Ants in Space Teacher's Guide

Experiments Aboard the International Space Station

by Gregory Vogt, Ed.D. Stefanie Countryman, M.B.A. Deborah Gordon, Ph.D. Nancy Moreno, Ph.D.

ISBN-13: 978-1-888997-88-0

Teacher Resources from the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine. The mark “BioEd” is a service mark of Baylor College of Medicine.

The activities described in this book are intended for school-age children under direct supervision of adults. The authors, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), BioServe Space Technologies (University of Colorado), Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, cannot be responsible for any accidents or injuries that may result from conduct of the activities, from not specifically following directions, or from ignoring cautions contained in the text. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any partnering institution.

Authors: Gregory Vogt, Ed.D., Stefanie Countryman M.B.A., Deborah Gordon, Ph.D., and Nancy Moreno, Ph.D. Editor: James Denk, M.A. Designer: Martha Young, B.F.A.

Cover photo © Joseph Berger (www.bugwood.org).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of William A. Thomson, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Center for Educational Outreach, Baylor College of Medicine. We especially acknowledge the valuable contributions of Michael Greene, Ph.D., at the University of Colorado Denver, Louis Stodieck, Ph.D., of BioServe Space Technologies (University of Colorado), and Diane Matthews, STEM Education, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.

This work was funded by grant number GA-2013-108 from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc., (CASIS) through NASA funded Cooperative Agreement Number NNH11CD70A.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of an audio recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use without prior written permission of the publisher. Black-line masters reproduced for classroom use are excepted. BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, BCM411, Houston, Texas 77030 713-798-8200 / 800-798-8244 / [email protected] / www.bioedonline.org

BIOSERVE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe

CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE IN SPACE http://www.iss-casis.org/

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION www.nasa.gov Contents EXPERIMENTS IN SPACE: 1. Introduction 1 Curriculum Projects on ISS BioEd Online archives science data from a series of investigations in micro- 2. Why Study Ants? 2 gravity focusing on ants, butterflies, plants and spiders. Future students can repeat these investigations by build- 3. All About Ants 3 ing new habitats and formulating their own research questions or hypotheses. Archived results from each flight can be 4. Pavement Ants: The “Ant-stronauts” 5 downloaded and compared, day-by-day, with observations of classroom habitats, permitting students to experience the 5. The Experiment in Microgravity 7 excitement of space-based life science research. Visit the URL below for more details. 6. How to Build the Earth-based Habitats 10 http://www.bioedonline.org/lessons-and- more/resource-collections/experiments- 7. Collecting and Adding Ants to the Habitat 14 in-space/ 8. Planning and Guiding the Investigations 16

CASIS Education: Where Gravity Won’t Hold You Back 18

Ants in Space is a cooperative effort of the following organizations. Baylor College of Medicine, Center for Educational Outreach www.bcm.edu/edoutreach BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe Center for the Advancement of Science in Space http://www.iss-casis.org National Aeronautics and Space Administration http://www.nasa.gov

nts in Space is an educational A life science investigation on the TEACHER RESOURCES International Space Station (ISS). Downloadable activities in PDF format, Appropriate for students of all ages, annotated slide sets for classroom the experiment builds on previous, use, and other resources are available similar ISS-based investigations, which free at www.bioedonline.org. examined spider web spinning, but- terfly life cycles, and plant root growth scheduled for release in early 2014. in microgravity. Images and videos Students, teachers and the general of organisms living aboard ISS are public worldwide are invited to engage available, free of charge and in near in the Ants in Space experiment. To real-time, for viewing and comparison do so, each participant (or group) with ground-based organisms main- simply must set up a “ground-based” tained by student investigators. In chamber to observe and compare ants this authentic research, students ask living in Earth’s gravity to those liv- their own questions and collect data to ing in microgravity aboard ISS. This answer them. investigator’s manual describes the ant On January 9, 2014, the Ants investigation and provides the neces- in Space live investigation traveled sary details for students and teachers to the ISS on the first operational to conduct their own data collection flight of the new Cygnus Advanced and analysis. The manual begins with Maneuvering Spacecraft. Cygnus a primer on ants, followed by details was launched by an Antares rocket about the mission, instructions for from the NASA Wallops Flight building an inexpensive ant chamber, Launch of the Antares rocket car- Facility in Virginia. Video and and ideas for investigation questions. rying the Cygnus spacecraft from other data from the experiments are n Wallops Island Virginia on January 9, 2014, up to the International Space Station. Photo © Orbital Sciences Corporation. (www.orbital.com).

