What is the purpose of the pill bug lab?

It is designed for small groups. Students begin with an experiment to test how pill bugs respond to humidity. After completing the experiment, students may design an inquiry to test another environmental factor to which pill bugs may respond.

How do pill bugs respond to their environment?

Curling Up Into Balls. Many pillbugs are capable of warding off predators by curling their tiny bodies up into balls. They react to annoyance and fearful situations by immediately taking on this conspicuous shape — a defensive adaptation that’s the reason behind their common name.

How do pill bugs behave?

Pillbugs are nocturnal, though they may be found during the day in the soil or under debris. They are mainly beneficial in the garden or landscape, but can become occasional pests if they wander indoors. Figure 1. Pillbug, Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille), rolled into a ball.

Why is a pill bug not an insect?

That’s right, pillbugs aren’t insects. They are actually crustaceans, which means they are more closely related to shrimp, crabs and crayfish than they are to the ants and other insects that inhabit the same soil. They breathe through gills like other crustaceans, but their gills must remain moist even on land.

Do pill bugs prefer dry or wet environments?

There are two main reasons why pillbugs prefer moist and dark environments: Food and Surival. Food-wise, pillbugs eat algae, moss, fungus bark and all kinds of dead and decaying organic material. These can mostly be found in wet and most environments, thus it is only logical to find pillbugs near them.

What environmental factors affect pill bugs?

Identify 2 more environmental factors that may affect pill bug behavior. Temperature, light intensity, substrate texture, substrate color.

What is the life cycle of a pill bug?

Eggs hatch into young sowbugs and pillbugs that resemble adults but are smaller. They remain in the pouch up to 2 months after hatching. Development to adults occurs in about a year and they breed mainly in the spring. They may live up to 3 years. Up to three broods may be produced annually.

How do pill bugs exhibit dominance behaviors?

This type of behavior is exhibited when animals respond to one another with aggressive or submissive response. It is often the case that these agnostic behavioral displays are a method of asserting dominance. Pillbugs exhibit, even just when being observed, many of these behaviors.

What type of environment do pill bugs prefer?

Pillbugs live just about anywhere there is moisture and dead plants to eat, but they are most common in forests and other humid habitats. A few live along the seashore, close to their marine relatives. They need humid conditions to survive.

What pH do pill bugs prefer?

Pillbugs need calcium in their diet to build up their hard protective cuticle, and calcium is not abundant in soils with a pH below 5.5. The ideal soil pH conditions for pillbugs are above 5.5 where calcium is present but below 9, the maximum threshold for soil bacteria.