This project deals with the observation and description of the feeding behaviour of insects; the activity for students is aimed at experimenting with scientific method and learning important concepts related to the evolution of behavioural patterns. After a short bibliographic research, students formulate the experimental hypothesis and decide upon the experimental method to be used to verify the hypothesis. The entomological collection is carried out manually or by traps. The insects are kept alive in special terrariums. The experiments consist in supplying food in fixed portions, and in recording quantity and quality of food consumed and food relocation procedure, intended as active separation between the food acquisition and its use. Then data is analysed with simple statistical methods. The students formulate their conclusions based on the analysed data. Finally students create a CD-rom and a web site.
Ethology is the science that studies animal behaviour. In Italy ethology is taught in high schools in the programs of natural sciences and although the subject arouses great interest in pupils, often it is given very little space. The purpose of this project is to show how this science can positively contribute to the pupils' approach to studying experimental sciences and evolution.
The project deals with the observation and description of the feeding behaviour of insects; the aim is for students to experiment with the scientific method and to learn important concepts related to the evolution of behavioural patterns.
After a short bibliographic research, students formulate the experimental hypothesis and decide upon the experimental method to be used to verify the hypothesis.
The bugs select for the experimental study are are Bubas bison
L. and Pimelia bipunctata
Fabr., coleopters that show Food Relocation Behaviour, a strategy consisting in the active space-time separation between food achievement and its use. Bubas bison
is a dung beetle that perform food relocation for building the nest. Students observed life cicle of this insect. Pimelia
is a tenebrionid beetle quite common in Italian coastal dunes. In natural conditions, Pimelia
shows Food Relocation occasionally and in rudimentary manner. In laboratory it's possible to induced this behavioural strategy. In fact, in condition of high density of individuals there is a high frequency of relocations. This is very important for the study of evolution of this behaviour.
The entomological collection is carried out manually or by traps. The insects are kept alive in special terrariums. The experiments consist in supplying food in fixed portions, and in recording quantity and quality of food consumed and food relocation procedure.
Students observed insects and recording data about the variation correlated to experimental conditions, such as temperature, dampness and brightness. Then data is analysed with simple statistical methods. The students formulate their conclusions based on the analysed data.
Finally students create a CD-rom and a web site. The teachers carry out verification tests set-up by not only to appraise the pupils' cultural growth, but also how much the project had contributed in changing their attitude towards experimental sciences in terms of behaviour and value list.
More details are available in this document.