The Canadarm2 on the International Space Station moves toward the Cygnus commercial cargo spacecraft, January 12, 2014. Photo courtesy of NASA. (http://www.nasa.gov/)

nts are among the most abundant A and diverse of all insects. In fact, it has been estimated that they comprise 10% of Earth’s total biomass. Ants are social insects, thought to have evolved from wasp-like ancestors about 130 mil- lion years ago. They are members of the family Formicidae (for-mis-cid-ee) with an estimated 22,000 species, about half of which have been classified. Ants are found on nearly every landmass on Earth. Some species live in structured nests below ground; others live in mounds above ground and some live in trees. Ants’ ability to survive over millennia may be partly attribut- Large ant mound located west of Taos, able to their social organization, which New Mexico, as seen from a hot air enables colonies to modify habitats to balloon. Photo © Gregory L. Vogt, EdD. accommodate changing needs, obtain resources and defend themselves. no individual ant directs the behavior All ant species live in colonies, of another. Instead, an ant’s actions which operate without central control. are influenced by cues it receives A colony consists of one or more repro- from other ants and the environment. ductive females, called queens, which The combined responses of single Fossil rock containing an ant, have no authority, and serve strictly ants allow the colony to respond to recovered from the Florissant Fossil to lay eggs. The ants we see walking changing conditions. By studying ant Beds National Monument, Colorado. around are sterile, female workers that behavior, investigators are learning how Photo courtesy of the US National do not mate. to improve other distributed systems, Park Service (www.nps.gov). Ant colonies are distributed systems, such as the Internet, and are gaining in which collections of independent insights into networks as complex as individuals or entities appear to act the human brain. n as single, coherent units. In fact,

ith elbowed antennae projecting such as material for constructing nests. W from large, bulbous heads and Mandibles also are used to husk seeds slender waists, ants are easy to distin- and provide defense. An ant’s gaster, guish from other related insects, such as or abdomen, contains reproductive and wasps. Ant heads contain many sensory respiratory organs, and the excretory sys- organs. Most ant species do not see dis- tem. Many species have stingers to sub- tinct objects, but their large compound due prey and defend the nest. Like all eyes, consisting of many small lenses insects, ants have six jointed legs. Small fused together, provide good motion hooks at the ends of their legs enable detection. Ants also have three simple ants to climb and hang on to things, eyes, or ocelli, on top of the head to perhaps even in microgravity. detect light. A few species of subterra- nean ants are completely blind. Ant Colonies Most ants within a colony, and the TYPICAL ANT ones we usually see, are wingless female

Antennae Mandible “workers.” These ants never reproduce. Instead, they forage for food, care for the queen and the eggs, protect the Compound nest if attacked, build mounds, and eye Head dig tunnels and chambers. In almost

