How do Tuck and Roll behave? --- Animal Behavior Lab Report

Linfei Liu 

A Block Hon. Bio
04/14/14

How do Tuck and Roll behave? --- Animal Behavior Lab

ABSTRACT:
In this lab, our task is to find out what environment the terrestrial isopods (pillbugs / roly-polies) prefer to live by observing their behaviors. We collect ten pillbugs and put them in a choice chamber, where two petri dishes of the same size are joined together. Throughout the lab, the environment of the two sides of the choice chamber will be different from each other in only one aspect, while other conditions of two sides remain constant. We will observe and record the data in every thirty seconds for a five-minute-long period. After counting the number of pillbugs on the two sides and analyzing the data, we are able to find out what kind of environment is more preferable to pillbugs.
INTRODUCTION:
To understand the purpose of this lab, we need to first comprehend these following concepts:
1. Behavior simply means everything an animal does and how it does it. Behavior is the range of actions and mannerisms made by organisms or systems in conjunction with themselves or their environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the (inanimate) physical environment. It is the response of the system or organism to various stimuli or inputs. In other words, behavior is the internally coordinated responses (actions or inactions) of whole living organisms (individuals or groups) to internal and/ or external stimuli. Furthermore, Behavior can be either innate (inherited) or learned. Behavior can be regarded as any action of an organism that changes its relationship to its environment. Behavior provides outputs from the organism to the environment. Also, behaviors may be innate or learned. Many behaviors have both genetic and learned components.

2. Usually, there are two types of explanations and questions for behaviors: 1) Proximate explanation / question relates to how the behavior occurs. Proximate explanation / question focus on the environmental stimuli that trigger the behavior. 2) Ultimate explanation / question relates to why the behavior occurs. Ultimate explanation / question addresses the evolutionary significance of the behavior. For example, a proximate question about bird song would be “How does the bird know when it is the right time to sing?” and an ultimate question about bird song would be “Why does the bird sing?” “What is the purpose of the song?”

3. As mentioned before, there are two types of behaviors. One type is innate behavior; the other type is learned behavior. Innate behavior is inborn and cannot be modified; furthermore, innate behavior is developmentally fixed and under strong genetic influence. Some innate behaviors (especially instincts) followed fixed action patterns (FAP). Fixed action pattern is a sequence of unlearned behavioral act that is essentially unchangeable and, once initiated, is usually carried to completion. It is triggered by an external sensory stimulus (sign stimulus.) FAP is highly stereotyped behavior. An example of fixed action patterns would be in male stickleback fish, the stimulus for attack behavior is the red underside of an intruder. When presented with unrealistic models, as long as some red is presented, the attack behavior occurs. Another fixed action pattern shared by some animals, including humans, is yawning, which often triggers yawning in other individuals. Yawns last around six seconds and are difficult to stop once initiated. 

RED!! Intruder! ATTACK!!

Triggers yawning in other individuals :P  So cute!

Aww! So cute!

4. Furthermore, orientation behaviors, a type of innate behaviors, are series of coordinated movements that are triggered in a particular direction by environmental stimuli. These behaviors include kinesis and taxis movements. The kinesis movement is a simple change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimulus; moreover, the pace of the motion is directly proportional to the intensity of the stimulus. An example of kinesis movement is woodlice prefer damp condition. If the environment is too dry, they will move more often, although in random directions, until they find moist areas. In this case, the movement is non-directional and random. Instead of moving towards or away from the stimulus, the organism simply moves more, or less in response to a stimulus. In comparison, the taxis movement is a more or less automatic, oriented movement toward or away from an environmental stimulus. An example of taxis movement would be many stream fish exhibit a positive taxis and automatically swim in an upstream direction. This taxis movement prevents then from being swept away and keeps them facing the direction from which food will come. The taxis movement is directional. A positive taxis would be a directional movement towards the environmental stimuli, and a negative taxis would be a directional movement away from the environmental stimuli.

Stream fish 

5. On the other hand, learning behavior is the modification of behavior based on specific experiences. Learned behaviors include imprinting, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, habituation and insights. Imprinting behavior occurs as an animal matures, it may form social attachments to other individuals or form preferences that will influence behavior later in life. Imprinting is a behavior that includes learned and innate components and is generally irreversible. It is distinguished from other learning by a sensitive period. A sensitive period is a limited developmental phase that is the only time when certain behaviors can be learned. An example of imprinting would be young geese following their mother goose. Another example is that Konrad Lorenz showed that when baby geese spent the first few hours of their life with him, they imprinted on him as their parent. A proximate cause for their imprinting behaviors may be that during their early development stage, the mother of young geese choose to move away from the young geese and call them to begin the learning routine. The ultimate cause of those imprinting behaviors may be that young geese mimic the actions of their mother to learn necessary skills, walking and hunting and so on, to survive in their habitat.

