Table of Contents
Why do woodlice prefer dark and damp areas?
Woodlice do not have a highly developed nervous system but do show some basic forms of behaviour. They have a relatively high surface area to volume ratio and lose water through their surface. This type of behaviour is called kinesis and results in woodlice accumulating in the dark and damp conditions that they prefer.
Are woodlice attracted to damp?
Normally, damp areas attract woodlice but in most cases, these crustaceans enter your home by accident and are found just wandering around. Woodlice can however live in roof voids and in damp bathrooms and toilets.
What conditions do woodlice prefer to live in Why do they prefer these conditions?
Like other insects, they have no shell, and they possess no waxy cuticle, which helps prevent water conservation. Because of this, woodlice are prone to losing water easily via evaporation due to their outer skin being very permeable. This is why they prefer to remain in damp environments.
Why are woodlice more active in dry conditions?
Maintaining water balance Animals such as woodlice maintain the water balance of their bodies using behavioural adaptations. Woodlice move faster in dry areas, and more slowly in humid environments. This behaviour results in woodlice spending more time in more humid environments and prevents their body from drying out.
What would a woodlouse prefer answer key?
Because woodlice have very simple eyesight, Nora thought that maybe they use dark and light colors to decide where to go. They might choose to move towards darker colors and away from lighter colors to prevent ending up above ground where predators can easily find them. Nora collecting woodlice from the compost pile.
Do woodlice have gills?
Most woodlice are found on land, but their ancestors used to live in water and woodlice still breathe using gills.
Why do woodlice prefer a damper environment?
The sample could have been collected from various habitats to prove that given the choice, all woodlice prefer a damper environment. It can be concluded that, on average, the woodlice sample chose to settle in the damp environment than the dry environment, as was hypothesised.
Why did woodlice go to the damp side of the experiment?
The control experiment showed that the woodlice preference was purely based on the variables of the 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 ).
Why do woodlice settle in the choice chamber?
Their settling was taken as a sign on their preference of area (Anselme 2013). Although it did seem the exploration of the choice chamber was random, during experiment 1 a smaller woodlouse actually mounted a larger woodlouse. Its fate was therefore dependent on the choices of its carrier, not its own.
Can a woodlice fight over a moulted woodlouse?
They moult throughout their growth, and at the point of the actual moult they are very vulnerable, other woodlice will actively fight over a freshly moulted woodlouse until one wins and consumes it ( www.sylvanusservices.com/resources/woodlice_info.pdf accessed 10/10/14).