In this lab Rollie Pollies, also known as Pillbugs or Armadillidiidae, were the subjects used in the lab test for senses. By analyzing and interpreting the data, interactions, and behavior of the small crustaceans, my group was able to deduce possible characteristics of the bugs regarding the vision, smell, and other senses.
Introduction:
Behavior is defined as the aggregate of responses to internal and external stimuli. In our lab, we observed the behavior of the rollie pollies as we presented external stimuli in the behavior chambers such as water, light, food, etc. We tested its affinity and behavior towards certain environments, which then helped us hypothesize certain senses. For example, using light and dark, and moist or dry, helped us better understand the bugs and how they interact.
Ethology, the study of behavior, first began in prehistoric times for practical uses such as hunting. Today, the field of ethology has expanded greatly and with much deeper understanding. Animals can exhibit two types of behavior: inherited and learned. Inherited behaviors are behaviors animals are born knowing. They are very "instinctual" for the animal. This can include a female mammal nursing her young at the time of birth. Learned behaviors, are ones acquired in life that can be taught by a parent or pack. Hunting is the primary example of this.
For inherited behaviors, there are two different categories: reflex and instinct. Reflex behaviors act as an automatic response that don't involve messages from the brain. However, instinctual behaviors are complex patterns from inherited behaviors. A reflex behavior could be an animal pulling away when touching a sharp object, whereas an instinctual behavior could be a small animal being able to stand up after birth.
There are 3 types of behaviors which may be either inherited or learned: orientation behaviors, agonistic behavior, and mating behavior.
Orientation behaviors are what bring the animal to its most favorable, ideal environment. A taxis, an automatic, oriented movement, is then what can either drive the animal towards or from certain a stimulus. In our lab this included the water, sugar water, and light. Taxis are often observed in these types of stimuli. Opposite to taxis, is kinesis, which is a simple, random change in activity or turning rate in response to stimuli.
Agnostic behavior is how animals respond to each other in either submissive or aggressive manners. An example of this may be a dog showing its teeth before wanting to attack another animal.
Mating behaviors are behaviors animals present that include finding, courting, and mating with members of the same species.
There are two types of questions to ask about animals' behavior. Proximate causation is an explanation of animal's behavior based of the trigger stimulus and internal mechanisms. Ultimate causation is the explanation of animal's behavior based of evolution. This requires that behavioral traits, are genetically heritable, and then can be explained why the behavior was favored and passed down through natural selection.
Example Behavior: A songbird's song
Proximate Question: When does the bird know to sing?
Ultimate Question: Why does the bird use song?
Fixed Action Patterns, or FAP, is defined as a sequence of unlearned behaviors that is essentially unchangeable, and once it is initiated , it is usually carried to completion. For example, during mating season, male red-bellied sticklebacks show aggressive behavior when triggered by anything red, the stimulus.
Imprinting, is a type of behavior that has both aspects of learning and innate components. Typically, imprinting is irreversible. It distinguishes itself from the other types of learning because of its limited phase in animal's development in which the certain behavior can be learned. A proximate cause for a young goose imprinting on its mother is because of the goose seeing the mother moving away from it and calling out for them. An ultimate cause might be that the young geese that imprint and follow their mothers have an increased survival rate due to them receiving more care and learning vital skills, opposed to those who don't.
Lastly, there are two types of associative learning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning occurs when an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment. This involves the pairing of stimuli and the association that results between the two. A behavior that would normally be the result of one stimulus becomes the result of the other also due to the association created. An example would be Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of the bell they'd come to associate with being fed. Operant conditioning is a type of associative learning in which animals learn to associate one of its own behaviors with a reward or punishment. It is a type of trial-and-error learning. Operant conditioning requires that the subject perform some action, and that the action is either rewarded or punished to either encourage or dicourage the behavior.
Question:
Are rollie pollies' behaviors, shown in response to stimuli introduced to the behavior chambers, kinesis or taxis?
Hypothesis:
Series 1:
If the rollie pollies are placed in a behavior chamber with a dry side and a damp side, then the rollie pollies will gradually move over to the moist side because of their behavior observed in nature.
Series 2:
If the bugs are placed in a behavior chamber containing sugar water on one side and regular water on the other, then the bugs will stay on the natural water because they do not tend to favor sugary-water in nature.
Series 3:
If rollie pollies are placed in a behavior chamber with half light and half dark, then they will favor the dark side because of their favorability of the darkness.
Overall Hypothesis:
If the bugs collect on the same side, then the response must be taxis, since the behavior they displayed is consistent.
Materials:
- Vessel for Collection
- 10 Rollie Pollies
- Paint Brushes
- Behavior Chambers
- Filter Papers
- Pipet
- Sugar Water
- Pure Water
- Lamp
Procedure:
- Collect 10 rollie pollies outside, with the use of the collection chamber
- Once the 10 are captured, bring them inside to begin observation
- Place the bugs in a behavior chamber containing nothing inside (control)
- Observe them for 5 minutes, noticing anything interesting in their behavior
- Create 3 different experiments testing the senses of the bugs
- Use the chambers to test the hypothesis
- Test the variable for 7 minutes and record the data observed
Data Tables, Observations, and Graphs:
Series 1: Dry Chamber vs. Moist Chamber
(Affinity towards dampness)
|
Time (in
minutes)
|
# of
Rollie Pollies in the Dry Chamber
|
# of
Rollie Pollies in the Moist Chamber
|
|
0
|
12
|
0
|
|
0.5
|
8
|
4
|
|
1.0
|
7
|
5
|
|
1.5
|
7
|
5
|
|
2.0
|
6
|
6
|
|
2.5
|
5
|
7
|
|
3.0
|
6
|
6
|
|
3.5
|
6
|
6
|
|
4.0
|
5
|
7
|
|
4.5
|
5
|
7
|
|
5.0
|
5
|
7
|
|
5.5
|
5
|
7
|
|
6.0
|
5
|
7
|
|
6.5
|
3
|
9
|
|
7.0
|
3
|
9
|
Series 2: Sugar Water vs. Pure Water
(Affinity towards taste, sweetness)
|
Time (in minutes)
|
# of Rollie Pollies in Pure Water Chamber
|
# of Rollie Pollies in Sugar Water Chamber
|
|
0
|
12
|
0
|
|
0.5
|
10
|
2
|
|
1.0
|
8
|
4
|
|
1.5
|
10
|
2
|
|
2.0
|
10
|
2
|
|
2.5
|
10
|
2
|
|
3.0
|
8
|
4
|
|
3.5
|
8
|
4
|
|
4.0
|
9
|
3
|
|
4.5
|
10
|
2
|
|
5.0
|
9
|
3
|
|
5.5
|
9
|
3
|
|
6.0
|
10
|
2
|
Series 3: Lightness vs. Darkness
(Affinity towards light, vision)
|
Time (in minutes)
|
# of Rollie Pollies in Light Chamber
|
# of Rollie Pollies in Dark Chamber
|
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
|
0.5
|
2
|
10
|
|
1.0
|
1
|
11
|
|
1.5
|
1
|
11
|
|
2.0
|
2
|
10
|
|
2.5
|
2
|
10
|
|
3.0
|
3
|
9
|
|
3.5
|
3
|
9
|
|
4.0
|
2
|
10
|
|
4.5
|
1
|
11
|
|
5.0
|
1
|
11
|
|
5.5
|
1
|
11
|
|
6.0
|
1
|
11
|
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