***********SAMPLE LAB REPORT*******
John Smith- data
Group Members:
Santa Clause- observations
Easter Bunny- Materials/ Clean up
Jack Frost- experiment performer
August 29, 2014
Earthworm Behavior Lab
Background: Earthworms are important to ecosystems as decomposers. They break down dead,
organic matter and return nutrients back to the soil, and aerate the soil for crops to grow. They belong
to the annelid class of organisms, also known as segmented worms. Earthworms are hermaphrodites,
meaning that they have both male and female sex organs. Because earthworms spend most of their
time in a confined area without much interaction with other worms, this is beneficial so that they can
mate with any worm they come into contact with. Earthworms are usually found in moist, dark
environments, such as under rocks in moist soil (source: lab background information).
The Purpose of this activity is to test a variable, such as temperature, amount of light, type of surface, or
reaction of earthworm to a chemical stimulus. ( REMEMBER, YOU ONLY TESTED ONE OF THESE!)
Problem Question: How does an earthworm respond to a change in its environment?( BE SPECIFIC TO
YOUR TEST VARIABLE)
Hypothesis: If an earthworm is given the preference between _____________ and ______________,
then it will prefer _________________ because in nature they are usually found
________________________________________________________________________________.
Independent variable: type of stimulus ( temperature, chemical, amount of light, type of surface)
Dependent variable: the earthworm’s preference ( response to chemical stimulus, or which chamber it
prefers)
Constant ( what stays the same) – size of chamber, size of paper towel, type of worms being studied,
time studied, amount of soil ( in some cases)
Control- results were compared to the results of other groups in class performing the same
experimental variable.
Materials:
Behavior chamber, dissecting tray, pipette, water , ice and a heat plate ( if using hot vs. cold), stopwatch,
paper, pencil, vinegar ( if using chemical stimulus), earthworms ( 3 each group), q-tip ( to handle worm)
Safety:
Aprons, gloves, sanitary precautions handling live organisms ( wash hands after use)
***********SAMPLE LAB REPORT*******
Data:
Qualitative Observations: At first, the 1st earthworm was very active and was hard to handle. When put
in behavior chamber, it began to go to the _____________ side after _____ seconds(or minutes). The
second earthworm was not as active, but went to the same side after _____ seconds ( or minutes. The
third earthworm had similar behavior as the second, and went to the ___________ side after ______.
Earthworm behavior in TIMED intervals.
30 seconds ( 0.5 min)
Earthworm 1
Remained in center
60 seconds
Moved toward _____
90 seconds
120 seconds
150 seconds (2.5 min)
180 seconds
You fill in your data!
FILL IN DATA
Remained in _____
Earthworm 2
Slowly moved to ___
stimulus
Remained in ____
chamber
FILL IN DATA
EXAMPLE ONLY!
Remained in ____
Earthworm 3
Slowly moved to ____
stimulus
Moved toward other
side
FILL IN DATA
Tried to escape out
died
Analysis/Discussion
For this lab, there were no pre or post lab questions ( YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER THEM FOR MOST
LABS; HOWEVER) . See below for conclusion
Conclusion
In this investigation, the behavior of three earthworms was investigated to determine their
preferences for ________. The hypothesis was not supported by data since the experiment gave
inconclusive results. In nature, earthworms are found _____________; however, in the behavior
chamber, the earthworm preferred __________________. ( remember this is an EXAMPLE ONLY. Put
the data your group actually has, not my made up one).
Some errors that occurred were using too much chemical stimulus, which killed the third
earthworm. Also, the experimenter could have possibly handled the worm incorrectly causing it to
become injured and die. Some future suggestions for improvement would be to use a different chemical
stimulus, or conduct field research to expose the earthworms to a real environment where distress from
handling would be less of deterrent from good data.
Studying earthworms is beneficial, because earthworms themselves are great decomposers that
earth depends on for breaking down organic matter to create nutrient rich soil. By studying earthworms
preference for certain environmental stimuli, biologists can ensure the species’ survival by educating the
public about the benefits of this organism. This lab showed some of the abiotic factors that could be
realistically useful to helping keep earthworm populations rising. (If you used any source, you will need
to document it in parenthesis here).
REMEMBER, NO PRONOUNS! USE THIRD PERSON AS A SCIENTIST WOULD DO. FOR YOUR FORMAL LAB
REPORT (COMING SOON!), YOU WILL NEED TO RESEARCH YOUR TOPIC AND PROVIDE AT LEAST 2
SOURCES OF INFORMATION BESIDES YOUR OWN INSIGHT.