Isopod Behavior lab repord

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Psychology

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Dec 6, 2023

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Running head: (ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 1 Isopod Behavior, Movement, and Habitat Preference CUNY Hunter College

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 2 Abstract Armadillidium Vulgare , also known as pill bugs, are used in multiple studies to understand behavior towards certain stimuli in a given environment to identify preference. We observed Armadillidium Vulgare’s behavior and motivation as they moved from one chamber to another based on preferred conditions. The conditions given were light or dark, wet or dry, warm or cool, and lastly scent or no scent. Our hypotheses for each experiment tested on Armadillidium Vulgare were based on the knowledge of their natural habitat. Almost all of our hypotheses were supported by our observations and calculations. Pill bugs carry a preference towards conditions that better replicate their habitat, their movement was not a result of kinesis. Keywords : pill bugs, Armadillium Vulgare , preference, movement

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 3 Isopod Behavior, Movement, and Habitat Preference The pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, is a terrestrial crustacean, a type of non-insect arthropod. These animals have flattened oval bodies that are usually brown or grey. They have seven pairs of legs and armored plates which allows them to roll up into a ball to protect themselves. Unlike other crustacean’s pill bugs do not live in water, they live on land and breath oxygen through gills. Previous research has experimented with pill bugs to assess behavior and turn alternation (Cividini S & Montesanto G, 2018; Hughes 1992; Kevin & Scott 2014;). Turn alternation is an innate tendency that many animals including pill bugs have. Innate behavior, also known as instinctive behavior, comes from genes. Other behavior is learned from interaction or learning. Turn alternation is used to enhance continuation and endurance. (Kevin & Scott. 2014; Moriyama, 1999) Due to habituated stress this alternation can change although, it is shown to aid in forging for food and evading predators (Kevin & Scott. 2014; Moriyama, 1999; Tuck & Hassall, 2004). The extent of animal’s cognitive ability is not absolute. It is known that animals possess the ability to make decisions through the use of thought. Natural selection provides an explanation to how animal behaviors have evolved. The environment in which the animal inhabits provides different stimulus creating response reaction from said animal. Isopods have the cognitive ability to react to stimuli which may be due to evolutionary adaptation (Cividini S and Montesanto G, 2018). Results show that pill bugs both increase and decrease alternating during long lasting high stress. (Kevin & Scott. 2014) This poses the question of which actions are innate and which are a learned reaction to stimuli. Pill bugs are experimented on to learn what influences their behavior.

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(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 4 In this current study, we observe the pill bugs behavior and presence amongst eight different stimuli. We determined four different hypotheses for a total of four experiments where the pill bugs were exposed to two different stimuli per experiment. We hypothesized that the pill bugs will exhibit a negative phototaxis, a positive hydro taxi, a negative thermotaxis, and a negative gravitation towards a strong smell. The final hypothesis on the independent experiment was due to the belief that pill bug would not enjoy the pungent smell of vanilla or alcohol because of their habitat being underground. We wanted to know if pill bug were affected by smell since they have gills. Methods Subject 50 Armadillidium vulgare from Carolina Biological Supply Company were experimented on, 10 were given per individual group. They were kept in a tank supplied with soil and an environment that replicated their natural habitat. Materials and procedures We used a plastic two choice behavior chamber connected with a short tunnel for each of the four experiments. First, we obtained 10 pill bugs from a large tank the professor provided for us and placed five pill bugs on either side of the apparatus and performed an ethogram. For 10 minutes the pill bugs behavior was observed and recorded based on type, time, and frequency, documenting these observations in two-minute intervals. The time was recorded using a stop watch application on our smartphones. Then we used a black thin cloth to cover one side of the chamber in which we labelled A and left chamber B the way it was. Again, we separated the pill bugs five in each chamber and started the timer. We created a table from 0- 10 minutes and recorded the amount of pill bugs in each chamber for each one-minute interval. Then we

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 5 removed the black cloth from the chamber and placed a circular disk of filter paper in each chamber. The filter paper in chamber A received three to four drops of water while the filter paper in chamber B remained dry. After placing five pill bugs in both A and B we started the timer and recorder the amount of pill bugs in each chamber at a one-minute interval for 10 minutes. Once this experiment was over, we took the filler papers out of the chambers and received an ice pack and a heating pack. Under chamber A we placed the activated heat pack and under chamber B we placed an activated ice pack. We placed five pill bugs in either chamber or started the timer, we recorded the amount of pill bugs in each chamber every one-minute interval for 10 minutes. Lastly for our independent experiment we removed the heat and ice pack from under the chambers. We obtained a vanilla flavored hand sanitizer and two new circular filler papers. We placed a filler paper in each chamber and put two to three drops of hand sanitizer on the filler paper in chamber A and left the filler paper in chamber B bare. We placed five pill bugs in either chamber or started the timer, we recorded the amount of pill bugs in each chamber every one-minute interval for 10 minutes. Results Ethogram While observing the pill bugs movement the most detected behavior was the mount which was accounted for 18 times. The second most observed behavior was walking around which was marked for a total of 17 times. The least observed behavior was moving backwards. Observation totals can be seen in the appendix Experiments Experiment One

