Observations
Our group found 3 termites in our Petri dish. They each had six legs, two antennae, and were light brown. We also noticed a tiny pair of pincers and sometimes a red dot on their heads. Each termite’s behavior was different, though. One seemed more energetic than the others because it was running around in circles. The second was a bit slower and tried to escape from the Petri dish. The third was still for a while, but eventually got up and moved around.
Background Information
The definition of taxis is a behavioral response to stimuli, and chemotaxis is movement towards desirable chemicals and away from unpleasant ones. Termites live mainly underground, but above their homes, they create chimney-like mounds that are porous, so cool air can come in and hot air can escape. This keeps their home well-ventilated and constantly supplied with fresh air. Underground, termites build nurseries to house young termites. There are also different kinds of termites in a colony. Soldier termites fight off enemies, like ants, and protect the colony. The worker termites find food and take care of the queen, who populates the entire colony. Based on this research, we can confirm that ants are similar to termites, so we assumed that termites would behave the same way.
Variables …show more content…
The dependent variable is the number of termites that were attracted to a certain pen.
The constant variable is the brand of pen (Papermate).
The control group is the black pen trail.
Hypothesis
If the termites are attracted to the chemical similar to termite pheromones in the black Papermate pen, then they will be attracted to the black pen over all other colors because the chemicals in the colored pens may cover up the termite pheromones.
Materials
Colored Papermate pens (Pink, green, and orange)
Black Papermate pen (Make sure that all pens are Papermate; this is important!)
1 sheet of 8.5 x 11” white, computer paper
3
Our group found 3 termites in our Petri dish. They each had six legs, two antennae, and were light brown. We also noticed a tiny pair of pincers and sometimes a red dot on their heads. Each termite’s behavior was different, though. One seemed more energetic than the others because it was running around in circles. The second was a bit slower and tried to escape from the Petri dish. The third was still for a while, but eventually got up and moved around.
Background Information
The definition of taxis is a behavioral response to stimuli, and chemotaxis is movement towards desirable chemicals and away from unpleasant ones. Termites live mainly underground, but above their homes, they create chimney-like mounds that are porous, so cool air can come in and hot air can escape. This keeps their home well-ventilated and constantly supplied with fresh air. Underground, termites build nurseries to house young termites. There are also different kinds of termites in a colony. Soldier termites fight off enemies, like ants, and protect the colony. The worker termites find food and take care of the queen, who populates the entire colony. Based on this research, we can confirm that ants are similar to termites, so we assumed that termites would behave the same way.
Variables …show more content…
The dependent variable is the number of termites that were attracted to a certain pen.
The constant variable is the brand of pen (Papermate).
The control group is the black pen trail.
Hypothesis
If the termites are attracted to the chemical similar to termite pheromones in the black Papermate pen, then they will be attracted to the black pen over all other colors because the chemicals in the colored pens may cover up the termite pheromones.
Materials
Colored Papermate pens (Pink, green, and orange)
Black Papermate pen (Make sure that all pens are Papermate; this is important!)
1 sheet of 8.5 x 11” white, computer paper
3