Introduction

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Welcome. The research conducted on this website covers the study of arthropds, "invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin." (google.define) Read on and learn about these organisms with us!

One common type of terrestrial arthropod is the centipede. Belonging to the Chilopoda class, centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment in addition to having one pair of poisonous fangs under its head. The fangs are used to inject and kill their prey. Their prey include spiders, insects, termites, flies, and worms. Centipedes are typically found under rocks and logs, within the bark of trees, in soil, and among leaf litter as they enjoy shaded areas. Predators of the centipede include certain types of spiders, birds, mice, and bees.     

                                                                                                                                                                    Pictured below is a centipede (Chilopoda)

                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

         Pictured below is a Pill Bug (Isopod)

More common terrestrial arthropods include Isopods, which are the order of crustaceans. Isopods include pill bugs and sow bugs, all containing several pairs of legs. Isopods can be omnivores or scavengers and feed on dead or decaying plants and animals. Members of the Isopod class live in areas with high humidity, and can be found under rocks and logs and among leaf litter. An Isopod's predators include both vertebrates and invertebrates.

                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Pictured below is a Millipede (Diplopod)

Members of the Diplopod class include organisms such as millipedes. Not all millipedes have the same amount of legs and in order to calculate the number of legs a millipede has, one can count the number of body segments it has, multiply it by four, and subtract ten. Millipedes range in size from 2mm to 300mm in size. Diplopod's predators include mammals, frogs, beetles, ants, and parasites such as fungi and protozoa.

   

Statistics from previous years of research showed that within the locations studied in the back woods of Roland Park Country School, the numbers of Diplopods and Isopods  in sites three and four, are stastistically greater than the number of Chipopods, in those same sites. This information collected was curious due to the fact that the Chilopods should have been more abundant since their prey was so plentiful. Based on the number of Isopods and Diplopods found in Site 3 (quadrent 1 and 4) and in Site 4 (quadrent 1 and 4), the number of Chilopods should have been much higher. We believed that the Chilopods should have migrated to these areas due to the high amount of its prey, but that was not the case. As a result, we conducted an experiment to try and figure out why there are more Isopods and Diplopods than Chilopods.