Investigating the Habitat of Common Rough Woodlice
Introduction
There are many species of Woodlice found in the British Isles and
because of their abundance they provide good material for an
ecological investigation into their preferred habitat. Woodlice are of
the order Isopoda which means, "the legs are alike"1. Different
species prefer different dwellings however the Common Rough Woodlouse
(Porcellio scaber) which has been used for this investigation, is
commonly found around residential properties. They can be found under
rocks or around compost heaps where the soil is moist and a humid
atmosphere is maintained. One abiotic factor that affects the habitat
of Woodlice includes damp or moist soil. Compost heaps also provide a
continuous source of dead plants, which is part of the diet of
Woodlice2. This is another abiotic factor. Woodlice are believed to
provide a vital role in the decomposition process as their eating
habits return essential nutrients to the soil3.
Closer examination of the anatomy of the Porcellio scaber may give
more understanding of why they may be found in damp conditions. The
external structure (fig.1) shows a hard exoskeleton, which is shed at
intervals throughout their lives in order that they can grow longer.
The exoskeleton consists of segments and the first section has a
fusion of the thorax and the head4. The uropod at the rear of the
Woodlouse is used for the uptake of water and this is achieved when
they are pressed against moist surfaces5. Woodlice cannot retain water
for long periods of time and because they have a large surface area to
volume ratio they loose water quickly by diffusion6. Their exoskeleton
is not waterproof which means that they will also loose water through
this.
Fig 1. Dorsal View of Porcellio scaber
[IMAGE]
The ventral view of the anatomy of Woodlice (fig. 2) shows that they
have simple pseudo-lungs as their respiratory surface and this is also
towards the rear4. There is a pore opening that allows the exchange of
In the lab the isopods were observed in a way to where behavior and structures could be properly recorded. The isopods were revealed to two dissimilar scenarios, normal temperature water vs. warm temperature water, to calculate which environment was most preferred. In each distinct scenario ten isopods were placed ten a choice chamber, one side being normal temperature (26.7celsius) and the other being warm temperature (43.3 celsius) , and observed for a total of ten minutes with thirty second intervals which was when we recorded our observations. After observations, it was seen that normal conditions was the most preferred environment by the isopods. In the scenario the Isopods exhibited taxis behavior, which is behavior caused by factors such as light, temperature, water and such. Nothing physical, but rather environmental.
The frequency of Patella vulgata has shown to be affected by different microhabitats. An experiment was taken to investigate the difference in limpet frequency at three different microhabitats at the middle shore – Rock pools, Under Rocks and on Top of Rocks. At each microhabitat six sites were investigated and the abiotic factors (temperature, humidity, wind speed and light intensity) were measured. It was found that Under Rocks had the highest frequency of limpets and Rock Pools had the lowest, this was because the limpets where sheltered from direct contact with sunlight and wind, so desiccation was less for limpets found under the rocks whereas in rock pools. The low frequency of limpets found in the rock pools was firstly due to the fact there was poor visibility so could not be sure of actual number of limpets and secondly there was less stable substrate for limpet to attach to in rook pools therefore was a main reason for low frequency of limpets. Consequently, there existed this significant difference between the frequencies of limpets at different microhabitats because of abiotic factors (abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment, such as light intensity, temperature and wind speed) being different.
Ever since 1973, when the Endangered Species Act came into being, conservationists and private landowners have been debating over whether to preserve the habitats of many endangered species found in unprotected areas (Ligon et al, 1986). Increasing levels of human development has led to the cutting of old-growth forests and construction of roads and other physical barriers to wildlife. These activities have greatly contributed to the fragmentation of wildlife habitat, which has had detrimental effects on the population structure and survivorship of the affected area’s indigenous species. One species that has been affected by habitat fragmentation is the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), a nonmigratory bird with a home range covering most of the southeastern United States (Roise et al, 1990). Habitat fragmentation has led to the loss of genetic variability, nesting sites, and suitable population sizes to support cooperative breeding requirements. These factors have been responsible for the precipitous decline of the red-cockaded woodpecker. Because the red-cockaded woodpecker provides important ecological and economic benefits to both humans and the environment, we should strongly consider enacting a conservation plan for this species.
The results from the experiments supported the hypothesis that the batoid pelvic girdle shape correlated with the type of locomotion. They found that the form of locomotion utilized by the batoid had a greater determining factor on the shape of the pelvic girdle compared to the phylogeny. An important discovery of this experiment showed that the shape of the pelvic girdle of a batoid can be used to predict the swimming and punting mode, and the order to which the vertebrate
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Fox, R. 2001. Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine: Artemia Franciscana. Lander University. http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/artemia.html, retrieved February 13, 2011.
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