Mesosoma all ant species, males are produced only Ocelli (thorax) when “reproductives”—daughter queens and males from different colonies— meet to mate. Afterward, the males Petiole Female harvester ant. Harvester ants die and the newly mated queens found collect seeds which are stored in the new colonies. nest in granaries. Photo © Joseph Gaster Ant colonies can last many decades, Leg Berger (www.bugwood.org). (abdomen) and they may have one or a few queens, whose only role is to lay eggs. Reproduction varies by species. Some Stinger queens reproduce asexually, while others mate with one or more males The most important sense for ants is and store sperm to fertilize future eggs. olfaction. Ants “smell” with their anten- A harvester ant queen, for example, can nae, which detect chemicals, air currents live for 30 years, using the sperm from and vibrations. Ants also communicate a single mating session at the beginning through antennae contact. When one of her life to produce new workers year ant touches another with its antennae, it after year. If an egg is fertilized, a can determine if the other ant is a nest- female worker (diploid, with two sets mate by detecting the chemicals on the of chromosomes) will develop. Males, ant’s body. which develop from unfertilized eggs, Ant heads feature two mandibles, are haploid (only one set of chromo- used to carry food and other objects, somes). Adult ants develop through Illustration by G.L. Vogt, EdD. 3. All About Ants © 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 3 Ants in Space BioEd Online complete metamorphosis: begin as eggs, worms. In some species, an ant that become larvae and pupae, and emerge finds food may deposit a pheromone as adults. “trail” on its way back to the nest. Individual ants are not specialized Foragers leaving the nest follow this trail for a particular job. Instead, tasks are to the food, and add more scent on the allocated based on colony needs and way back to reinforce the signal for oth- environmental changes. For instance, ers. When the food source is exhausted, a harvester ant colony performs four no more scent is added to the trail, and different kinds of tasks outside the the chemical signal dissipates (in some nest: searching for, and returning with cases, very quickly). food (foraging); searching the mound However, not all ant species create and surrounding area to identify the trails. If the food tends to be scattered best places for foraging (patrolling); in small pieces, one ant can carry it back 0.5 mm carrying out dry soil from inside the to the nest. For example, harvester ants nest (maintenance); and sorting and eat seeds, which a single ant can trans- Notice the grooves on the head of removing all kinds of waste (called port. There is no point in leading more this pavement ant. Photo © Joseph midden gathering). A colony’s ants to the place where one ant found Berger (www.bugwood.org). oldest ants usually perform these tasks. a single seed. In such cases, the ants do Ants that work outside the nest some- not lay pheromone trails. times will switch jobs, if more ants are Colonies sometimes regulate the num- required for a different job. Younger ber of ants foraging through interactions ants stay within the nest, where they among ants. For example, a foraging feed and care for larvae, sort food, harvester ant spends most of its time maintain the nest and attend to the outside the nest searching for food. queen. Workers in harvester ant colonies When food is more abundant—say a lot live for only a year. of seeds blew in with the wind the day before—foragers locate food easily and Ant Communication return more quickly. Outgoing foragers A basic question about ants is how their leave the nest at a rate commensurate colonies function without central con- with the flow of foragers returning with When an ant finds a food source, trol. In fact, a colony’s collective behav- food. When food is abundant, foragers it my create a chemical trail. When ior is governed by interactions and brief return more quickly, and more new for- many ants follow and reinforce the antennal contact between individual agers leave the nest. same signals, the pathways can ants. No single ant can assess the colo- Different ant species regulate their become very large. Photo © Fir0002 ny’s needs or tell other ants what to do. searches in various ways, but always (www.wikipedia.org). Ants communicate through phero- through simple interactions. When mones (excreted chemicals that trigger a observing ants, one can seek to answer response in other individuals) and cutic- questions such as: What gets the ants ular hydrocarbons (chemicals present out of the nest? Is it the rate of antennal on the body surface), and by touch and contact? Do ants seem to be responding vibration. Their antennae detect chemi- to chemical trails on the surface? cal odors, which differentiate the ants of Of course, ants do much more than one colony from those of another, and forage. They build and maintain nests, even among ants that perform different and some species collect food to feed tasks within the same colony. fungi, which serves as a food source. For The Ants in Space experiment further information about ant colony Pavement ant returning to the nest performed on ISS investigates how a behavior, consult biologist Dr. Deborah with food. Photo © G.D. Alpert colony works together to search for M. Gordon’s web page (http://www. (www.antwiki.org). food, water, nest sites and other impor- stanford.edu/~dmgordon/), and the tant resources, and also to identify Stanford News article, “Evolution Shapes potential threats. The investigation is New Rules for Ant Behavior, Stanford described in detail in the next section. Research Finds,” (http://news.stanford. Different ant species eat nectar, edu/news/2013/may/ants-forage- fungus, other insects, seeds and/or evolve-051413.html). n

