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14 July 2020 Effective Techniques for the Care, Reproduction & Utilization of the Terrestrial Isopod Porcellio scaber in Your Science Classroom
Ron Wagler
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Abstract

Terrestrial isopods (often referred to as sow bugs or pill bugs) are small, land-dwelling crustaceans. Because of their gentle nature, terrestrial isopods are excellent animals to have in a science classroom. There are many fun and effective classroom activities that utilize terrestrial isopods to teach science concepts, but there are multiple barriers to acquiring the large number of terrestrial isopods needed for classroom activities. Furthermore, when terrestrial isopods are brought into the classroom, the possibility exists that they will die inhumanely because finding good information on their proper care and reproduction can be difficult. Websites, books, and magazines frequently provide contradictory, inaccurate, incomplete, overly complex, and inhumane care information. To address these issues, this article explains how to set up a simple, low-maintenance, and inexpensive classroom enclosure for the terrestrial isopod species Porcellio scaber. These techniques, which I use in my classroom, produce large numbers of healthy captive-bred P. scaber. This article also presents examples of effective, hands-on classroom activities utilizing P. scaber.

© 2020 National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press's Reprints and Permissions web page, https://www.ucpress.edu/journals/reprints-permissions.
Ron Wagler "Effective Techniques for the Care, Reproduction & Utilization of the Terrestrial Isopod Porcellio scaber in Your Science Classroom," The American Biology Teacher 82(4), 266-268, (14 July 2020). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2020.82.4.266
Published: 14 July 2020
JOURNAL ARTICLE
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KEYWORDS
arthropod
captive breeding
crustacean
curriculum
Porcellio scaber
science education
terrestrial isopod
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