LAB Name: Date Block A Trail of Termites BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Termites play an important role in the environment. They feed primarily on wood and are important in recycling nutrients in ecosystems. All have the standard insect features of six legs and three body sections: head, thorax, and abdomen. The life cycle is incomplete metamorphosis, consisting of egg, nymph, and adult. Nymphs or immature termites may develop into workers, soldiers, or reproductive, depending on the needs of the colony. Termites live in colonies, with three levels of organizations, or castes. The first caste includes termites capable of reproduction, appropriately called the reproductive. The reproductive include a king and queen and, in some cases, a few replacement individuals. Typically mature colonies produce winged reproductives that disperse and generate new colonies. The second caste is the soldier. Their sole function in the colony is to defend against invaders. They are less numerous in the colony than workers. The worker is the third caste and the bulk of the termite population. The workers perform jobs such as obtaining food, excavating wood, and constructing tunnels, as well as feeding the soldiers, reproductive, and immature termites (nymphs) in the colony. Each caste can be identified by certain outstanding characteristics. The workers are soft-bodied, wingless, blind, and creamy-white when fully grown. The head may be yellow-brown, and the entire insect is just 7-10 mm long. Workers are sterile and blind. Each caste has unique physical characteristics. All termites emit pheromones, which are excreted chemicals that elicit a behavioral response, as a way to communicate. Pheromones may cause social insects to lay eggs, attract a mate, fight off invaders, or mark a path to food. There is a chemical in BIC pens that is very similar to the termite pheromone. We can investigate how termites behave in response to this chemical and other chemicals. OBJECTIVE: In this activity you will observe some behavior in termites, generate a hypothesis to explain the behavior, and design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Tomorrow, you will carry out your designed experiment. CAUTION: Keep in mind that you will be working with worker termites. Handle them gently. Keep track of the termites when they are out on your table. Use the paintbrush to gently push them back onto the white paper. Termites are living organisms and should be handled with care. Carefully return the termites to the holding container at the end of the lab. MATERIALS: termites, various writing instruments, BIC pens, holding cup, paintbrush, white computer paper, ruler, stop watch N. Berg, Honors Biology, NNHS 2016 Page 1
PART ONE: Observation of Termite Behavior How do termites act? Option #1: Direct Observation 1. Place several termites from the holding cup gently onto a sheet of white paper. Use the paintbrush to gently push the termites toward the center of the paper. 2. Observe the termites for several minutes. 3. Using a black BIC pen, draw a circle of about 8 cm in diameter around the area where the termites are moving. a. Is there any change in the behavior of the termites? If so, describe. 4. Draw a path on the paper that varies from straight to wiggling, from one end of the paper almost to the other end. 5. Push the termites carefully toward one end of the trail. Observe for several minutes. Option #2: Indirect Observation 1. Go the following website: http://tinyurl.com/pq9cthr 2. Watch the YouTube video that shows a scientist observing termite behavior on a white sheet of paper. For the first minute, you will observe the scientist draw a circle on a white sheet of paper using a black BIC pen and gently place termites into the circle. 3. In the second and third minutes, the scientist takes the black pen and draws a path of a specific termite. Observe how all the termites are reacting to the new lines on the paper. a. How did the behavior of the termites change with the addition of the lines? 601: A Trail of Termites INQUIRY LAB Page 2
Group Members: Block: PART TWO: Designing An Experiment: THIS IS A GROUP LAB. YOU WILL NEED TO TURN IN ONE COPY THE FOLLOWING AT THE END OF THIS LAB FOR A GROUP GRADE: 1. The 4Q Strategy (step #1) 2. Experimental Design Graphic Organizer (step #2) 3. Typed Report Including: (steps #3 5) a. Procedure b. Data Table (and/or other Data Presentations) c. Analysis (1) Fill out The 4Q Strategy to begin brainstorming. Question #1: What materials are readily available for conducting experiments on termites? Question #2: How do termites act? (Observed in part one) Question #3: How can I change the set of materials that would change the action of termites? Question #4: How can I measure or describe the response of termites to the change? 601: A Trail of Termites INQUIRY LAB Page 3
(2) Fill out the Experimental Design Graphic Organizer below to begin planning your experiment. Title The Effect of on Hypothesis If, then. Independent Variable Levels of Independent Variable and Numbers of Repeated Trials Level 1: What is your CONTROL GROUP? Level 2 and up: What is/are your EXPERIMENTAL GROUP(S)? How many TRIALS per group? Dependent Variable(s) and How Its Measured Constants 1. 2. 3. 4. 601: A Trail of Termites INQUIRY LAB Page 4
(3) Write out a step-by-step, detailed PROCEDURE that another group could easily follow. A few things to remember when writing your procedure:! Be sure that your procedure does not harm the termites!! Write a procedure in a step-by-step, numbered format rather than a paragraph.! Describe each step with enough detail that someone outside of the class can follow it.! Be sure to have an experimental group as well as a control group.! Design your experiment such that you care collecting quantitative data such as time spent on the line versus time off.! Design your experiment such that you have a sample size that is large enough.! Design a data table for collection during your experiment.! Include an illustration of your experimental set up. (4) Carry out your experiment and collect DATA. (5) ANALYZE your data and report your findings.! Summarize your results what trends did you observe in the data?! Was your hypothesis supported or rejected?! How can you explain your results for your experimental group vs. your control group?! Was there any source of error? How could this error have affected your results?! What further questions were raised at the end of the experiment? What might be another follow up experiment? (6) Be prepared to REPORT your experiment and its findings to the class in a 5-minute presentation.! Title of the Lab! Hypothesis tested.! Identify independent and dependent variables.! Identify the control group.! Describe how the data was collected and overall trends seen.! Conclusions: Was your hypothesis supported or not? Sources of error and effects on data? Further study? 601: A Trail of Termites INQUIRY LAB Page 5