Food Preference InquiryFood Preference Inquiry

Food preference inquiryFood preference inquiry

• Create your own hypothesis Create your own hypothesis about the food preference of about the food preference of antsants

• Example: When offered Example: When offered cornbread, honey and dead cornbread, honey and dead mealworms, my ants will feed mealworms, my ants will feed equally on all three food equally on all three food substancessubstances

ProtocolProtocol• Locate an ant feeding trailLocate an ant feeding trail

• Place a small rectangle of plywood Place a small rectangle of plywood near the trailnear the trail

• Put equal amounts of the three food Put equal amounts of the three food substances on the plywoodsubstances on the plywood

• Come back later in the day to observeCome back later in the day to observe

• The same protocol can be used in the The same protocol can be used in the classroom in an ant farmclassroom in an ant farm

Data collectionData collection

• Record data after ants locate the Record data after ants locate the feeding areafeeding area

• Count the number of ants visiting Count the number of ants visiting each food for a ten minute periodeach food for a ten minute period

• Have three teams of students Have three teams of students make similar observationsmake similar observations

• Have students observe the ants to Have students observe the ants to determine if they are all the samedetermine if they are all the same

Reporting findingsReporting findings• Have students average the number Have students average the number

of ants visiting each food of ants visiting each food substancesubstance

• Ask students what the results Ask students what the results suggest about their hypothesissuggest about their hypothesis

• Based on their results, encourage Based on their results, encourage students to speculate about what students to speculate about what other foods their ants might like other foods their ants might like (students can conduct another (students can conduct another inquiry to test their theories)inquiry to test their theories)

ConclusionsConclusions

• Most ant species will show distinct Most ant species will show distinct differences in food choice differences in food choice experimentsexperiments

• Have students observe the ant Have students observe the ant feeding trails to observe their feeding trails to observe their natural food sourcenatural food source

• Consider similarities in their Consider similarities in their natural food and the food chosen natural food and the food chosen in the preference testin the preference test