1. Food Preference Inquiry

2. Food preference inquiry Create your own hypothesis about the food preference of antsCreate your own hypothesis about the food preference of ants Example: When offered cornbread, honey and dead mealworms, my ants will feed equally on all three food substancesExample: When offered cornbread, honey and dead mealworms, my ants will feed equally on all three food substances

3. Protocol Locate an ant feeding trailLocate an ant feeding trail Place a small rectangle of plywood near the trailPlace a small rectangle of plywood near the trail Put equal amounts of the three food substances on the plywoodPut equal amounts of the three food substances on the plywood Come back later in the day to observeCome back later in the day to observe The same protocol can be used in the classroom in an ant farmThe same protocol can be used in the classroom in an ant farm

4. Data collection Record data after ants locate the feeding areaRecord data after ants locate the feeding area Count the number of ants visiting each food for a ten minute periodCount the number of ants visiting each food for a ten minute period Have three teams of students make similar observationsHave three teams of students make similar observations Have students observe the ants to determine if they are all the sameHave students observe the ants to determine if they are all the same

5. Reporting findings Have students average the number of ants visiting each food substanceHave students average the number of ants visiting each food substance Ask students what the results suggest about their hypothesisAsk students what the results suggest about their hypothesis Based on their results, encourage students to speculate about what other foods their ants might like (students can conduct another inquiry to test their theories)Based on their results, encourage students to speculate about what other foods their ants might like (students can conduct another inquiry to test their theories)

6. Conclusions Most ant species will show distinct differences in food choice experimentsMost ant species will show distinct differences in food choice experiments Have students observe the ant feeding trails to observe their natural food sourceHave students observe the ant feeding trails to observe their natural food source Consider similarities in their natural food and the food chosen in the preference testConsider similarities in their natural food and the food chosen in the preference test