In search of assessment alternatives to exams as I now teaching online. Appreciate this supportive community and wanted to reach out. TIA.
Hello Stacy;
Terrestrial isopods make very handy experimental animals. They display strong behavioral preferences for dark, humid places. Little arena experiments are easy to set up with readily available materials. They can demonstrate these tropisms and provide lessons in experimental design and analysis. I've done this in an introductory Invert. Zool. course for many years. The students enjoy it too…!
For instance;
1. Dark side vs bright side. Dark/white checkerboard.
2. Dark retreat vs bright exterior.
3. etc.
I've attached a key to the pill bugs of North America. Not all species are likely to behave similarly.
I don't know how to attach the image. If you are interested in this, please contact me via ResearchGate. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers
KEY TO THE COMMON TERRESTRIAL ISOPODS OF NORTH AMERICA
Clay Sassaman, Univ. Calif., Riverside
1a. Uropods do not extend beyond telson; tip of telson blunt, not angular or pointed. (fig. 1).
………….….Armadilliidae. ………..….2
b. Uropods extend beyond telson; tip of telson angular or pointed. ………………………….…4
2a. White bodies (tracheae) on all 5 pairs of abdominal segments (fig. 2); telson shaped like hourglass. …………………………………………………………………..…Venezillo arizonicus
b. White bodies on anterior 2 pairs of segments only, telson bluntly triangular. Armadillidium. 3
3a. Head, when viewed from front, has a narrow but distinct bump on dorsal midline (fig. 3).
…………………..Armadillidium nasatum
b. No such distinct, narrow bump. …………………………………………….………A. vulgare
4a. White bodies present on abdominal segments, flagellum of antennae with 2 segments (fig. 4).
……….…Porcellionidae………………5
b. No white bodies, flagellum of antennae with 3 segments. …...Oniscidae……Oniscus asellus
5a. Two pairs of white bodies. ………………………………………………………………...….7
b. Five pairs of white bodies. ……………………………………………………………………6
6a. Animal can roll up into a ball, telson with spike-like tip. ……....……….Cyclisticus convexus
b. Animal cannot roll up, tip of telson more triangular. …………….……….Trachelipus rathkei
7a. Abdomen distinctly narrower than thorax (fig. 5); body soft, often hairy-looking.
…………..Porcellionides pruinosus
b. Abdomen only slightly narrower than thorax, body fairly firm. ………..Porcellio…………..8
8a. Tip of telson shaped like a spatula (fig. 6). …………………….…………..Porcellio dilatatus
b. Tip of telson more sharply pointed. ……………………………………………………..……9
9a. Body surface shiny and smooth. ……………………………………...……….Porcellio laevis
b. Body surface with numerous small bumps giving it a rough appearance. …...Porcellio scaber
Figures, See over.
You can still do exams allowing internet access if you structure the questions differently. I think a lot of students still like assessment by exam :)
Crickets are great study organisms for labs and can be marked. Dominance hierarchy is easy done via paired interactions
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