he experiment aboard the Space under slabs and even inside walls, and T Station features Tetramorium they sometimes forage for food inside caespitum, otherwise known as the pave- dwellings. The genus Tetramorium ment ant, which is dark brown to black, includes more than 400 species and and about 2.5–4.0 mm long. This spe- subspecies of ants distributed around cies was chosen because it is common the world. The global distribution of in many parts of the US. The pave- Tetramorium is shown below. ment ant is fairly easy to identify by the A pavement ant nest typically grooves on its head and thorax. Note has one queen and a few thousand to the two segments that connect the tho- 10,000 of sterile female workers. The rax and abdomen. This structure, called queen’s sole purpose is to lay eggs. the petiole, always has two segments The female workers complete all other in the ant subfamily Myrmicinae—to activities required for a colony to which Tetramorium belongs (see thrive. Some nests have more than one image, left). queen. With increased egg production, Pavement ants are native to Europe, these colonies can grow quickly. A and probably first arrived in North pavement ant usually will live a few America on trade ships during the weeks to several years; some queens 1700s. They now can be found from survive up to 10 years. When a queen New England to the Midwest and dies, the nest does not adopt or southern U.S. They also are pres- produce another, and the colony will ent in some parts of California and survive only as long as the remaining Washington. Pavement ants sometimes workers do. are considered pests because they form Pavement ants are quite adaptable. Tetramorium caespitum, also known colonies near building foundations, They can nest in urban areas, under as the pavemant ant, has a petiole with two segments (section is circled Global Distribution of Tetramorium in red). Photo © Joseph Berger (www.bugwood.org).

Genus status: Present Likely present Uncertain Present as exotic Absent

Map © Steve Shattuck (http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Tetramorium).

4. Pavement Ants: The “Ant-stronauts” © 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 5 Ants in Space BioEd Online PREVIOUS ANT MISSIONS One of the first ant investigations in space was developed for the 1983 Space Shuttle Mission STS-7. Students in Camden, New Jersey, designed an experiment to determine if microgravity affects an ant colony’s social structure. The investigation was flown in a trash can-sized container mounted to the wall of the Space Shuttle Challenger’s payload bay. Unfortunately, the canister was purged with dry air during payload processing, dehydrating the ants before the flight. The students did not learn their ants had died until the Shuttle returned to Earth. In 2003, a second ant investigation was flown on STS-107. The small colony of ants living in a gel material began tunneling while on the Space Shuttle. Students in Syracuse, New York, compared the activities of the flight ants with those in a control Pavement ants will battle other pavement ants over resources. Photo © Joseph Berger colony at their schools, observing (www.bugwood.org). that ants on the Shuttle were more active than their control ants. Video or near sidewalks, foundations and You can learn more about pavement footage from this ant experiment driveways—or in more rural locations, ants by visiting the websites below. may be viewed at http://spaceflight. alongside wooded areas or under rocks, nasa.gov/gallery/video/shuttle/sts- 107/html/fd5.html/. frequently by water. In the spring and • Animal Diversity Web summer, they can be found engaging (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich. There are several reasons to fly in huge conflicts with neighboring edu/accounts/Tetramorium_caespitu ants into space. First, ants are tiny ant colonies. If you have observed a m/#f6be517405543262b8921d4e29 and a community of 80 ants does not take up much space, even within a large number of ants grouped together 9f4d5b) supportive habitat. Second, because • AntWiki around the cracks or creases in a side- ants are very social insects, observ- walk or driveway, you may actually have (http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/ ing them in microgravity enables been watching a pavement ant battle. Tetramorium_caespitum students to study both individual Pavement ants are scavengers that • University of Nebraska-Lincoln behaviors and interactions between feed on sugar, nectar, fruits, dead insects (http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/ants/ ants. Finally, ants are easy to obtain, and seeds. They are most attracted to pavementant.shtml) and it is simple for students and foods with high fat or sugar content. • University of Pennsylvania other investigators around the Workers may forage for food as far as College of Agricultural Science world to set up effective chambers 30 meters from the colony, and they (http://ento.psu.edu/extension/fact- for comparison in their classrooms. will establish pheromone trails to sheets/pavement-ant) We still have much to learn about food sources. n how organisms behave in the seem- ingly weightless environment of Earth’s orbit. For a description of microgravity and its effects on living organisms, visit the Experiments in Space section on BioEd Online.

