Hands-on Experiments on Predatory Behaviour with Antlion Larvae

Abstract

One of the innovations in the Slovenian school system has been the introduction of elective subjects in the curricula of primary and secondary schools, thus there is a lack of teaching manuals for practical exercises and hands-on classroom experience. This situation is reflected in the Ethology classroom and for that purpose we prepared step-by-step model experiments, which can be used in Ethology classes. The larvae of antlions (Myrmeleontidae) are proposed as ideal organisms for studying the effect of environmental factors on predatory behaviour. The students perform three different experiments, where the effect of substrate particle size and feeding regime on the behaviour of antlion larvae are tested. Students are made to work in three groups, and depending on the result of the first experiment, the other two experiments are performed. Students are encouraged to think about the setting, active research, thorough observation and interpretation of the data to yield meaningful information. The exercise plan is the basic principle of studying animal behaviour, and the main focus is for students to be actively involved.

Keywords:

• Predatory behaviour
• Secondary school
• Ethology
• Science procedure skills
• Antlions (Myrmeleontidae)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The number of larvae can be different. Experiments 2 and 3 can be performed on a smaller number of antlion larvae, but not less than 5.

2. The sieves can be home-made. Mesh with varied hole sizes can be obtained from a range of suppliers. The mesh is simply attached to a square or round wooden frame. The sand fraction values are only informative. It is not necessary to use the fraction given above, but it is desirable to use the fractions close to those listed.