REQ PRAC: Choice Chambers

• What is a choice chamber?

  A container with different compartments, in which different environmental conditions can be created
• What can choice chambers be used to investigate?

  How animals respond to conditions like light intensity or humidity in the laboratory
• Choice chamber construction example

  
• How do you use a choice chamber (steps 1-2)?

  1. construct choice chamber
  2. To investigate effect of light intensity on woodlouse movement, cover 1 half of the lid (including SIDES) with black paper. this makes 1 side of the chamber dark. PUT DAMP FILTER PAPER IN BOTH SIDES OF THE BASE
• How do you use a choice chamber (steps 3-4)?

  3. place 10 woodlice on the mesh in centre of chamber and cover chamber with lid

  4. after 10 mins, take off the lid and record number of woodlice on each side of chamber
• what should you try to minimise?


  the amount of time the lid is off
• why should you minimise the amount of time the lid is off?

  so that the environmental conditions created are not disturbed
• How do you use a choice chamber (steps 5-6)?

  5. Repeat experiment after after gently moving the woodlice back to the centre. you should find that most woodlice end up on the dark side of the choice chamber (A TACTICAL RESPONSE TO LIGHT)

  6
• How to use a choice chamber to investigate humidity?

  Place some damp filter paper in one side of the base and a desiccating agent in the other side

  Do not cover the lid with paper

  Put the lid on and leave the chamber for 10 mins to stabilise before carrying out steps 3-5
• what is a desiccating agent?

  a drying agent