When Mrs. McDonald walked out to her garden this morning, she was horrified to find little bugs clumping leaves together on her favorite Mr. Lincoln rose bush. The leaves near the bugs had small holes on them and were already turning brown.
She wonders, what could be eating her roses? She thinks she might know the culprit.
What did it?
Bagworm (Culbert, 2014, used under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Lacewing Bug (Krumbholz, 2014, used under CC BY-SA 3.0)
Can you help Mrs. McDonald save her prize-winning roses?
As you help Mrs. McDonald identify the problem with the roses, the handyman Fred is curious about your work. He says he always just puts salt on the bugs. Perform some library research as to why the salt might or might not work and whether that treatment damaged Mrs. McDonald’s rose bushes.
Research these two bugs—the bagworm and the lacewing bug—and determine if either of them could be at fault. Write a summary of your research.
Based on your research, make a prediction about the bug/plant situation. Write out your prediction.
From your prediction, write a hypothesis to determine which bug, if it is either bug or a particular bug, is causing Mrs. McDonald’s rose bush problem.
Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Think through the following questions:
How long will your research take?
Will it be done outside or inside?
Will it be performed on a rose bush or another plant?
How long will it take for your research to be completed?
How will you know when you are finished?
Identify and write down the following in your experimental plans:
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Controls
Write up your answers for steps 1–5. Then, answer the following questions:
Was your research source a factual one or not? How do you know?
Would Fred the handyman’s suggestion of salt get rid of the bugs? Would it hurt the rose bush?
Submit your completed assignment to the Module 1 Assignment: How Is Biology Studied?
