Hi Fellow Bloggers,
I talked about a microhabitat (a small, local environment within a larger one – such as the space beneath a rock in the woods) in my last blog. I mentioned that we found Belgica antarctica larvae under different moisture conditions in moss, sand, gravel, and soil. One of the questions we’d like to answer is, “what moisture conditions do the larvae prefer?” As you are all clever, curious scientists, I turn the problem over to you. . .
![BIGthinkingcapwhoa_color[1]](http://frozenfly.edublogs.org/files/2011/01/BIGthinkingcapwhoa_color1-1anbfpl.gif "BIGthinkingcapwhoa_color[1]")
Design an experiment to answer this question: Which type of microhabitat does Belgica antarctica prefer — moist or dry?
If you’re ready to take on this polar challenge, submit a design for an experiment to me on this blog by Feb. 2. Your design should include: your hypothesis, materials, and procedure. My team and I will choose the best experimental design and carry it out here in Antarctica. Then, I’ll post the results for all to see.
image from school.discoveryeducation.com
GOOD LUCK, FUTURE SCIENTISTS!
Remember, it’s never too early to start training to become an Antarctic researcher. . .
By: stanko on January 27, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Mrs. B. what is the lowest temp since you have been there?????????????????
STANKO
By: betteleyp on January 29, 2011 at 3:18 am
Hi Nick,
The temps have not been that cold. 26 degrees F has been the lowest I’ve seen. The wind makes it feel colder on some days. Next week, with wind chill, it will feel like 22 degrees F on Wed.
The wind kicks up really quickly, and when it does, all zodiacs are called in, and we get back to station. We aren’t allowed to go out on the boats once the wind gets past a certain speed, as our zodiacs can’t handle the high waves.
Thanks for following. See you in 2 weeks,
Mrs. B.
By: noah on January 27, 2011 at 5:34 pm
i have a queston how do u prevent the pipes that hold the whater from freezing and what would happen if they did?
By: Beth Davis on January 28, 2011 at 7:41 am
Dear Polar Pat,
I received your youtube video link from friend, Jon Costanzo. All the 5th graders at Kramer Elementary – Oxford, Ohio love it!!! Tell Yuta we all said hello and keep those blogs coming!!!
Beth Davis
By: betteleyp on January 29, 2011 at 3:06 am
Hi Beth,
I’m so glad your kids liked the video. It was a lot of fun to make, and I had a LOT of help from my friends (YUTA!!!) He says “hello” back.
Thanks for following our blogs. I have only a week left here, but Yuta will be here longer to continue his experiments.
Have a great week,
Pat
By: Ken Rodd on January 28, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Hello Pat, I hope everything is cool down there! I think there may be a problem in that all of the comments are not being shown. For example, on a day that shows 26 comments, only the first dozen will show as you scroll down the list. If there are 7 comments, only the first 3 will show, etc. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this. I do not see a button for ‘show more comments’. Keep up the good work, and the bell choir misses you!
By: betteleyp on January 29, 2011 at 3:10 am
Hi, Ken-
I thought it was only me. I’ve read/answered some comments, and could not find them on my screen. I’ll ask our IT guys about this.
Maybe I’m too wordy!
I miss bells, too. There’s a Palmer Station band here that you would LOVE. They’re quite good, with 3 electric guitars, 1 TRUMPET, 2 saxes, key board, and squeeze box.
Hi to all. I’ll be back in 2 weeks.
Thanks for following,
Pat
By: Beth Davis on January 31, 2011 at 8:48 am
Hello Pat and Yuta,
In designing our experiment the Kramer 5th grade students had a question that we don’t remember seeing on the blog — what do BA (Belgica Antarctica) eat? We want to make sure that it is provided in our experiment! Thanks in advance for the info!
By: betteleyp on February 1, 2011 at 1:32 pm
They eat bacteria that is found in the soil. We keep them for weeks in the soil we find them in, and they survive just fine.
Thanks for the good question,
Mrs. B.
By: Beth Davis on February 2, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Polar Ponder Question #4 Mrs. Davis’ 5th grade classes Kramer Elementary – Oxford, Ohio
Question:
Which type of microhabitat does Belgica antarctica prefer — moist or dry?
Background Research:
• Belgica antarctica can survive freezing of its body fluids
• Belgica antarctica can survive 2/3 body weight dehydration
• Belgica antarctica can survive oxygen loss for 2-4 weeks
• Belgica antarctica is found in different microhabitats
o moss
o sand
o soil
o gravel
Hypotheses:
Kramer 5th grade periods 1 & 2
A – Belgica Antarctica will prefer a moist microhabitat over a dry microhabitat.
Kramer 5th grade periods 3 & 4
B – Belgica Antarctica will prefer a dry microhabitat over a moist microhabitat.
Sub-hypotheses:
All Kramer 5th grade
Belgica Antarctica will preferentially select the moss microhabitat.
Materials:
• 2 containers – plastic boxes with lids (shoe box type)
• thermometer
• hygrometer
• 1 sample each of microhabitats (moss, sand, soil, gravel) for each container complete with bacterial food
• 10 Belgica Antarctica per microhabitat (40 each container – 80 total)
• measured mister spray bottle
• cold storage area
Procedure:
In layer the four microhabitats side by side
moss-sand-soil-gravel
Add 10 Belgica Antarctica in each microhabitat
Using the baseline habitat data Yuta has measured and collected in his field notebook – (control)
• Add 10% moisture content to the A Hypotheses box using hygrometer
• Dry 10% moisture content from the B Hypotheses box using hygrometer
• Use measured mister spray bottle to keep humidity level constant using hygrometer
• Keep temperature constant in cold storage using thermometer
Observations:
Using the table provided – fill in observations daily for 5-7 days (BA= Belgica Antarctica)
Date Temperature Humidity (+/-) # BA moss # BA sand # BA soil # BA gravel
Count the number of Belgica Antarctica daily to see if they prefer one habitat over another by moving to preferred habitat.
Loss of Belgica Antarctica may be an unfortunate result of this experiment – in order to keep track for future studies use the following table: BA Losses
Date # BA moss # BA sand # BA soil # BA gravel
Data Analysis:
Compare +humidity to –humidity to see which box Belgica Antarctica thrived (hypotheses A/B) and which microhabitat they preferred (sub-hypotheses).
Repeat as necessary.
Knowing that Belgica Antarctica are very adaptable to their surroundings will be important to their future. With the retreat of the glacier and the added melted ice we know already that penguins are having difficulty having their eggs/young survive. Will Belgica Antarctica be able to adjust to this change in their environment?
By: Beth Davis on February 2, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Hey Pat,
Our tables and shapes didn’t show up on our experiment reply – so I’ll be adding it as a link on my website and will send that information tomorrow from school – we’ve had snow/ice with no school and loss of internet . . . but we still came through!!
The kids really enjoyed brainstorming about this activity!!
By: betteleyp on February 4, 2011 at 7:52 am
Hi Beth-
WOW!!!
The experiment your classes designed is AWESOME!! Please tell your students how impressed our research team is with their work. I apologize that the time frame of your experiment goes beyond what I will be able to complete here, as I return home tomorrow. The researchers at Palmer will be incorporating your excellent plans into their own design over the next few months at Palmer.
In the meantime, could you send Dr. Lee your address and number of students in your class? We want to send a small token of our appreciation to your students for their hard work and good thinking!
Thanks so much for your enthusiasm about our work in Antarctica. It sparks the kids’ questions and gets them thinking deeply about science — our goal!
Stay well,
Pat