Animal Behavior Lab Instructions

How to perform an Investigation in AP Biology: The Animal Behavior Lab This is not so much about the animal behavior as the initial step-by-step approach that will be required through-out the year. This will be my 4th year with this lab. The first one was very guided, under the old College Board curriculum. Starting with lab has proven to be very effective getting things in the right direction during the first week of school. We actually will be working through some general statistics and steps of inquiry Monday through Wednesday, and then this lab on Thursday and Friday.

Some Background Information “Iso” means similar/equal “Pod” means foot It has 14 legs. It has a segmented body. Also, known as the “Rollie Pollie”, “Roly-Polie”, and “Sow bugs” It is not an insect. Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Crustacea ( same class as Crustaceans like lobster, shrimp, and crabs. They breath through gills. Genus: Armadillidium Species: vulgare Explain: I have provided some information, but through observation (Explore) and research they will gain more information that will be the basis for their question.

The Animal Behavior Lab has to do with Ethology Ethology – The study of animal behavior Couple of terms you need to know: Taxis: animal moves toward or away from stimulus. Kinesis: random movement - without respect to stimulus. A little bit of interesting vocabulary. We will actually have a week of Animal Behavior in the 3rd 9 weeks in the Ecology unit. They always seem to remember what went on with this lab. Explain.

Just a mental image to help you remember: I make weird connection with them through the year. They seem to remember those too. Explain. Just a mental image to help you remember: When you get in a taxi, do you tell the driver to take you to a specific place towards somewhere? Or just drive around to where ever he wants to and then let you out?

Check for understanding: What do each of these mean? What is the stimulus? Which way is negative? Which way is positive? What does phototactic mean? What does chemotactic mean? What does Geotactic mean? I am going away from light? Evaluate: Just a short check for understanding. Verbal – whoever knows can tell me. It is the first week of school, so I don’t know things about them yet.

Your hypothesis You will need both a null and alternate Null Alternate Sample: Null: There is no preference difference in moist and wet environments. Pill bugs prefer moist environments This is first lab. Help with each of these will be provided. Explore: Form hypothesis

Guided portion of the lab 1. Place 15 pillbugs in your choice chamber gently with a paintbrush. 2. Make observations for 10 minutes. What do they look like? How are they moving within the chamber? How are they interacting with each other? Remove the pillbugs. I have two parts to my room. The presentation/desk area, where they will see this. Then they can’t. So I use two ways to display in the back in the lab: 1) small whiteboard with directions and 2) small acrylic 8x11 frame at the lab station.

Guided portion of lab cont. Place a moist filter paper on one end of the choice chamber and a dry filter paper on the other end of the filter paper. Place 5 pillbugs in each end of the chamber and 5 in the middle gently with a small paint brush. At 10 minutes, count the number on each side. This will have given them enough time to make a decision.

Collecting Data Make a small table similar to the one below. This was actually a table given for this lab on the AP Exam. Remember you are using pillbugs and wet vs. dry.

Analyzing Your Data If you look at the flow chart in your lab station manual, you will see that we collected discrete data. (follow the pink) Our tool box will have consisted of expected and observed values. We will use a bar graph. Then we will use the Chi-Square test. I made this flow-chart at the beginning of the year. I have sent it to everyone that I know that is smarter than me in Statistics to tell me I’m wrong about anything with my understanding of statistics, including you, not the colors. I just printed it for the first time. I want to place one at each lab station and online. The colors don’t print well, but it is in the re-working stage and has been all summer. I was more worried about an easy flow for my lower kids, not the colors. After printing for myself, I decided to work with the pink direction some more. This is the more likely route for testing. The orange and pink don’t work well together.

The bar graph Title: Y-axis label: X-axis label: Independent Variable: Dependent . We have worked on making a bar graph earlier in the week.

Methods of Analyzing your Data You can organize your data for calculating Chi-Square in a table like the one below. This is an actual sample from the AP Exam 2012.

Will you be rejecting the null hypothesis? Now find that Chi-Square value (critical value) on the Degree of Freedom chart below. This is the actual chart available to you on the exam. This will be their 2nd time working with Chi Square for the first week of school. Will you be rejecting the null hypothesis?

For the guided lab: You will not be assembling a mini-poster, however, all of the information must be in your lab notebook. Site references later for your back-ground information on mini-poster; Don’t forget AP Lab Manuals, as a source

Now it’s time to design your own experiment in Animal Behavior Now it’s time to design your own experiment in Animal Behavior. Before you get started: Follow pre-lab design rubric.

You will need a composition book to record the following: (See rubric in lab station manual) 1. Members of your work group 2. Primary question for investigation 3. Background observations and contextual information – support why? 4. Hypotheses and rationale for the investigation 5. Experimental design – strategies/tools for testing hypothesis, using appropriate controls, and variables 6. Materials required (Make a sticky note shopping list for your lab station) 7. Safety issues 8. Procedure in sufficient detail so that someone could replicate your results. AT THIS POINT, YOU MUST GET MY APPROVAL BEFORE BEGINNING EXPERIMENTATION. 9. Results, including graphs, tables, drawings or diagrams, and statistical analysis 10.Conclusion and discussion - Was the hypothesis supported? What additional questions remain for further investigation? 11. References They have a copy of this at their lab stations. I have a central table with supplies. It will contain things that I have thought about. This helps inspire those that need help. Explore.

Example of Mini-Poster Trifold made with 2 manila folders. I explain construction with real examples.

Mini – Poster Requirements   Title Abstract – (like NFRSEF abstract from Science Fair) Introduction – with primary question, background (like a review of Lit), and hypothesis (null and alternate, please) Methodology – Materials; Design Results, including appropriate graphs and descriptive statistics, tables/charts, and statistical analysis information (test and interpretation) Conclusions: your interpretation of your results based on your hypotheses, including Reject Null or Fail to reject null, etc. Literature cited. Often, I am very open to new ways that kids want to do something. Some definitely need to be typed, but sometimes some creative students, with beautiful script handwriting, do their own. I find that out usually on this first lab. There are different interesting ways of folding the mini-poster. I find that if I am very structured, and think things can only be done one way, I miss learning from others. Many of my ideas are inspired and changed through students vision. So some of these end up pretty cool displays. My only rule: no bows, girly stuff, etc.

Evaluation You will present your findings during a gallery walk of your peers. All groups will prepare for presentation and set up meaningful mini-poster. Group members will rotate out and visit other lab stations for presentations. This first investigation will be graded by your group members, your peers, and me! Evaluation: Sometimes, we video tape this first time. Explain: students explain this time.

College Board References you must be included in all investigative labs: AP Dirty Dozen number 12 – this is located in the large notebook for your lab station AP Investigation number 11 – this is located in the 2 green notebooks for your lab station. All of your references need to be in APA format. This lab was pulled together using both of these sources. A cross of inquiry and pill bugs.