Name ______________________________________________________________________
AP INQUIRY LAB – ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Pre-Lab  Define (thoroughly) the following terms on the first page of your notebook paper:
o Hypothesis
- Taxis
o Independent (manipulated) variable
- Kinesis
o Dependent (responding) variable
- Ethology
o Control
- Agnostic behavior
o Controlled variables/Constants
- Mating behavior
o Qualitative data
- Quantitative behavior
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Do some research on common pill bugs. Record a brief description (at least a paragraph) on your notebook paper, including
information about pill bug care requirements.
Record the classification of a pill bug from Kingdom  Family.
o Determine the scientific name for the common pill bug. Write it using proper rules for recording the scientific name.
Introduction
The purpose of this lab is to reinforce the importance of quality observations and experimental design while studying animal behavior in an organism
commonly known as a pill bug. The study of animal behavior is known as ethology. Behavior is defined as an animal's response to sensory input, and
falls into two basic categories: learned and innate (inherited).
Orientation behaviors place the animal in its most favorable environment. In taxis, the animal moves toward or away from a stimulus. Taxis is often
exhibited when the stimulus is light, heat, moisture, sound, or chemicals. Kinesis is a movement that is random and does not result in orientation with
respect to a stimulus. If an organism responds to bright light by moving away, that is taxis. If an animal responds to bright light by random movements in
all directions, that is referred to as kinesis.
Agonistic behavior is exhibited when animals respond to each other by aggressive or submissive responses. Often the agonistic behavior is simply a
display that makes the organism look big or threatening.
Mating behaviors may involve a complex series of activities that facilitate finding, courting, and mating with a member of the same species.
In this activity, you will spend time getting to know your pill bugs.  It is important that you take precautions not to intentionally hurt or kill the organisms
you are working with. Be sure to wash your hands before and after you complete the activity. You are responsible for recording qualitative,
quantitative, and behavioral observations, including any evidence of agonistic or mating behaviors. Finally, you and your tablemates will choose an
environmental factor in order to test the pill bug’s response. You will design and run the experiment, analyze your results, perform a statistical analysis,
formulate a conclusion, and evaluate your experimental design.
Procedure: Please record Part A on a second sheet of notebook paper.. . . this will be turned in upon completion of the lab.
Part A – General Observation of Behaviors
1. Label a container by obtaining a piece of masking tape and recording Period Number – Table Number. Place on the side of the container.
2. Create an appropriate and hospitable environment for your pill bugs in your labeled container.
3. Obtain 7-8 pill bugs and place them gently in their new home! 
4. Observe them for 8 minutes. Make notes about their general appearance. You may place them in a Petri dish to see them better. Observe
their movements about the tray, and interactions with each other. Notice if they appear to prefer one area to another, keep moving, settle down
or move sporadically. Note any behaviors that involve 2 or more organisms. Try to make your observations without disturbing the organisms in
any way. Do not prod or poke or shake the tray, make loud sounds, or subject them to bright lights. You want to observe their behavior, not
influence it or interfere with it.
5. Record observations. This may be done in bullet format, but the observations should be very descriptive and include three basic types:
 Quantitative
 Qualitative
 Behavioral
6. Use a hand lens or a dissecting scope to observe a pill bug closely. Sketch a single pill bug. You are required to use your original drawing
for your lab write-up . . . please do not re-draw! Be sure to title the drawing. Label (using a ruler) the following important features:
 Three body parts – head, thorax (first seven segments after head), abdomen
 Antennae
 Eyes
 Legs
 Uropods – paired appendages at end of abdomen
Part B – Experimental Design
 Select a factor from the list below: (Please note: light and moisture are not options.)
o Temperature
o pH
o Background color
o Food item
 Formulate a hypothesis concerning a pill bug’s response to the factor chosen. Justify your hypothesis. Record on your notebook paper.
 Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Some things to consider . . .
 How many trials?
 Length of each trial?
 How many pill bugs?
 Controlled Variables/Constants
 Use notebook paper pages 2 and 3 as a planning page. You must have your hypothesis, materials, procedure, data table(s) written on your
notebook paper prior to running the lab. In addition, identify the control, dependent, and independent variables. This planning page will be
turned in as a part of your grade on this lab.
Group Mini-Poster – Due Friday, 9/11
 Guidelines
o Everything must fit on a “manila folder trifold” that I will provide
o Use paper to record your information, then glue the paper onto the trifold
 Requirements
o Descriptive/Creative Title
o Objective or Purpose
o Hypothesis
 Written as a statement . . . No first person!
 Hypothesis rationale
o Materials & Methods
 List of Materials
 Detailed description of procedure written in paragraph form
o Results
 Data Table
 Graphical representation of the data
 Statistical Analysis
 Null hypothesis
o
Conclusion
 Evaluate your hypothesis. Did your results support your hypothesis, refute it, or were they inconclusive?
 Discuss results . . . was null hypothesis accepted or rejected?
 Analyze your experimental design, including constants. Identify problems and suggest improvements.
 Identify the control, independent variable, dependent variable
Lab Assessment
 Gallery Walk
 Trifold (60 pts)
o Peer Review – Each lab group will grade another lab group’s trifold.
o In addition, I will grade all of the trifolds.
 Title
2 pts
 Purpose
5 pts
 Hypothesis
5 pts
 Materials & Methods
12 pts
 Results
20 pts
 Conclusion
12 pts
 Overall Presentation
4 pts
 Teacher Assessment of Individual Work (40 pts)
o Page 1
 Background Information
8 pts
 Part A – Observations
16 pts
 Part A – Pill Bug Drawing
8 pts
o Page 2
 Planning/Data Collection
8 pts