6. As mentioned before, there are two types of learning behaviors for animals. One type is classical conditioning, also known as associative conditioning. Classical conditioning is the repeated presentation of a stimulus in association with a response that causes the brain to form an association between the stimulus and the response, even if they have never been associated before. One classic example of classical conditioning is an experiment done by Ivan Pavlov. In his experiment, the dog would drool when food is provided and has no reaction to the tuning fork before conditioning. During the conditioning, Pavlov would provide food to the dog after he rings the tuning fork. Thus, after the conditioning, the dog would drool when it hears the tuning fork. Pavlov’s experiment successfully proves that the dog that repeatedly hears a tuning fork before being fed will salivate in anticipation at the tuning fork’s sound through conditioning or repeated events. Another type of learning behavior is operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a type of learning behavior in which an animal learns to associate one of its behaviors with a reward or punishment. It is also called trial-and-error learning (it is really similar to classical conditioning). An example of operant conditioning would be a predator might learn to avoid a specific type of prey associated with a painful experience.

Overall, classical conditioning is a type of learning which forms an association between two stimuli. Operant conditioning is a type of learning that forms an association between a behavior and a consequence. 

Poor dog going through associative conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

7. Additionally, habituation is a simple form of learning that involves loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey a little or no information. For example, birds will stop responding to alarm calls from their species if these are not followed by an actual attack. Habituation is a form of learning, a diminishing response to a repeated stimulus. On the other hand, instinct is an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species.

Pillbug’s Background Information
“In this lab, we will be working with terrestrial isopods commonly known as pillbugs, sowbugs, or roly-polies. These organisms are members of the Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea, which also includes shrimp and crabs. Most members of this group respire through gills (Source from AP Lab 11: Animal Behavior / Experimental Design handout)”.

QUESTIONS: 

Are the behaviors of pillbugs that are displayed in the choice chambers taxis or kinesis? Do pillbugs prefer living in a moist and high pH level environment or a dry and low pH level environment?

HYPOTHESIS:
Part One: 

If the pillbugs are given a choice to stay either in a dry chamber or a wet chamber, then by the end of the lab, the majority of pillbugs will choose to stay in the wet chamber (pillbugs in the dry one will find their way to the wet chamber). The reason that this phenomenon occurs is because pillbugs are naturally inhabited in moisture areas. Furthermore, if the pillbugs choose to stay on the same side, then the behavior is taxis because the pillbugs move toward a stimulus, moisture. As “in taxis, the animal moves toward or away from a stimulus. Taxis is often exhibited when the stimulus is light, heat, moisture, sound, or chemicals” (Source from AP Lab 11: Animal Behavior / Experimental Design handout).

Part Two: 

If the pillbugs are put in two environments with different pH level (One chamber has nothing in it, the other chamber has vinegar in it), then most of the pillbugs will move to the chamber without vinegar in it, because the pH level of pillbugs’ natural inhabitation is high, which means it’s basic instead of acidic. A high pH level environment is necessary for pillbugs' survival in their habitat as they are mostly found under rocks or in the soil. On the other hand, if the majority of pillbugs choose to stay on the same side, then the behavior is taxis because the pillbugs act in a uniform way away from the stimulus.

Our independent variable in Part One is the difference in moisture on either side of the choice chamber, and our dependent variable of Part One is the amount of pillbugs on either side. In Part One, our constants of the lab are the total number of pillbugs, the same surface level, the temperature, the pH level, the intensity of light exposure, the intensity of heat and the sizes of both the two circular spaces of the choice chambers and filter paper. On the other hand, our independent variable in Part Two is the difference in pH level on either side of the choice chamber, while our dependent variable is the amount of pillbugs on either side. In Part Two, our constants of the lab are the same surface level, the total number of pillbugs, the temperature, the amount of moistness, the intensity of heat, the intensity of light exposure and the sizes of both the two circular spaces of the choice chambers and filter paper. 

METHODOLOGY:
MATERIALS:
Two choice chambers
Two pieces of filter paper
Ten pillbugs
A lamp
Two data sheets
A paintbrush
A timer
A beaker with 50 mL of water
A beaker with 50 mL of vinegar
Two plastic pipets (use to absorb the liquid)
Plastic wrap or petri dish cover
Writing utensils and paper

PROCEDURE:
1. Place 10 pillbugs in a choice chamber. They generally try to get out so cover the chamber with plastic wrap or a petri dish cover.