he Ants in Space investigation have no way to figure out what T on the International Space Station the whole haystack is like. Instead, (ISS) was conducted in January 2014. they must cover all the ground, so The experiments examined how pave- that if there is food anywhere in their ment ants work together to search a domain, some ant eventually will novel space. Eight habitats, each con- encounter it. taining approximately 80 ants, were There is a tradeoff between how transported to the ISS on the unmanned thoroughly the ants search, and how Cygnus resupply spacecraft, launched by much ground they can cover. A an Antares rocket from NASA Wallops previous experiment by Deborah Flight Facility in Virginia. Gordon, PhD, done with Argentine All videos, images and other resources ants, showed that ants adjust their related to the Ants in Space mission are search paths based on population archived on BioEd Online, so your stu- density, which they assess by the rate dents can follow the ISS experiment and at which they meet nest mates. If conduct their own ground-based ant there are many ants in a small space, investigations at any time. there will be frequent interactions and Different species of ants solve search the colony can be very thorough. problems differently, depending on their Each ant moves in a circular pattern ecology. Ants we find in our kitchens to search a small area, and another ant often are invasive species, able to thrive will be available to search nearby. But in many parts of the world because they when there are fewer ants, or when are very effective at searching. Regardless they are spread over a larger space, of species, an ant colony must monitor they will meet less frequently. In such NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, its environment to find food, water and cases, each ant will cover more ground Expedition 38 Flight Engineer, works nest sites, and to detect potential threats, by using a straighter, longer search with the Ant Forage Habitat in the such as encroachment by ants of another path. Destiny laboratory aboard the ISS. colony. Because colonies work without The Ants in Space experiment allows Photo courtesy of NASA. central control, this monitoring must the observation of ant behavior at two be done collectively. A colony’s goal is different population densities in micro- to have an ant everywhere all the time, gravity (aboard the ISS) and under MISSION LAUNCH: ORB-1 so that if something happens, or if food normal Earth gravity conditions. It seeks becomes available, an ant will be there to identify if ants in microgravity: (1) To view the launch of the Antares to find it. Of course, no colony can do interact at a different rate, and/or (2) rocket carrying the Ants in Space this perfectly. The experiment investi- adjust the shape of their search paths investigation, visit the URL below. gates how colonies adjust their searching differently than ants on Earth do. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_ strategies in changing conditions. pages/station/structure/launch/ If you asked a group of people to Key Questions orbital.html#.Us8F8vZZUi0 find a needle in a haystack, they might 1. When a group of ants is searching devise a plan to divide the haystack a new space, does the shape of each and have each person search a small part ant’s path depend on the number of of it. Ants can’t do that because they ants per unit area?

5. The Experiment in Microgravity © 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 7 Ants in Space BioEd Online 2. Do ants in a microgravity environ- and two identical experiments were ment exhibit search behaviors and conducted on two different days. Each search patterns different from those day, four ant habitats were set up in observed among ants in Earth’s front of an HD video camera. The normal gravity environment? astronaut conducting the experiment Closeup of pavement ants in their You and your students may come lowered the barrier between the nest habitat prior to release into Search up with many other important questions area and Search Area 1, thereby allowing Area 1 (see “ISS Protocol for about the exploratory behaviors of the ants to explore approximately one- Tetramorium caespitum,” on page ants on Earth and in low-Earth orbit half of the total area of the habitat. The 9). Photo courtesy of NASA. (microgravity). ants’ movements in Search Area 1 were recorded on video for 25 minutes, after The Investigation which time, the astronaut lowered the Eight habitats, each containing approxi- barrier to Search Area 2 in each habitat. mately 80 ants, were transferred to the Video recording continued for approxi- ISS on January 13, 2014. The Ants in mately more 30 minutes. Space flight habitat is a shallow rect- Video of the ants, transmitted to angular box with a clear top through NASA, is available on BioEd Online which to view the ants. It is just a few (www.bioedonline.org). Investigators on millimeters deep, but provides ample Earth also are using a software program room for ants to move about freely. designed to track the ants’ movement For ease of handling, the habitats were patterns and interaction rates. This Pavement ant workers may forage mounted on plates in sets of four (two information will be available later in for food as far as 30 meters from the plates, each with four habitats). For 2014 on BioEd Online. Students and colony, and establish pheromone comparison, matching habitats holding other investigators will be able to make trails to food sources. Photo © similar numbers of ants were maintained direct comparisons of the “space” ants Babs Padelford, Fontenelle Forest on Earth. During transport to the ISS, with their own ants living in habitats (www.fontenelleforest.org). and for three days before the experiment they construct from inexpensive was conducted, the ants were kept in the materials. Instructions on how to build small “nest” area of each habitat. The ant habitats with similar dimensions nests contained plaster of Paris infused to those used on the ISS are provided with a nutrient solution to provide food later in this guide. (For the complete and water. details of the experiment conducted Once loaded on the ISS, the eight in microgravity, see “ISS Protocol for ant habitats were secured in place, Tetramorium caespitum,” on page 9.) n

