Overview & Lesson Sequence

Focus on Standards & Assessment

Materials Needed, Preparation & Planning, Management Strategies

Background Info

Intro Activity
Why Study Populations?

Meet the Aphids

Research Project
Aphid Population Growth

Data Analysis I

Data Analysis II

Optional Activity
The Power of Exponential Growth

References

Glossary

Suppliers

Resource Sheets
-Plant Propogation
-Rearing Aphids
-Bottle Cages
-Clip Cages
-Eyelash Brush
-Petri Dish Habitat
-External Aphid Anatomy
-Internal Aphid Anatomy
-Aphid Observation Lab
-Sampling Methods
-Data Collection
-Observation Check Sheet
-Sample Rubric for Group Presentation

Great Gravidity Home

CISEO Home

Petri Dish Habitat

Materials needed:

· household paper towels, 1 roll

· scissors

· plastic Petri dish, 1 per group· distilled water, 1 gallon

· graduated eye dropper, 1 per group

Instructions:

1) Wash Petri dish with soap and warm water. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

2) Tear a sheet from the roll of paper towels. Fold the towel as indicated by the dotted lines in figure 1.

3) Use scissors to cut the towel along the fold lines to create eight equal pieces of paper towel (figure 2).

4) Prepare a Petri dish for an insect by folding one of the sections into three equal parts (figure 3).5) Place the folded piece in the clean Petri dish (figure 4).

6) Use a graduated medicine dropper, syringe or pippet to measure 5cc's of distilled water. Slowly drip the water over the surface of the folded paper towel to saturate. (Use distilled water when culturing insects since tap water somtimes contains bacteria and/or additives such as chlorine.)

7) Use scissors to clip one large healthy leaf from an insect-free pea plant (figure 5).

8) Place the leaf, underside-up, on the damp paper towel (figure 6).9) Place the lid on the Petri dish.

The habitat is now ready for aphids.

Maintenance:
Daily maintenance is needed to keep the Petri dish habitat healthy. Adequate light is necessary, but avoid direct sunlight as this may result in over heating.