Experiment #6: Fruit or Sugary Food?
Times Repeated: Left both the candy and the apple in the boxes for a week
Hypothesis:
If we place a mealworm in a box with both candy and fruit the mealworms will choose the candy.
Reasoning:
Since we know that mealworms eat apples and that apples are sweet they will probably like candy more than the apples. We also feel that since the candy is hard and provide protection the mealworms will like living close to the candy and will see it as a delicious food source. Lastly the mealworms will probably like the candy more because it is colourful and it does not go bad so it will appear to be the better choice.
Materials:
Procedure:
1. Place the candy in one corner of the box.
2. Place the apples in the other corner of the box
3. Observe whether more of the candy or the apples are eaten over the course of a week. One can check this by seeing if the candy looks like it has been licked, and checking to see how much of the white part of the apple has been eaten.
Observations:
When we observed the apple, most of it was eaten, leaving only the peel as we had observed on a number of occasions thus far. The worms were often found under the candy as it provided good shelter for the worms. Only one piece of the candy appeared as if it had been licked because the color darkened as if it was wet and it was a little misshapen. One can conclude that the meal worms did not eat the candy because it was a substance that they could not draw nutrients from. The moisture in the apple provides them with both water and nutrition, the candy being hard and brittle was not able to provide the worms with the water and nutrients that they needed to live. Furthermore the soft texture of the apple is easier for a small creature like a meal worm to break down, the candy was difficult, because of its hard texture.
Variables:
Candy on one side
Apple on the other side
Results:
The worms preferred eating the apple rather than the candy. We know this because only one candy was slightly touched while the apple was almost gone. That being said the mealworms did like using the candy as a shelter.
Hypothesis:
If we place a mealworm in a box with both candy and fruit the mealworms will choose the candy.
Reasoning:
Since we know that mealworms eat apples and that apples are sweet they will probably like candy more than the apples. We also feel that since the candy is hard and provide protection the mealworms will like living close to the candy and will see it as a delicious food source. Lastly the mealworms will probably like the candy more because it is colourful and it does not go bad so it will appear to be the better choice.
Materials:
- hard colourful candy
- apple pieces
- mealworms
Procedure:
1. Place the candy in one corner of the box.
2. Place the apples in the other corner of the box
3. Observe whether more of the candy or the apples are eaten over the course of a week. One can check this by seeing if the candy looks like it has been licked, and checking to see how much of the white part of the apple has been eaten.
Observations:
When we observed the apple, most of it was eaten, leaving only the peel as we had observed on a number of occasions thus far. The worms were often found under the candy as it provided good shelter for the worms. Only one piece of the candy appeared as if it had been licked because the color darkened as if it was wet and it was a little misshapen. One can conclude that the meal worms did not eat the candy because it was a substance that they could not draw nutrients from. The moisture in the apple provides them with both water and nutrition, the candy being hard and brittle was not able to provide the worms with the water and nutrients that they needed to live. Furthermore the soft texture of the apple is easier for a small creature like a meal worm to break down, the candy was difficult, because of its hard texture.
Variables:
Candy on one side
Apple on the other side
Results:
The worms preferred eating the apple rather than the candy. We know this because only one candy was slightly touched while the apple was almost gone. That being said the mealworms did like using the candy as a shelter.