© 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 5. The Experiment in Microgravity BioEd Online Ants in Space 8 ISS Protocol for Tetramorium caespitum The steps described below summarize the experiment protocol followed by BioServe Space Technologies as they Barrier Doors managed the transfer and loading of the ant habitats onto the Cygnus Advanced Maneuvering Spacecraft. The Cygnus Orbital-1 Mission carrying the experiment launched to the International Space Search Search Station (ISS) from Wallops, Virginia, Area 1 Area 2 United States on January 9, 2014. Science objective. This investigation examines and compares collective search behavior among Tetramorium caespitum (pavement ants) in two different population densities, and in microgravity (on View of four ant habitats, pre-loaded with Tetramorium caespitum. Photo courtesy of the ISS) and normal gravity conditions BioServe Space Technologies (www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe/). (on Earth). agent. The MEM is mixed and added sets at a time, in front of two different Overview. Eight small ant habitats to the reservoir in the ant habitat. At HD video cameras. The recordings are are mounted in sets of four on two this point, the habitats must sit for at staggered between the two cameras mounting plates. Each habitat, loaded least 24 hours, so that the plaster and with approximately 80 worker ants from by 30 minutes, with both habitat sets wick are saturated, but no standing three different colonies (all females), are recorded at one time for a total of four liquid is observed within the nest area. prepared for space-based experiments. recordings. Between 24 and 36 hours before Another set is prepared for ground The habitats are placed in a location transfer to NASA and Orbital Sciences, control experiments. with limited reflection and good visibil- each of the eight flight habitats and ity, focus and lighting. The cameras are • 9–11 days before launch. The ant eight ground control habitats are load- habitats are partially assembled and ed with approximately 80 worker ants. positioned so that only two small ant hand-carried to Wallops Island. habitats fill the viewfinder. • Four days before launch. The flight A cotton wick is threaded from the The astronaut begins recording, then and ground habitats are inspected liquid reservoir on the underside of lowers the barrier between the nest for a final time to ensure the ants are the habitat, through a tiny hole that area and Search Area 1 on the habitats. healthy. The ant habitats are attached separates the liquid reservoir from the The ants’ search and exploration within to mounting plates (four habitats per nest area. Plaster of Paris is mixed and Search Area 1 is videotaped for the poured into each ant nest area, leaving plate), packed in foam, placed in a soft stow bag, and handed over to NASA next 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, the part of the wick exposed on top of the astronaut lowers the barrier to Search plaster and the remainder is positioned and Orbital Sciences. The payload is Area 2 in the habitats. This allows in the liquid reservoir. The plaster is secured on the launch vehicle, where it observation of the same number of allowed to set for 24 hours. A window remains in the dark at ambient temper- ants in a larger space, and thus at is placed and secured on the top of ature until it is transferred to the ISS. each habitat. During this time, the ants have access lower density. Video recording contin- Note: The wick will transfer nutrient- to water supplemented with nutrients, ues for 30 minutes, after which time, rich moisture from the liquid reservoir ensuring that they remain as healthy as the experiment is completed. into the plaster, enabling the ants to possible on their trip to space. The ants live out their normal life obtain the moisture and nutrients they • Launch and delivery. After launch, spans on the ISS, living for an extend- need. The moistened plaster will keep the Cygnus vehicle takes two days to ed period of time on nutrient-rich the nest area humid, but not wet. rendezvous and berth with the ISS. moister in the habitats. Given the limited lifespan of ants, the • 5–8 days before launch. After • Measurements and observations. ant habitats are transferred to the ISS arriving at Wallops Island, the ants are Once the video is completed, astro- monitored for health and activity, then within one day of berthing. nauts transmit the video from ISS to separated into appropriate groups in • Aboard the Space Station. On the NASA. Investigators on Earth use a preparation for final assembly of the day the ant habitats are transferred habitats. software program specifically designed to the ISS, they are activated within a Minimal Essential Media (MEM) is to track and document ants’ search relatively short time by the astronauts. the liquid used to provide moisture and path patterns, the number of interac- nutrients for the ants. It has .03% v/v • Activation. All of the habitats are tions between ants, and if/how interac- methylparaben added as an antifungal activated on the same day, two habitat tion rates affect movement patterns. ISS Protocol for Tetramorium caespitum © 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 9 Ants in Space BioEd Online How to Build the 6 Earth-based Habitats EARTH-BASED HABITAT tudents will be able to formulate If you teach older students or will S and ask their own questions about be observing very small ants, use a ant behavior, or conduct experiments 1-cm grid instead. Search Area 2 that match those on the International 2. Use the remaining sheet of craft Space Station. The plans below describe foam for cutting out the frame and how common materials can be used to doors of the habitat (see “Habitat Partition Door: Search Area 2 construct an inexpensive, ground-based Pattern,” p. 11). Place the pat- ant habitat similar in size and design to tern over the remaining foam, and Search Area 1 the ant chambers aboard ISS. To view a secure it in place with tape (or a video showing how to build the habitat, light coating of glue from a glue visit the Ants in Space page on BioEd stick). Using scissors or a razor knife Partition Door: Search Area 1 Online (http://www.bioedonline.org/ and straight edge, carefully cut out lessons-and-more/resource-collections/ each piece, discarding the “gray”

