All About Termites...

    Termites are so common that if you blurt out the word "termite!" the image of many tiny, pale bodies eating away at a house pops right into anyones mind. What most people seem to lack the knowledge of is actually how their bodies and minds work along with how to effectively keep them away from your home. In my science class we learned all about termites. Not only did we study the basic termite facts but we went into depth and also got the opportunity to observe them in small, clear jars.

    To start off, we set up a clear plastic jar on August 18th 2010. Laying in a thick layer at the bottom of the jar was silica sand mixed with nineteen milliliters of water and a small block of douglas fur wood. Once we placed the termites inside we put the lid on the jar. We did not seal the jar shut all the way because we needed to let the air pass in and out of the jar so that the termites could live. In order to keep a good eye on the termites we kept an observation log and wrote down everything we saw that either changed or stayed the same with them in their new habitat. We did this once a week for a few weeks.

My predictions were this: 
     "I predict that the sand will be everywhere, meaning it will have holes dug in it and mixed up all over the place. All the moisture will be low and the wood will look like it has tiny chunks out of it acting as clear evidence that the termites were feating on it. Their will be more termites roaming around and maybe some dead termites as well."

My observations:
    August 23, 2010
        "I observed that the termites have made a maze like trail in the damp sand. None of the wood seems to be eaten or different in any way. The termites are actively moving from the bottom of the jar/sand to above the sand. Also there seems to be some dead termites and some new ones."

    August 30, 2010
        "There seems to be less termites in the jar than last time. They seemed to have created a more defined trail or pathway at the bottom of the jar/sand, and some of the wood has been eaten. The sand still looks damp and their is a hole through the sand coming out at the top."

    September 8, 2010
        "I can see a little amount of termites, not many though. They look pretty big compared to the last observation. The sand looks damp and there are light brown spots in the sand. It also looks like someone messed or shook the jar up."

    October 13, 2010
(The time from the last observation and this one is a while because of the fall break)
        "All the substrate (sand) is messed up and all over the place. It is in crumbles and looking very damp. The dampness could just be darker in color though. The wood looks like it has been eaten on the edges and also looks very dark or damp. All of the termites in the jar look dead but way bigger now than they were before. Now you can see the detail in their bodies and heads."

This unit was an interesting one to go through. At first I thought it was going to be really boring and easy but once we got into it I realized how detailed it really is. There is more to it than just insects who find houses a fun thing to snack on and to get rid of them just spray your house. At the end of this unit, even though it was a long one, I found it really interesting and important to learn about. My least favorite part about it was probably just how long it took to complete everything for this unit. My favorite part would probably have to be when we studied the termites guts under the microscope. I did not like everything that led up to the watching of the protozoa partly because my group did not succeed, but it was so awesome to look at the protozoa squirming inside the termite gut. It was really memorable and fun to see!

Protozoa Lab!

     Termites and protozoa? YES! They have what is called a symbiotic relationship. A symbiotic relationship is the association of two dissimilar organisms in a beneficial relationship. So by the protozoa living inside the gut of the termite, they both benefit off of each other. Heres how: The protozoa, by living inside the termites gut, is given a home and cellulose (food) by the wood the termite eats. The cellulose is digested and acetate, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane are produced, then released. Acetate is produced by the protozoa and the termites use the acetate as their energy source to carry out daily bodily functions. 

     In this lab we wanted to see if we could identify the different types of protozoa inside the termites gut. The materials we used were: 

• Formosan Subterranian Termites (workers)
• 2 Forceps
• 1 Light Microscope
• 1 Cover Slip
• 1 Microscope Slide
• 2 Drops of Saline Solution
• 1 Disposable Pipette
• Kimwipes

 Our procedure was this...

1. Place a drop of saline solution on a microscope slide.
2. With your two forceps, gently and carefully grab the termites head and thorax. 
3. Locate the tip of the abdomen and the end of the termites gut. Once spotted, take the forcep at the thorax end of the termite, grab and pull out the termites gut. 
4. Place the gut in the saline solution on the microscope slide.
5. Slowly place your cover slip over the saline solution and termite gut. Do this starting at one end and then the other to not get any bubbles. Gently press down, without crushing the gut. Use the kimwipes to wipe anything up that is unnecessary to this procedure. 
6. Place the slide under the microscope and adjust the magnification to when you can clearly observe the different types of protozoa. 
7. Record your data and make illustrations of the three different types of protozoa you can identify, then label your illustrations. See if you can find the wood/food/cellulose inside the protozoa body, the cytoplasm, the cilia and anything else. 

Below are some pictures of the experiment

Removing the Termites guts

Katie Schweiner identifying the Protozoa

The Protozoa Swarming Around in the Microscope Slide

Credit for photos: Tenajah, Domingo and Katie Schweiner

     When I saw the protozoa squirming around the slide under the microscope I was amazed at the activity that was taking place. The protozoa were all different sizes and varied in shapes. I could see their cytoplasm and in some, I could see the wood particles engulfed by the organism. The cilia around and on the protozoa were very interesting and amazing to observe as well. Although I never get to see them at their work besides under a microscope, they were so alive just like other human beings and I. It was very fun to watch them. After that lab, I now have more knowledge on the topic of termites and protozoa, also  have a better understanding of what symbiosis means and a symbiotic relationship. 

Salinity Refractometer!

The science tool known as the Refractometer is used to measure the salinity level in water. How to use this tool is very simple. Just follow these steps...

1. First, you need to callibrate (even out the shadow line with the zero line) the reticle (the scale). How to do this is by taking drops of distilled water and placing them onto the prism. Enough so that the entire prism is covered. Put the cover plate over it and go up to a light. Looking through the eyepiece up by the light, look on the scale and see if the shadow line is at the zero point. If it is not, use the correcting screw to then put it to zero.

2. Once you have seen it at zero, dry the prism off with a dry cloth.

3. Now you can measure the liquid you want to test. Use the same procedure as from step one with the distilled water and the only difference would be the liquid you want to test and the measurment on the shadow line.

4. Don't forget to record your data!

5. When finished, dry off the prism and anything else needed with a dry cloth. Do NOT wash it! Then carefully put the refractometer back in its case.

http://sciencekit.com/sper-scientific-salinity-refractometer/p/IG0022791/

Good Luck!

Science.

 My name is Katie and this is my science blog! Yay! 

This picture is of my friend (left) and I (right) in Honolua Bay looking for sea urchins.