Drafts

Animal locomotion requires mechanical power exerted by the muscles, and chemical energy in the form of ATP. In the case of a flying bird, wing shape and flight style can influence its power curve, which represents the relation between mechanical power and forward velocity. The aspect ratio of a wing is determined by its width and length. Short and broad wings such as those of a magpie, provide great maneuverability for navigating in dense environments like a forest. Meanwhile, long and narrow wings have a higher aspect ratio and are useful for speed and soaring like the wings of albatrosses, which spend most of the time soaring over the ocean in search of fish.

Studying the behavior of Misumena vatia when offered the choice between different backgrounds will broaden our knowledge and understanding of some aspects of the life history of a key player in the ecology of New England fields. Due to its relative abundance and easy rearing in a lab setting, Misumena vatia is an optimal subject for investigating the mechanisms of crypsis and color change in spiders. This set of experiments is directed towards the spider's ability of distinguishing different colors and responding to them in order to blend in with the environment. It is important to approach the behavioral choices of this spider towards different backgrounds based on variations of the three primary colors, because we need to establish a set of parameters of color recognition before introducing new variables. Once the experiments are concluded, we will investigate if such behavioral responses have a broader implication by being correlated to flowers that its prey visits with more frequence.

9 cellar spiders will be obtained and used for this project to see how different temperatures affect web production. 3 spiders will be used for the cooler temperature, 3 will be used for room temperature, and 3 will be used for the warmer temperature. Room temperature is roughly 20°C, so we will use 10°C for the cool temperature condition and 30°C for the warmer temperature condition. For this experiment, 9 plastic cups with covers and straws will be used for each spider to live in and produce webs. Holes will be poked on the top of the container for air access. 3 plastic straws will be put in each cup and be used as points for spiders to make their webs. Each plastic cup and its 3 straws will be weighed before a spider is placed in it. Label each container with temperature condition and spider number and place one spider in each container.

The 9 spiders will then be put in their respective temperature environment. 3 containers with spiders will be placed inside in a space with room temperature. For the room temperature environment, the spiders will be in a styrofoam box in a room kept at roughly 20°C for insulation.

 In order to test if the precocene inhibitor worked, four separate test vials were filled about 2.5 inches with a food substance. One test tube was our control in which  10 mL of distilled water was mixed with roughly 2 grams of dry media. Each of the three other test vials were made with roughly 2 grams of media and 10 ml of a varying concentration of precocene. The concentrations of precocene increased from .01M to .1M and finally 1.0M. We then put four adult flies into each test tube, two of them were male and two were female. The flies were placed into an incubator, where they were allowed to mate and lay eggs over a week-long period. After one week, we removed the adult flies and observed the healthy larvae within the media. Next, after another week, the vials were observed again. This time, we counted the number of larvae, pupae, and adults present in each of the four vials and recorded the data shown below. The data collected was used to formulate a proper conclusion and aided us in answering the question at hand.

 

Individually we each watched 2 videos of domestic Morgan horses, Equus caballus, at the UMass Hadley Farm. Both videos had two mares and two foals of about 6 months old. We watched and observed the behaviors of the four horses for 48 minutes and 35 seconds, created a list of behaviors, and recorded the time each behavior occurred. We compared our lists and compiled all the behaviors into six tables categorized by each type of behavior: grooming, locomotion, playing, feeding, comfort, and body positioning. We determined the categories by grouping like behaviors together and establishing certain characteristics of each category. Grooming was categorized by the horse gnawing at himself or licking. Locomotion was categorized by moving locations. Playing included interaction with other horses by nudging, jumping, or gnawing. Feeding was categorized by behaviors that included the horse’s head touching the grass and the ground. Comfort included behaviors that involve just the horse, such as tail waving, that increased the comfort of the horse or interactions between the foal and the mare. We categorized body positioning as movements to the horse’s posture while they remained stationary. We rewatched the videos and took a screenshot of the behaviors at the time that we observed each behavior. The screenshots were placed into the tables and a description of each behavior was formulated. We organized the table by the category and within each category, the behaviors appear chronologically.