Holding experiments-in-space/ants-in-space/). areas on the pattern. Alternatively, Chamber A crucial feature of both space- and cut out the pattern and trace it on Door Holding Chamber Earth-based habitats is the capacity to the sheet of foam before cutting out increase the size of the foraging area. the pieces. Initially, the ants are placed in a small 3. Position the base with the grid MATERIALS holding chamber. In stage one of the side up. Reassemble each pattern TO MAKE ONE HABITAT investigation, the first of two sliding piece over the base. Using double- partitions (doors) is opened, allowing sided tape, fasten the three frame • 12-in. x 18-in. sheet of craft foam, the ants to enter Search Area 1. Students pieces to the base of the habitat (see 5 mm in thickness (for example, will observe how ants behave in this rel- “Habitat Base and Frame,” p. 12). Silly Winks foam sheets); available atively confined space. In stage two, the Important: Do not glue or tape at craft stores or online door to Search Area 2 is opened, effec- pieces 4, 5 and 6; they must be able • Double-sided tape (clear) tively doubling the space available to to slide. Also, do not distort the • 5-in. x 7-in. (13 cm x 18 cm) sheet the ants. Students again will observe the frame as you press it into place. It of clear acrylic (plastic) for picture ants, now at lower population density must fit snugly around the three frame glazing; available at craft as they spread out to explore this larger sliding doors, with no gaps through stores. (Transparency film may be area. Students will be able to compare which ants might escape. substituted, but use care to seal it ants’ search/exploration behavior during 4. Use double-sided tape to fasten the tightly to the habitat.) stage two to the behavior exhibited in glaze or transparency sheet firmly the higher population-density environ- over the top of the assembled foam. • Copy of “Habitat Pattern” page ment of stage 1. Do not tape doors (see “Completed • Pair of scissors Habitat,” p. 13). n • Ruler marked in centimeters Procedure

• Fine tip marker pen or ball point 1. Cut a 5-in. by 7-in. (127-cm x pen 178-mm) rectangle from the sheet of craft foam. This rectangle will Optional: Glue stick, razor knife, serve as the base of the chamber. straight edge, cutting board With the ruler and marker, draw a 2-cm grid on one side of the sheet.

