What type of response are the woodlice showing to their environment?
What type of response are the woodlice showing to their environment?
Woodlice show positive photokinetic and negative hygrokinetic responses. Using a choice chamber, you can observe how quickly woodlice move in different conditions and gather evidence which shows that they move around more in dry conditions than in damp.
How do woodlice help the environment?
Woodlice feed largely on damp decomposing plant material and are therefore useful recyclers in the garden. Woodlice do not usually damage healthy plants, they can however become associated with damage which has other causes such as slug damage or plants that have died and begun to rot.
What is a woodlice role in the ecosystem?
In glasshouses, woodlice may occasionally nibble seedlings but they rarely do any significant economic damage. In the litter layer of deciduous woods, and on compost heaps, wood lice perform a vital role. They chew dead plants into small fragments and deposit these as faecal pellets, which decompose rapidly.
What environments are unsuitable for woodlice?
Woodlice thrive in dark, damp, cooler conditions, typically under logs and concrete slabs where the sun cannot reach directly. This preference is mainly due to their inefficient water-storage system. If exposed to heat or light for too long, woodlice can die due to the dramatic loss of water.
What type of Behaviour do woodlice show do you survive?
Animals such as woodlice maintain the water balance of their bodies using behavioural adaptations. A behavioural adaptation is an action an animal takes that increases its chances of survival. Woodlice move faster in dry areas, and more slowly in humid environments.
What environment do woodlice prefer?
Woodlice like damp, dark places and can be found hiding in walls, under stones and in compost heaps. Some species such as the common sea slater are only found on the coast. A woodlice has 14 legs and an outer shell called an exoskeleton. Woodlice eat rotting plants, fungi and their own faeces, but they don’t pee!
How do you control woodlice?
Clear away leaves and debris from the outside walls of your home, especially near ventilation bricks and grilles. Keep your outside drains and gutters clear of debris. Plug any gaps around windows and doors using sealant or caulking. Keep your home completely dry and warm and they’ll soon find somewhere else to live.
What do woodlice turn into?
Woodlice may look like insects, but in fact they’re crustaceans and are related to crabs and lobsters. Woodlice are sometime called pill bugs and slaters. The pill woodlouse gets its name because it can roll itself up into a ball.
How do I get rid of woodlice?
How to get rid of Woodlice. No treatment is necessary but if they persist put right any dampness, remove infested vegetation and use an insecticidal powder or long-lasting spray around door-thresholds or other points of entry. Amateur use products are available from your local garden centre or hardware store.
How do woodlice behave in light conditions?
Woodlice usually show a preference for a damp environment. Given a choice of light or dark, they usually show a preference for dark. If you use a lamp to establish a light/ dark gradient, the woodlice may in fact be responding to the heat of the lamp.
How long do woodlice live for?
three-four years
A common woodlouse can live for three-four years. Apart from man, its main predators are centipedes, toads, shrews and spiders.
What kind of environment does a woodlice like?
Woodlice usually show a preference for a damp environment. Given a choice of light or dark, they usually show a preference for dark. It could be interesting to establish which preference is stronger – dark or damp. If you use a lamp to establish a light/ dark gradient, the woodlice may in fact be responding to the heat of the lamp.
What to use to control the respose of woodlice?
A piece of black opaque card, black cloth or aluminium foil is placed over the top of one half of the dish. Control experiments using normally lit containers holding the same number of woodlice need to be done at the same time.
Why did woodlice go to the damp side in the second experiment?
It is possible that less woodlice went to the damp side in the second experiment due to becoming saturated with water so sought out dryer areas to “dry out” ( www.sylvanusservices.com/resources/woodlice_info.pdf accessed 10/10/14 ). To avoid this affecting the results, the woodlice could have been given more time between experiments.
How to test the behaviour of wood lice?
In my experiment I am testing whether the woodlice prefer the environment to be wet or dry. I predict that they will prefer it wet rather than dry. I think this because when you find them in the wild, they are in dark damp places like under big rocks or a log. Method
