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Investigating Ants' Food Preferences Experiment

Explore the food preferences of ants through an experiment using various food substances. Your hypothesis may uncover insights into ant behavior and food choices. Follow the protocol provided to conduct and report your findings.

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Investigating Ants' Food Preferences Experiment

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Food Preference Inquiry

  2. Food preference inquiry • Create your own hypothesis about the food preference of ants • Example: When offered cornbread, honey and dead mealworms, my ants will feed equally on all three food substances

  3. Protocol • Locate an ant feeding trail • Place a small rectangle of plywood near the trail • Put equal amounts of the three food substances on the plywood • Come back later in the day to observe • The same protocol can be used in the classroom in an ant farm

  4. Data collection • Record data after ants locate the feeding area • Count the number of ants visiting each food for a ten minute period • Have three teams of students make similar observations • Have students observe the ants to determine if they are all the same

  5. Reporting findings • Have students average the number of ants visiting each food substance • Ask students what the results suggest about their hypothesis • Based on their results, encourage students to speculate about what other foods their ants might like (students can conduct another inquiry to test their theories)

  6. Conclusions • Most ant species will show distinct differences in food choice experiments • Have students observe the ant feeding trails to observe their natural food source • Consider similarities in their natural food and the food chosen in the preference test

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