlice chose to reside in the damp area of the choice chamber in both experiment one and experiment two. The control experiment showed that the woodlice preference was purely based on the variables of the experiment.
Why do woodlice settle in a dry area?
A control experiment was then performed to ensure that the woodlice were not influenced by other factors when choosing their area to settle within the choice chamber. In the first experiment, after the allocated 10 minutes, 1 woodlouse became still in the dry area, the remaining 9 settled in the damp area.
How is the temperature of a woodlice controlled?
(CV) – Woodlice – Time – Temperature – The woodlice will be controlled by using only one type of woodlice (Porcellio scaber). The time will be controlled by a digital timer. – The temperature will be controlled by using a non-heated lamp throughout the experiment.
How to adjust light intensity in woodlice lab?
Adjust the light intensity control knob to 0 and start the timer for 2 minutes of adjustment time. After the two minutes of adjustment time is completed, start the timer for 1 minute and begin counting the amount of squares the Porcellio scaber while observing its behavior, which is needed in order to note-down for the qualitative data.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3ZB2RTylR4