Isopods and What Type of Leaves Do They Prefer

Isopods and what Type of Leaves do they prefer

Introduction

In the classroom students collected isopods to be used for studies. As these studies would take time to do, the students need food for the isopods or else they would die. 4 types of leaves were brought into class to feed the isopods. This experiment is to find out what type of leaf the isopods likes, so that the students wouldn’t need to bring 4 types of leaves, instead just bring the one type the isopods preferred.

Isopods can be found in wet or moist soil. Since they are Crustaceans they need water to breathe from their gills. Too much water will kill them while to little water will dry them out. Humid wet soil is best for these Crustaceans as it hold the perfect amount of water. Since they live outside in damp places they are known to be decomposers and will eat most plants and organic matter.

Tests were used to see which leaf they liked best. 1 square was cut from each leaf and put into a petri dish with 2 isopods. Over the course of 4 days the students observed the percentage that was eaten. After the 4th day the students would then write the overall percentage down and compare the results of which leaf was eaten the most. The hypothesis was if sugar maple, basswood, white oak, and cottonwood are placed into a petri dish with 2 isopods then the isopod will eat more of the basswood then the other leaves.

Material

· 2 isopods

· 1.5 by 1.5 inch square leaf of the following: white oak, sugar maple, basswood, and cottonwood

· Petri dish

· 20ml of dirt

· 10ml of water

· Magnifying lens

· White out

· Markers

Methods

· Take out petri dish

· Add 20 ml of dirt

· Wet dirt with 10ml of water

· Cut 1.5 by 1.5 inch squares from each leaf

· On the leaf, white out a corner 0.2 by 0.2 inch square

· Color each leaf a different color on the whited out part

· Add leaves into petri dish

· Add 2 isopods

· Wait 24 hours and record amount eaten for each leaf

· Repeat step 7 for 3 more days