Members: Brian, Eunice, Jaena, Thomas, Reylene
The purpose of our project is to test the preference and the performance of the Manduca sexta (Tobacco Hornworm). We are comparing two plants (TBD) and testing which plant does the caterpillar prefer. Also we are testing whether the plant they prefer to eat is the plant they benefit from the most.
The method of our experiment for the preference is that we cut the two species of leaves to equal shape and size, and place them inside a petri dish with a caterpillar. The dish would be checked after some scheduled time and noted which species of leaf was most eaten. For the performance, the caterpillar would be weighed before placed in the petri dish with only one kind of leaf. After sometime, the caterpillar would be weighed again, and the gained weight among the caterpillars would be compared by the type of leaf they were assigned to.
For the mock experiment, on Monday, May 16, Petunia and Nicotiana was used for the two species of plant. The leaves were cut in circles and 10 dishes were made to test whether the apparatus works. For the second experiment, six dishes, three for each plant, were set up additionally to test performance. The weight of the caterpillar at this time ranged from 0.9g to 1.2g. Both experiments were left to run for 24 hours. Afterwards, data was collected and the dishes were reset to run another 24 hour period experiment.
The following day, after about 24 hours past, the results of the mock experiment were checked. It turned out that the circles were not big enough to suit some caterpillar's appetite and it seemed like some leaf and the caterpillar was dried out by being placed under the light. So we set up a smaller trial of five new petri dishes to see if they would do better in the dark. The caterpillars from the Monday’s experiment and one new performance dish was put under the light on moist paper towel to see if it would do better with some moisture.
Data from May 17, 2016:
F = Full leaf, H = Half Leaf, 0 = No leaf was eaten
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Sample Number
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Petunia (F/H)
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Nicotiana (F/H)
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000
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1H
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0
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001
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1H
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0
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002
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0
|
0
|
003
|
0
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0
|
004
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1F
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1F
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005
|
1F
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1H
|
006
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2F
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1H
|
007
|
1F/1H
|
1H
|
008
|
1F/1H
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0
|
009
|
0
|
1F
|
Really interesting... You guys chose caterpillar for main subject of your project. It seems fun and simple. I think it will be good casual experiment which public can easily approach and see it. I am looking forward you guys result and analysis to your project.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting experiment, what was the reason for choosing this specific type of caterpillar?
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting experiment, what was the reason for choosing this specific type of caterpillar?
ReplyDeleteI find that your objective for this ecology research project is really interesting. I can't wait to see which specific leaf does the caterpillar prefer to eat. I'm looking forward to see your poster for this experiment.
ReplyDeleteCreative experiment you guys got going on here! I am just wondering what you guys meant by the "performance" of the hornworms, and what you are expecting to see. Do you guys think the hornworms can sense which type of plant would be more beneficial to them and so they'd lean towards that plant, or would they be completely clueless and just eat whatever is in front of them? That being said, it looks like they like petunia better!
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ReplyDeleteYour experiment proposal is quite intriguing. What drew you guys towards testing caterpillars? It will definitely be interesting to see the results on your poster.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that your experiment involved both plants and insects, especially ones as cute as those caterpillars! Your poster was presented wonderfully and you all seemed to have a good grasp on your experiment. What was the deciding factor in choosing the specific plants that you chose?
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