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 6 To analyze our datum, we used the Chi-square of independence. We compared the conditions of light and dark for pill bugs using the final time values. The relationship was significant, x 2 (1) = 8.00, p < .05. Then we compared using the extreme values which were also significant, x 2 (1) = 15.68, p < .05. Experiment Two Again, we used a chi square of independence test to compare preference of wet and dry conditions. For the final values the relationship was significant, x 2 (1) = 5.12, p < .05. For the extreme values the relationship was significant as well x 2 (1) = 11.52, p < .05. Experiment Three We used a chi square of independence test to compare the preference of cold and hot conditions. For the final values the relationship was not significant, x 2 (1) = 1.28, p < .05. Yet for the extreme values the relationship was significant x 2 (1) = 11.52, p < .05. Experiment Four For our last experiment we used a chi square of independence test to smell and no smell conditions. The relationship between these values were significant x 2 (1) = 15.52, p < .05. Discussion This study allowed us to observe pill bugs preference and their behavior that compliments them. From the four studies it was shown that pill bugs behavior complied with the conditions that were most complimentary to their natural habitat. In experiment one the pill bugs preferred dark rather than light because they are often found in the dirt hidden under objects like rocks. In experiment two the pill bugs favored the wet conditions over the dry because the soil they live in is often damp. Although as the time progressed the paper used began to lift and the

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(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 7 pill bugs would crawl underneath. This allows room for error in the aspect of whether they enjoyed the damp environment or rather the darkness the lifted paper created. In experiment three the pill bugs preferred cold over the hot because the dirt they live in is cooler than the air and environment above it. All of the results supported our original hypotheses and the walking behavior displayed during the ethogram. We hypothesized that the pill bugs would prefer smell rather than no smell because of their use of antennas to identify their surrounding with smell. The pill bugs behavior agreed with our hypothesis as majority spent most of their time in the chamber with the hand sanitizer smell. Their behavior might have also been influenced by the smell of vanilla in hand sanitizer; the pill bugs may have had a general preference for sweet rather than smell itself. For future research individuals should be aware of the health of the pill bugs they use. As well as the type of materials they utilize to construct the conditions. The present study supports the assumption that Armidillium Vulgare behavior is linked to survival in their habitat. (Kevin & Scott, 2014). Their behavior is essential to efficiently surviving in their environment. Without the Armidillium Vulgare ’s keen use of smell, the insects would have a much harder time moving throughout their world thus threatening the survival of the species. Further, the ability for the pill bug to survive and camouflage itself in damp and dark spaces explains the results from a survival lens.

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 8 References Cividini, S., & Montesanto, G. (2018). Changes in turn alternation pattern in response to substrate-borne vibrations in terrestrial isopods. Behavioural Processes , 146 , 27–33. https://doi- org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.11.005 Hughes, R. N. (2008). An intra-species demonstration of the independence of distance and time in turn alternation of the terrestrial isopod, Porcellio scaber. Behavioural Processes , 78 (1),3843.https://doiorg.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/10.1016/j.beproc.2007 .12.007 Kevin G.Hegarty and Scott L.Kight. (2014), Do predator cues influence turn alternation behavior in terrestrial isopods Porcellio laevis Latreille and Armadillidium vulgare . Latreille?. Behavioral Processes., 106: 168-171 Moriyama, T. (1999). Decision-making and turn alternation in pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare). International Journal of Comparative Psychology , 12 (3), 153–170. Retrieved from http://proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2000-12616- 002&site=ehost-live Tuck, J. M., & Hassall, M. (2004). Foraging behaviour of Armadillidium vulgare (Isopdda: Oniscidea) in heterogeneous environments. Behaviour , 141 (2), 233-244. doi:10.1163/156853904322890834

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 9

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(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 10 Table one Total observations of the final behavior on minute 10 from all 50 Armadillidium vulgare of experiments one to three Light Dark Wet Dry Hot Cold 1 2 8 10 0 2 8 2 4 6 4 6 8 2 3 3 7 9 1 0 10 4 4 6 6 4 4 6 5 2 8 4 6 7 3 Total: 15 35 33 17 21 29 Table two

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 11 Total observations of the extreme behavior from all 50 Armadillidium vulgare of experiments one to three Group # Light Dark Wet Dry Hot Cold 1 2 8 10 0 0 10 2 3 7 7 3 10 0 3 2 8 9 1 0 10 4 3 7 8 2 2 8 5 1 9 3 7 1 9 Total: 11 39 37 13 13 37

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 12 Table three Total observation from Experiment four Time Hand sanitizer (chamber A) No smell (chamber B) 0 5 5 1 7 3 2 7 3 3 6 4 4 6 4 5 5 5 6 5 5 7 7 3 8 7 3 9 6 4 10 7 3

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(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 13 Figures Figure 1. Armadillidium Vulgare behavior of the minute 10 mark under the conditions of light and dark of experiment 1.

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 14 Figure 2. Armadillidium Vulgare behavior of the minute 10 mark under the conditions of wet and dry of experiment 2.

(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 15 Figure 3. Armadillidium Vulgare behavior of the minute 10 mark under the conditions of hot and warm of experiment 3.

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(ISOPOD BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCE) 16 Figure 4. Armadillidium Vulgare behavior of the minute 10 mark under the conditions of small and no smell of experiment 4.

Isopod Behavior lab repord

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