Life in side an Acorn

1. Life in side an Acorn Acorn Weevil Lab

2. Life inside an acorn • What do you know about oak trees& acorns? • There is a whole world that we overlook everyday & we will discover this wonderful world with this lab • BE EXCITED!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!

3. Acorn Insects • Over 100 species of insects feed on the nuts of North American trees • including acorns • produced by oaks. • We will be focusing on the interactions of: • acorn weevils • acorn moth • filbertworm • Wasps • These insects destroy so many nuts that it is difficult for trees to reproduce.

4. Acorn Weevil • 1/2 inch long • have snouts with small, saw like teeth. • two types of acorn weevil • the long-snouted acorn weevils • snout equal to or greater than length of body. • Eat acorns still attached to tree • short-snouted ones • snout is ½ or less than its body • Eat Acorns fallen on ground

5. Life cycle of Weevil • Legless, grub-like acorn weevil larvae hatch from eggs a few days after they are laid. • Go through five growth stages, or instars. • a few weeks, larvae chew their way out of the acorn, burrow into the soil to pupate • eventually emerge as adults in 1 or more years.

6. Life Cycle of Acorn Moth • The grayish female acorn moths lay eggs in damaged acorns • sometimes from the holes of acorn weevil larvae. • It's easy to distinguish the acorn moth larva from acorn weevil larvae. • The acorn moth larva has three pairs of legs near the head & is generally longer than the legless, fat larvae of acorn weevils. • Acorn moth Larva feed on acorns & on the fungi that often grow in damaged acorns. • They usually pupate inside the acorns

7. Caterpillars & Moth

8. Life Cycle of Filbertworm • The filbertwormis a moth whose larvae closely resemble the acorn moth, is also often found in acoms. • Acorn moth attacks acorns on the ground • the filbertworm attacks developing acorns on the trees.

9. Gall Wasps • Adult females lay their eggs in female flowers of oaks in the spring • causes galls-abnormal growths of plant tissue, • Gall wasp larvae live in and feed on the plant tissue inside the galls. • External galls drop off the acorns in the autumn.

10. Hypothesis • I think, ____ out of 3 acorns will be infested because________________________________ Remember there is no right or wrong in science, just educated guesses based on knowledge

11. Materials • 3 Acorns • String • Ruler • Pliers

12. LAB Procedure • Find 3 Acorns outside • Draw a picture of your 3 acorns • Measure & record the 3 acorns’ • Diameter-width around acorn (string & ruler) • Weight-in grams • Crack open acorn and search the “meat” • Record if it is “Infested” or “Not Infested” • If infested, record if weevil larva or caterpillars larva

13. Data (#s)

14. Calcuations • Class Tally • Infected/Not infected • Figure % • # Infested/Total acorns

15. Conclusion • Was your hypothesis supported of rejected? • What are some sources of possible error? • If we were to repeat the experiment, name 1 thing you would do differently • What is something new you learned?

16. New Questions • Come up with 3 new questions on the Acorn Weevil Lab