2. Observe the pillbugs for ten minutes. Make notes on their general appearance, movements about the chamber, and interactions with each other. Notice if they seem to prefer one area over another, if they keep moving, settle down or move sporadically. Note any behaviors that involve 2 or more pillbugs. Do not interfere with the specimens in any way.

3. Make a detailed sketch of a pillbug.

4. Prepare the other choice chamber and place a filter paper on either side.

5. Place one side of the chamber under a bright lamp and cover the other side with a plastic wrap of some sort or another choice chamber.

6. Choose your variables to be tested: Moisture, light, and set up the adjacent room accordingly. Use a soft brush / paint brush to transfer the ten pillbugs into the second choice chamber. Cover the chambers being used.

7. Count how many pillbugs are on each side of the choice chamber every 30 seconds for 5 minutes. Record down the data in a table. Continue to record even if they all move to one side or stop moving.

8. When done recording, return the pill bugs into the stock choice chamber.

9. Graph both the number of pill bugs in the wet/ with vinegar chamber and the number in the dry/ without vinegar chamber.

The set-up

The set-up

Image from: local.brookings.k12.sd.us/krscience/.../LAB%20DATA/.../lab%2011.pdf‎

Image from: local.brookings.k12.sd.us/krscience/.../LAB%20DATA/.../lab%2011.pdf‎

Image from: local.brookings.k12.sd.us/krscience/.../LAB%20DATA/.../lab%2011.pdf‎

Image from: local.brookings.k12.sd.us/krscience/.../LAB%20DATA/.../lab%2011.pdf‎

Image from: http://local.brookings.k12.sd.us/krscience/protected/LAB%20DATA/11pillbugs/lab%2011.pdf

RESULTS: 

Part One

Part Two

Part One: Wet VS. Dry

Time (Minutes)	Number of Pillbugs in Wet Chamber	Number of Pillbugs in Dry Chamber
0	5	5
0.5	5	5
1.0	6	4
1.5	6	4
2.0	7	3
2.5	7	3
3.0	7	3
3.5	7	3
4.0	7	3
4.5	6	4
5.0	7	3

Part Two: with Vinegar VS without Vinegar

Time (Minutes)	Number of Pillbugs in Chamber with vinegar	Number of Pillbugs in Chamber without vinegar
0	0	10
0.5	2	8
1.0	2	8
1.5	2	8
2.0	1	8
2.5	1	8
3.0	1	8
3.5	1	8
4.0	1	8
4.5	1	8
5.0	1	8

CONCLUSION:
  As mentioned in the introduction, this lab focuses on the behavioural responses of pillbugs. Our task is to figure out what kind of environment is more preferable to pillbugs. Moreover, throughout the lab, we learn that the pillbugs are to respond in a taxis manner in both parts of our experiment. Taxis behavior occurs when the animal is moving toward or away from a stimulus. In order to achieve an accurate result, we keep all variables constant except the independent variables and dependent variables in both parts of the experiment.
  In both parts of the experiment, the pillbugs react in a taxis manner. From the graphs above, the lines show a steady increase or decrease (depends on the variables) For Part one, it shows that the pillbugs prefer the moist choice chamber, while in Part Two, it shows that the pillbugs prefer the high pH level chamber. Despite the trend that a few pillbugs stay in the opposite chamber throughout the experiment, overall, the majority of the pillbugs prefer the moist and high pH level side of the choice chamber, which proves our hypothesis to be correct. Therefore, we can conclude that the pillbugs prefer to live in moist and high pH level environment than dry and low pH level environment. Although the experiment was successful, sources of error might have occurred: 1) we might have mis-counted, or counted too late when the time is up during the experiment. 2) For Part Two, up to two minutes, sadly, one of the pillbugs died. The loss of this one particular pillbug affects our total number of the pillbugs and the constant of the experiment. 3) The filter paper is not completely soaked with vinegar at first, and we change it after we start timing.

CITATION:
"Animal Behavior Chapter 51." Animal Behavior Chapter 51. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.

AP Lab 11: Animal Behavior / Experimental Design handout, Kevin Quick, Mar. 2014. 

Dusenbery, David B. (2009). Living at Micro Scale, p. 124. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. ISBN 978-0-674-03116-6.

Levitis, Daniel; William Z. Lidicker, Jr, Glenn Freund (June 2009). "Behavioural biologists do not agree on what constitutes behaviour". Animal Behaviour (78).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
1. Link to a video explaining this lab and the concepts in introduction http://www.bozemanscience.com/ap-bio-lab-11-animal-behavior/

2. Link to a lab practice
http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/lab11/control.html

This is how we roll! ;)