Challenge: What can you discover about an organism in a laboratory investigation? Vocabulary: Ecology Observation Inference Anthropocentrism Anthropomorphism

Read page E- 15 and write down the definition of ECOLOGY in your journals.

Guidelines for Studying Animals  What do we need to think about when dealing with live animals?  Be Nice!  Be Careful!  Don’t hurt them  Don’t throw them  Don’t play around

Warning!  Blackworms reproduce ASEXUALLY. If you see a lighter color on one end, they are regenerating… so be GENTLE!!

Observations vs. Inferences Observations (What you notice with senses) Inferences (Guess based on information)

Things to Think About!  Where is the head? Tail?  How/ What do they eat?  How do they move?  How do they act with each other?  How do they reproduce?  Do they only live in water?  What eats them?  How do they respond to touch?  How do they breath?  Do they have a nervous system? Circulatory?

Procedure # 7-9  Moisten a filter paper.  Place it in the empty petri dish.  Use your dropper to suction 1 worm.  Please the worm on the filter paper.  Observe how it moves alone and on filter paper.

Blackworms under a Microscope!  Use a dropper to place ONE blackworm on a slide.  Begin with x10 magnification.  Move up in magnification and focus using the fine focus each time.  Record observations about the blackworm.  *Think about its circulatory system!

Group Work Analysis #3(E-18)  You are a group of professional ecologists.  Write an entry for the encyclopedia describing blackworms.  Entry must include at least 8 facts.  Include both physical observations and behavioral observations.

Homework- Analysis #2(E-18)  Based on what you know about blackworms, in what type of environment do you think blackworms live? Explain your reasoning.  Temperature?  With other Worms?  Location?  Surroundings?  Predators?  Prey?  Water Type?