Isopods that live on land are called Armadillidium Vulgare, also known as pill bugs. Pill bugs consume dead organisms in decomposing soil which are acidic in nature. This trait makes these organisms beneficial to our environment, by getting rid of all the dead and decomposing organisms. Pesticides are commonly used to deter pests from eating crops, and could be getting rid of beneficial organisms such as pill bugs instead. An experiment was performed to determine the preference of pill bugs in choosing between an acidic environment as opposed to basic environment. To emulate an acidic and basic environment, 0.1M hydrochloric acid and 0.1M sodium hydroxide were used. Two cotton balls saturated with each compound were placed on opposing sides
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Isopods are everywhere, from the sea, to fresh water to even land. “Isopods are a highly diverse group that inhabit a wide variety of habitats and lifestyles” (Júnior et al, 2015). Isopods that inhabit on land are what are known as terrestrial isopods. They share a close relationship to lobsters, fish, and shrimp due to their gills which mean they have more characteristics of a animal than an insect. Armadillidium Vulgare, which are commonly known as pill bugs, tend to live in moist places. That is why it is very common to find one under a rock that has not been moved in a while. They are identified as detritivores, which consume dead organisms such as dead animals and dead plants through the process of decomposition (Wagler 2017). Decomposing soil is very acidic, and due their diet consisting of dead organisms, it is assumed that they favor acidic environments. In this lab the number of pill bugs that chose the acidic environment as opposed to the basic environment were examined. Similar studies tested the use of salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on lettuce plants and their effects of detering pill bugs (Tierranegra-garcía et al, 2011). We hypothesized that the pill bugs would be more attracted to the higher acidic environment represented by hydrochloric acid as opposed to the lower acidic environment represented by sodium …show more content…
These materials included, a clean dual petri dish, an iPhone 6s, two cotton balls, eight pill bugs, a small clear container, a small paint brush, a saturated pipet of 0.1M sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and a saturated pipet of 0.1M hydrochloric acid (HCl).
Methods: After obtaining all the materials, the first thing done was to place the cotton balls in the center of each circle in the dual petri dish. The cotton ball on the left side of the dual petri dish was then saturated with 0.1M hydrochloric acid, and the cotton ball on the right side of the dual petri dish was saturated with 0.1M sodium hydroxide. Hydrochloric acid is labeled as a strong acid, which means it is high in acidity. Whereas, sodium hydroxide is a strong base, which means it is low in acidity. A small paintbrush was then used to transport the eight pill bugs from the small clear container to the center of the dual petri dish. While one contained the eight pill bugs from escaping the center of the dual petri dish, someone else would then used their iPhone 6s to record the time. The pill bugs were then set free to roam and the timer started. The pill bugs were allowed to roam freely throughout the dual petri dish for five minutes. After five minutes, their position on the dual petri dish was recorded and then they were all reset back at the center of
Isopods are everywhere, from the sea, to fresh water to even land. “Isopods are a highly diverse group that inhabit a wide variety of habitats and lifestyles” (Júnior et al, 2015). Isopods that inhabit on land are what are known as terrestrial isopods. They share a close relationship to lobsters, fish, and shrimp due to their gills which mean they have more characteristics of a animal than an insect. Armadillidium Vulgare, which are commonly known as pill bugs, tend to live in moist places. That is why it is very common to find one under a rock that has not been moved in a while. They are identified as detritivores, which consume dead organisms such as dead animals and dead plants through the process of decomposition (Wagler 2017). Decomposing soil is very acidic, and due their diet consisting of dead organisms, it is assumed that they favor acidic environments. In this lab the number of pill bugs that chose the acidic environment as opposed to the basic environment were examined. Similar studies tested the use of salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on lettuce plants and their effects of detering pill bugs (Tierranegra-garcía et al, 2011). We hypothesized that the pill bugs would be more attracted to the higher acidic environment represented by hydrochloric acid as opposed to the lower acidic environment represented by sodium …show more content…
These materials included, a clean dual petri dish, an iPhone 6s, two cotton balls, eight pill bugs, a small clear container, a small paint brush, a saturated pipet of 0.1M sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and a saturated pipet of 0.1M hydrochloric acid (HCl).
Methods: After obtaining all the materials, the first thing done was to place the cotton balls in the center of each circle in the dual petri dish. The cotton ball on the left side of the dual petri dish was then saturated with 0.1M hydrochloric acid, and the cotton ball on the right side of the dual petri dish was saturated with 0.1M sodium hydroxide. Hydrochloric acid is labeled as a strong acid, which means it is high in acidity. Whereas, sodium hydroxide is a strong base, which means it is low in acidity. A small paintbrush was then used to transport the eight pill bugs from the small clear container to the center of the dual petri dish. While one contained the eight pill bugs from escaping the center of the dual petri dish, someone else would then used their iPhone 6s to record the time. The pill bugs were then set free to roam and the timer started. The pill bugs were allowed to roam freely throughout the dual petri dish for five minutes. After five minutes, their position on the dual petri dish was recorded and then they were all reset back at the center of