Woodlice - Lab Report Example

Woodlice Lab Report Analysis Introduction Woodlice have been considered to have several species that roll up in perfect shapes as ways of defense. Unlike other crustaceans, woodlice are found on land but can only survive in moist surroundings. Their food includes dead insects, roots of young plants and decaying vegetable materials. During the day they hide in cool dark places under stones and flower pots (Smith 7). Woodlice are harmless, and in spite of their name, they do not spoil wood. They have an external shell skeleton, which sheds off as they mature (Smith 6). The female woodlice are identified to keep fertilized eggs s under their bodies until they are hatched into small white young ones. Research has shown that females ones have the ability to reproduce sexually. Woodlice are crustaceans, which are found in the same class such as crabs and lobsters. However, their unpleasant taste distinguishes them from other group members. These types of creatures breathe through the lungs which are found in their hind legs. They are mainly found in earthly environment since they are used to losing a lot of water through excretion. Therefore, they live in damp and dark places such as rocks and logs, because they need moisture to survive. In comparison to other creatures, woodlice have predators such s spiders, lizards and birds. These predators depend on woodlice for their survival. To this effect woodlice have adaptive features that enable them to survive. Such features include rolling themselves in to some form of ball and stretch again to their normal size and length. They are found in varied lengths such as short, middle and long, and they also move at varied speeds. Method This experiment basically requires knowing how to control a population of woodlice. Around 24 of woodlice were place in the plastic container. The length and the length of internal of woodlice were taken by using a ruler and the microscope. Also, the number of plates was counted by using the microscope. In addition to that, the speeds of woodlice were taken by using two rulers to design the drag and the stopwatch as well to record the distance Results Trait Dorsal plate number Speed (seconds/10 cm) Length (cm) Color (values using soil color chart) Mean 7 21.20833333 0.991666667 5.083333333 Standard Deviation 0 +10.29131828 + 0.21450989 + 1.248187091 Standard Error 0 +2.100706547 +0.043786648 + 0.254785123 According to the information shown in the graph, the speed of woodlice has an effect to its survival. . From the report, short woodlice were shown to have survived (Therefore, predators are able to identify the long woodlice more easily than short ones. This explains the reason why woodlice roll in circular forms for their survival. When in their circular form, length can not be identified hence their survival. Short woodlice have the ability to hide from the predators since they are flexible. This enables them to survive because of their small size and speed. However, the long woodlice can be easily spotted by predators hence their decrease in population. In addition, their length makes them to move sluggishly compared to short ones who move fast and survive Discussion Scientific experiments depend on data that has been collected objectively. This indicates that researchers should not influence the results of an experiment with or without their knowledge. Instruments used in the study should be well placed and arranged so as to give reliable opinions and observations. Such observations shall be used to draw concussions, which may affect other areas of science negatively. This explains the reasons which led each group to encounter error in their experiment. For example, woodlice were not experimented in their natural habitat. When a living creature is removed from its natural environment, it tends o develop features that can assist it survive (Schmalfuss 76). However, if it fails it may die. Such deaths may decrease the woodlice population. Investigations should be carried in the normal area of the organism for accurate results. Secondly, some of the woodlice were put in the soil. This may affect them because the concentration of the soil may be low or high for the survival of woodlice. This has caused a speed and length error in the experiment. Nevertheless, some limitations have been identified in the experiment. This can be seen because the woodlice population was not put in their common surrounding and temperature. Such ecological factors may have a direct or an indirect effect on the results of the experiment. For example, woodlice lose a lot of water through e creation .therefore, when they are put in high temperatures, the woodlice will not survive since the rate of transpiration will be high. They need temperatures that can cool their body functioning so as to reduce loss of water for accurate results. Secondly, the length trait that was used in the experiment was measured by man. It does not indicate accuracy of the results. This indicates that human error has contributed in the observation realized. Therefore, in future experiments, a direct trait should be used apart from the length. The experiment shows the population of the long woodlice diminishing (Mohamed Para 4). A trait that will reflect the effete on both short and long woodlice should be initiated to give accurate results. A different means of measurement should be avoided to keep off human error. Modern measurement equipment should be embraced for an improved project. . Human beings were used to control the speed of woodlice. Proper equipments would have been used to control the speed of woodlice. It should be noted that woodlice have the ability to maximize and minimize their bodies. Therefore, this explains the percentage error experienced in the experiment. Woodlice do not negatively affect human beings. They help in the breakdown of dead decaying materials. Such organisms are beneficial to the woodland surroundings. The experiment can be credited for the use of the microscope to measure the internal length of the woodlice. Such facilities help to provide right data that can be dependable. The experiment explains that the survived woodlice were placed in a plastic container. Two rulers were used to design the speed of woodlice and stopwatch to record the distance. The histogram indicated that both the short and long woodlice had a chance to survive. This shows it since the predator used in the experiment was a spider, which prefers middle length woodlice. It has been argued that spiders prefer middle size woodlice to short and long ones. The predator concentrated on the middle length ones and kept away from long and short ones. Therefore, this causes another error. Future studies should develop predators that can have an effect on m all the sizes of woodlice for efficient and accurate results. Proper funding of scientific experiments should be implemented for objective observations. Works Cited Alsaraaf, Hassan Life Science 1010 Lab Report#2 4-23-2013 Freeman, Scott. Biological Science.4th ed. San Francisco, CA. Pearson Benjamin Cumming, 2011 Print. Jordan, Mary Ann. LIFE 1010 General Biology Lab Manual. Plymouth, Michigan. Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2012. Print. Mohamed, Ahmed LIFE 1010, Lab section 29 December 06, 2012 Read More