Exploration 1: Can Mealworms Swim?
Times Repeated: 3
Hypothesis: If mealworms are placed on the surface of water, then mealworms will most likely skim across the water until they reach the side of the glass.
Materials:
Procedure:
1. Cup was filled 3cm from the top with lukewarm water.
2. Mealworm was placed on surface of the water.
3. Mealworm was observed to see how long they would stay on the surface of the water.
Observations:
Mealworm immediately began to wriggle and writher in the water. Within 5 seconds the mealworm appeared to “dive” to the bottom, bobbing up about halfway before sinking once more to the bottom. Despite efforts each time to fish the mealworm out with a spoon; the animal could not be resuscitated. Rescue operations concluded to be completely ineffective. Upon examination, the deceased mealworms appear to be engorged. Hypothesis is a total failure.
Variables: None
Results:
Mealworms cannot swim. Had the experimenters completed research prior to this experiment, it would have revealed that mealworms pull water from the air through their skin, allowing them to live in a variety of temperatures. This unfortunately meant that our mealworms drowned almost instantaneously due to complete immersion. The high intake of water through the skin caused them to immediately bloat, essentially drowning from the inside out.
Hypothesis: If mealworms are placed on the surface of water, then mealworms will most likely skim across the water until they reach the side of the glass.
Materials:
- 1 glass cup
- lukewarm water
- 3 mealworms
Procedure:
1. Cup was filled 3cm from the top with lukewarm water.
2. Mealworm was placed on surface of the water.
3. Mealworm was observed to see how long they would stay on the surface of the water.
Observations:
Mealworm immediately began to wriggle and writher in the water. Within 5 seconds the mealworm appeared to “dive” to the bottom, bobbing up about halfway before sinking once more to the bottom. Despite efforts each time to fish the mealworm out with a spoon; the animal could not be resuscitated. Rescue operations concluded to be completely ineffective. Upon examination, the deceased mealworms appear to be engorged. Hypothesis is a total failure.
Variables: None
Results:
Mealworms cannot swim. Had the experimenters completed research prior to this experiment, it would have revealed that mealworms pull water from the air through their skin, allowing them to live in a variety of temperatures. This unfortunately meant that our mealworms drowned almost instantaneously due to complete immersion. The high intake of water through the skin caused them to immediately bloat, essentially drowning from the inside out.