LAB: ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Adapted from the College Board AP Biology Lab Manual by A. Ward
Modified by M. Chirby
Name___________________________________________ Date___________ Period: ________
STUDENT-DIRECTED INVESTIGATION
PART I: GETTING READY
1. Formulate a hypothesis as to which type of environment (dry or moist) pill bugs show a preference towards. Record
this hypothesis in your laboratory notebook.
2. Read the procedure below and construct a data table in your laboratory notebook to collect data during this
experiment. Complete the procedure and record your data.
A. Place 10 pill bugs into a choice chamber along with a little bedding. Observe the movement of the pill bugs
in the choice chamber for 5 minutes and record any characteristic movements or movement patterns.
B. Remove the pill bugs and bedding from the choice chamber. Place a piece of filter paper in each chamber.
C. Leave one filter paper dry and saturate one filter paper with water.
D. Place 5 pill bugs in each choice chamber and start a stopwatch.
E. Record the number of pill bugs in each chamber (dry or moist) every 30 seconds for 10 minutes total.
3. Complete the analysis questions below in your laboratory notebook. Restate the questions in your response.
A. Construct a line graph of your data.
B. Based on your observations of pill bug movement, how do pill bugs locate preferred environments?
C. Taxis is defined as directed movement towards or away from a stimulus. Kinesis is defined as random
movement in response to a stimulus. Is pill bug response to moisture best classified as taxis or kinesis?
Explain your answer.
D. What claim can you make regarding pill bug behavior? Be sure to describe at least two different data points
from your experiment to provide evidence for your claim. Explain your reasoning as to why the evidence
selected supports your claim. A complete response to this part should be several sentences long.
PART II: INVESTIGATING FACTORS, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES, THAT AFFECT PILLBUG
RESPONSES
In this part of the lab, you will design and conduct your own experiment to investigate pillbug responses to an environmental
variable(s) of your choice. The following materials are available to you:
Coffee
Orange Juice
Acid (acetic acid)
Base (potassium bicarbonate)
Salt water
Sugar water
Colored construction paper
Aluminum Foil
Fruit
Potato slices
“Plain” Water
Tape
1. Choose two of the variables listed above and formulate a hypothesis that could be used as the basis for an experiment to
observe the pillbugs’ response to your chosen conditions. Write this hypothesis in your lab notebook.
Variables Chosen: ______________________________
_______________________________________
Hypothesis:
Experimental Design
1. Design an experiment to investigate your hypothesis. Use the space below to write your materials and procedure.
Transfer these into your laboratory notebook. When designing your experiment, be sure to address the following:
 What is the essential question being addressed?
 What assumptions are made about the question(s) being addressed? Can those assumptions be verified?
 What are possible sources of error in the experiment(s)?
2. Use the experimental design handout at the end of this packet to help plan your experiment.
3. Once you have completed step #1, see Ms. Chirby to present the plan for your experiment and receive feedback
and/or approval BEFORE you conduct it.
Materials:
Procedure:
Data Collection - Once you have received approval, construct a table to collect your data, conduct your experiment(s) and
record your observations and data in your laboratory notebook.
Discussion and Conclusions – Answer the following questions in your laboratory notebook. Complete responses will be
several sentences long.
1. Explain the relationship between your independent and dependent variable. Be specific, using data points to support
your claim.
2. Does the data collected support or refute (or perhaps neither support nor refute entirely) your hypothesis? Explain
why, using data points to support your claim.
3. What biological concept was modeled by this laboratory experiment? Do the results of this experiment align with
known information about this concept? Why or why not?
4. What are some sources of error (at least 2, NOT human errors, but things beyond your control) in this experiment?
Explain how you know that these imposed limitations on the accuracy of your data. For each source of error, suggest
a realistic improvement.
5. Suggest a related experiment that could be conducted to extend your knowledge on this topic. What would be the
question you would be aiming to answer in this experiment?
Presentation and Evaluation of Results - You will be presenting your experiment in the form of a poster presentation. Be
sure to use the rubric so you can make sure your presentation contains all necessary components.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
When asked to design an experiment, be sure to do the following:
 Clearly state a hypothesis using the “If..., then...” format.
 Set up a control and indicate the purpose of the control.
 Use a large sample size (dozens of organisms versus one or a few).
 Identify the dependent and independent variables.
 Indicate what variables you will hold constant.
 Indicate how you will manipulate the variable you will test.
 Describe how the function you are testing is affected by the change in the variable.
 Describe how you will measure the change in the variable (titration, measuring temperature
every five minutes, etc.).
 Describe how you will verify your data (Repeat the experiment ten times.).
 Indicate how you will analyze your data (Run a Chi-square test; graph the data).
 Relate possible results to the hypothesis (In other words, what results will lead you to
confirm OR reject your hypothesis?).
LAB: ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
POSTER PRESENTATION RUBRIC
Group Members: _____________________________________________________________________________________
_____ Title (5 points maximum)
 Descriptive of the work done
Comments:
_____ Background (10 points maximum)
 Description of the underlying principles related to the experiment being performed. (e.g., pillbug anatomy,
physiology, and behavior)
Comments:
_____ Purpose (10 points maximum)
 A concise statement of the purpose(s) of the experiment, or the question that is being addressed in the
experiment
 Hypothesis clearly stated
Comments:
_____ Materials and Methods (10 points maximum; 1 point each)
 A list of the materials used
 A clear, detailed description of the methods
Description of procedure includes the following:
 Control group & purpose of the
control
 Large sample size
 Dependent & Independent variables
 Variables held constant.
 Indicate how the tested variable is
Comments:
manipulated
 How is the change in the variable
measured?
 How was the data verified?
 How was the data analyzed?
_____ Observations/Results (20 points maximum; 2 points each)
 Observations
 Data tables
 Graphs of all data with titles, labeled axes and legends where necessary
Comments:
_____ Discussion (15 points maximum; 3 points each)
 Meaning of the data collected.
 Analysis of sources of error and agreement of the results with expectations or standard values; what is the
evidence for your error(s)?
 Were parts of the experiment more or less difficult than others?
 What would you do differently?
 Any insight derived from this experiment into better ways to do the experiment or further extensions of this study
should be noted.
Comments:
_____ Conclusions
(10 points maximum; 5 points each)
 Was the hypothesis supported or rejected? What evidence leads you to this conclusion?
 What is the bottom-line answer to the question that was being investigated?
Comments:
_____ Questions (10 points maximum; 5 points each)
 Did you ask questions of other groups as they were presenting their experiments?
 Were the questions you asked of other groups quality questions that challenged them?
Comments:
_____ Presentation (10 points)
 Did all members of the group participate equally in the presentation?
 Was the power point clear? Colorful? Creative?
 Did the information come from the presenters? Was too much information on each slide?
Comments:
_________ = TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS EARNED
Overall Comments: