Ronald keeps some pet birds at home. He feed the birds with mealworms which are the larvae of a beetle (Tenebrio). The mealworms are so called because they eat mainly oatmeal. They are available in pet shops for birds. Ronald, however, cannot go to the bird shops for buying the mealworms everyday. He wants to design a compartment where he can keep the mealworms in good conditions. Before doing this, he needs to have some information about the behaviour of the mealworms. Carry out an investigation to study the responses of mealworms to three external stimuli. On the basis of your findings, try to design a compartment for Ronald for keeping the mealworms. Note Treat the mealworms in a humane way. Do not handle the mealworms with your fingers. Wash your hands after the experiment. A. Identifying problem State precisely what you want to find out in this investigation. B. Planning For each of the conditions you want to study, what is the independent variable? How would you manipulate it? What is the dependent variable? How would you measure it? How many measurements will you take? What assumption(s) do you hold when choosing this method of measurement? What other variables need to be controlled? Give a concise account of your procedure, including the apparatus and materials you would use. Draw a table for entering your results. The table should indicate clearly the treatments in the different set-ups. C. Carry out your investigation D. Recording and presenting results Enter your results into the table. What is the best way to present your results? E. Evaluating evidence/data and drawing conclusions What conclusion(s) can be drawn from your results? Based on your conclusion, design a compartment for keeping the mealworms. What are the possible sources of error when making the measurements? Suggest ways of improvement. What would you like to do next to extend your study? Click here to go to Teacher's Notes