Four conditions will include variations in the amounts of water and heat given to the plant during the growth period. A fifth environment will supply the normal levels of heat and water to the Mimosa pudica, thus, acting as a control group. Prior to creating these environments, we will research the physiology of Mimosa pudica to understand the how much sunlight and water is needed for these plants to grow under normal conditions. Growing Mimosa pudica under various extreme conditions will allow us to test the plant’s abilities to perform nastic movements. Under low water conditions, Mimosa Pudica plants may not produce enough turgor pressure to create a nastic movement when stimulated. It is unknown how the variations in sunlight will affect the plant nastic movements.

In this experiment, we observe behaviors made by Equus ferus caballus, also known as the common horse. Although 5 horses total were present, we focus our attention directly on 3 foals (young horses). These horses are observed and recorded in the town of Amherst, MA. To begin the observation process, we load the two videos, (one of a 30:19 minute duration and one of a 18:34 minute duration) off the snapper drive and into the VLC watch application. It is important to note that the viewing process of these video takes several attempts to successfully observe and differentiate between the multiple behaviors. While watching the first video for the first time, for each new behavior observed, we will rewind and rewatch the action, (or lack there of ) in slow motion. This allows us to accurately describe the action that the foal is doing. While watching through the video the first time, we record a general description of the behavior, and the timestamp of when the behavior occurs. While watching through the video a second time, we look for any subtle behaviors that may have been missed and additionally record any details about the behaviors present. During the third viewing session, we screenshot an image that accurately portrays each behavior. Additionally, we should check the accuracy of the timestamps and clarify any unclear descriptions in relation to the behaviors. It is important for multiple people to check the behaviors recorded for accuracy purposes, so we had another group member review the recorded data. This viewing processes is repeated for the second video. All of the information compiled is then placed in a table in an organized fashion. The columns of this table include; the behavior name, the description of what occurs in the behavior, an image that portrays the behavior, the timestamp of when it occurs, and which video it occurs in. The next step is to categorize these behaviors into subgroups. The behaviors could fit into one of five categories. The categories include feeding, play, communication, locomotion and grooming. While viewing the video for a fifth time, we carefully observe each depicted behavior and decide based on context clues which category it may fit in. Feeding behaviors may involve intaking/consuming food to its mouth. Play behaviors may involve playful interactions between foals. Communication may involve interactions with any of the other horses present, or other species (such as insects). Locomotion involves the process of moving as a means of transportation. Grooming may involve the act of attempting to clean oneself. Within a table, we assigned each subgroup a color. We then went through the list and denoted said colors for each behavior. We then organized the tables into a color-coded fashion.           

Mimosa pudica plants are one of the many species which have the ability to react and move to stressors in their environments. This behavior is categorized as a nastic movement, meaning they exhibit non-directional movements in response to stimuli. Other examples of plants that exhibit nastic movements include Venus Fly-traps, Oxalis Wood Sorrels, and Jewelweed. Nastic movement encompasses all responses to various stimuli like light, touch, temperature, and competition. We are focusing on the seismonastic movements of Mimosa pudica and its ability to respond to touch. When a stimulus touched or brushes up against the central stem of the plant, the leaves fold together in order to protect itself from predation.

 

Thigmonasty is caused by the change in the turgor pressure within Mimosa pudica leaves. Turgor pressure is the force against the cell wall of the plant that is created by the water within the cell contents. This pressure keeps the leaves standing up in normal conditions. When this plant is touched, the mechanosensory response begins by activating the contractile proteins in the base of the leaf. These proteins allow the water within the cell to slowly diffuse out, decreasing the turgor pressure in the plant and therefore causing the leaves to collapse. Once one single leaf is touched, the other leaves on the branch become stimulated by the motion of the first leaf and close as well. With the lack or excess of water in heat within the 4 environments, the turgor pressure in these leaves may be altered. This may cause the thigmonasty response to be altered in these plants.

The aim of this study is to determine if crab spiders show any preference towards backgrounds of different colors. Due to its ambush hunting strategy and ability to change color, we hypothesize that when given the choice between two options, Misumena vatia will choose the most optimal background in regards to its actual body coloration.

In Test 1 we will study spider preference between yellow and white backgrounds.

In Test 2 we will study spider preference between dark gray and light gray backgrounds.

In Test 3 we will study spider preference between white and gray backgrounds.

In Test 4 we will study spider preference between cyan and green backgrounds.

In Test 5 we will study spider preference between magenta and red backgrounds.

In Test 6 we will study spider preference between abstract and a simple backgrounds.