Isopod Experiments

The organisms used in this lab come from the phylum Arthropoda, the same phylum as spiders, insects, and crustaceans, the class Malacostraca, and genus Isopoda. The basic anatomy of Isopods consists of a head, thorax, and abdomen. The have 2 pairs of antennae, one of which can be clearly seen with the naked eye. They have simple eyes and 7 pairs of legs as well as 7 segments in their abdomen. Isopods eat decaying plants and animals in addition to some living plants. Because they breathe using gills, they must live in areas of high humidity. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether Isopods prefer an acidic, basic, or neutral environment. Because they need water (pH of 7) to survive, we predicted that the Isopods, if given