Physical features:

Þ Skeleton: Exoskeleton

Þ Defense: Can roll into a ball

Þ Color: Dark colors

Þ Texture: Many little bumps

Þ Flexibility: Can roll into ball

Þ Length: 3-6mm

Width: 2-5mm

Thickness: 2-5mm

Þ Mobility: Use many legs

Scientific Method:

Þ Problem: Which environment do isopods aka. pill bugs prefer?

Þ Hypothesis: Isopods will like a wet environments better.

Þ Materials:

1. Collecting Jar

2. Aluminum pie pans

3. Aluminum foil

4. Paper towels

5. Masking tape

6. Spray bottle with Mountain Dew

Þ Procedure:

1. Take pie pan, paper towel, and spray bottle

2. Attach paper towel to pie pan with tape

3. Spray towel with spray bottle

4. Gather isopods into a jar

5. Place isopods on tape

6. Cover pie pan with aluminum foil and wait five minutes

7. Record results and repeat nine more times

Þ Data Table Results:

Experiment #	# of Isopods on Wet Towel	# of Isopods on Dry Towel
1	1	1
2	1	1
3	2	2
4	1	1
5	2	0
6	0	2
7	1	1
8	1	1
9	2	0
10	2	0

Þ Graph Results:

Þ Observations:

1. What characteristics of isopods did you observe? Isopods are dark gray in color. They are an oval shape and can roll into balls.

2. Where were the isopods when you opened the lid of the box? Was your prediction correct? When I opened the lid, one isopod was on one side and one was on the other. My prediction was wrong, I thought they would both be on the wet side.

3. Were there variables in the experiment that could have affected the outcome? If so, what were they? Things that could have affected my experiment were making both sides of the towel wet or both sides dry. Also, if you took way the control, that would make a difference.

4. What was the control in this experiment? The control in my experiment was the tape in the center of the pan that let the pill bugs choose the side they want to go on.

5. How did your results compare with the class results? The class usually had about the same results that I had.

Þ Conclusion:

1. Based on your observations of their characteristics, into which phylum of invertebrates would you classify isopods? Into which group within that phylum would you place isopods? I classify isopods into the phylum of anthropoda. Within that phylum, I would classify isopods into oniscidea.

2. From the class results, what conclusions can you draw about the habitats preferred by isopods? Give reasons for your answers. From class results, I conclude that isopods usually like wet environments but some like dry. I think this because many times, one isopod was on one side and one on the other.

3. What was the purpose of the masking tape in the investigation? The purpose of the masking tape was to let the isopods choose what side they want to go on. Without the tape, the isopods would automatically be on one side.

4. Why did you perform the investigation ten times? I performed the experiment ten times to make sure the results were accuracy.