THE EXPERIMENTS

Our first assignment was to gather five or more isopods from the outside over the period of a couple days. After this, we paired up and conducted tests on the behavior of the Isopods. Amazing! The little bugs that I used to poke with a stick were now getting their behavior tested? This shows God’s amazing organization. Even the most seemingly insignificant creatures on this earth turn out to be wonders of his creation! You just have to look deeper. Below is the list of experiments my partner and I used to make conclusions about the behavior of the Isopods.

Two Colors

Introduction and Data

In this experiment, my partner and I set up two colors on either side of a T shaped container. We set the Isopod at the bottom of the T and waited for him to choose which color he would prefer. Below is the data from this experiment.

Grey Color: 4 times
Green Color: 5 times

Analysis and Conclusion

According to the data, the Isopod went to the green color five times and the grey color four times. Although we tested no other colors, we found that according to our data, no color preference was found between the green and the grey sides.

Right or Left

Introduction and Data
In the next experiment, we again set up the T container. We set the Isopod at the base of the T. When the Isopod reached the fork, we recorded the side he preferred. Below is the recorded data from the experiment.

Left Side: 3 times
Right Side: 7 times

Data and Conclusion
According to the data, the bug preferred the right side over the left side seven of the ten times. This shows a moderate preference of right to left. However, there is a possibility the test may have been flawed by lack of constants considering there had been previous experiments in the container prior to the left or right test. The Isopod could have been strayed by a remaining sent or adaptive memory from a previous award of food or vegetation that may have occurred on the right side. The test may have also been flawed by pure chance in numbers. It is inconclusive to state a preference between left and right with moderate preference in such a small number of tests.

Light or Dark

Introduction
In this test, we ventured to see if the Isopods preferred light or dark. We set up a dark area on one side of the container and a light side on the other. Below are the results from our experiment.

Light: 1
Dark: 5


Analysis and Conclusion
According to our data, the Isopod preferred the dark over the light five of the six times. This shows a large preference of dark over light. This is not surprising since the Isopods prefer dark area under rocks and wood in their natural environment.

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