1. Make precise cuts on the solid lines to ensure a snug fit for habitat doors. 2. Discard pieces marked in gray. The frame will have notched areas corresponding to the shape of the sliding doors.

Frame

To ensure that the pattern Do not label. prints at the Cut on solid lines. correct size Discard gray areas. from a PDF, follow the steps below.

1. Select: 6 Partition Door: Search Area 2 (inserted fully) Print

2. Find: Page Sizing Do not label. 2 and Cut on solid lines. Handling Discard gray areas. Piece of Frame 3. Select: Actual Size

5 Partition Door: Search Area 1 (inserted fully)

Do not label. Cut on solid lines. Discard gray areas. 3

7 inches Piece of (17.8 cm) Frame 4 5 inches Holding Chamber Door (12.7 cm) (inserted fully)

1. Reassemble each pattern piece over the base (doors removed to show taping areas). 2. Place double-side tape between the frame (pieces 1, 2 and 3) and the base, without placing tape beneath door areas. Press the pieces firmly into place without distorting the frame. Once in place, the sliding doors must fit snugly into the frame with no gaps through which ants might escape.

Tape area between frame and base Base/Grid (bottom layer) 1

frame and base. Tape area between

frame and base. Tape area between 2 frame and base. Tape area between

3 frame and base

Tape area between Tape area between Tape area between frame and base. frame and base.

1. Use double-sided tape (shown in gray below) to fasten the sheet of clear acrylic plastic (or transparency film) firmly over the top of the assembled habitat. Do not place tape over the sliding doors (pieces 4, 5 and 6). 2. Slide both partition doors firmly into place prior to loading ants into the habitat.

Tape between clear acrylic and frame.

Tape between Search Area 2 clear acrylic and frame.

Partition Door: Search Area 2 (partially inserted)

Tape between

clear acrylic and frame. Search Area 1 Tape between clear acrylic and frame.

5 Partition Door: Search Area 1 (partially inserted)

Holding Chamber Tape between Tape between Tape between

clear acrylic and frame. clear acrylic and frame. clear acrylic and frame. 4

Holding Chamber Door (inserted fully)

lthough ants seem to be effective process for group search. If A everywhere (including places you students living in multiple states and do not want them), it can be a challenge countries conduct the Ants in Space to find and safely capture them for an experiment with a variety of ant investigation or to stock a colony. Only species, we may be able to compile the worker ants are needed for this inves- results into a guide to global ant search tigation, so no excavation of ant nests behaviors. is necessary. Arizona State University Ants often can be found under provides a useful, downloadable book- debris, under rocks or along the edges let about ants and how to collect them of buildings or sidewalks. Sometimes it (http://askabiologist.asu.edu/collecting- is necessary to watch a small area for a worker-ants). few minutes before ants become visible. Pavement ants often establish colonies Individual ants often can be picked up under objects, such as bricks or boards, with the bristles of a moistened water- or on the surface of the soil, or near the color paintbrush. The Science Tool Box building foundations. If pavement ants website provides instructions for making do not live in your region, Argentine an insect aspirator, which uses suction ants (Linepithema humile) are a suitable to collect ants (http://www.sciencetool- substitute. Originally from northern box.com/articles/article_06-16-04.html). Argentina, these ants are common Aspirators also can be ordered online, pests in the southern United States and including from the vendors listed below. Hawaii, and in Mediterranean-type climates in other countries, including • BioQuip Products New Zealand and Japan. Argentine ants (http://www.bioquip.com) Even pavement ants, especially are small—only 1/8-inch long. They live • Carolina Biological Supply in large colonies, can bite or sting in shallow mounds under wood, slabs (http://www.carolina.com) when handled without care. Photo © or debris. • Ben Meadows Joseph Berger (www.bugwood.org). Students should be encouraged to (http://www.benmeadows.com) collect their own ants. There are more • Forestry Suppliers than 12,000 species of ants in every (http://www.forestry-suppliers.com) conceivable habitat on Earth. They use different resources, and employ differ- If ants are being collected on sand or ent search strategies. Thus, different ant soft soil, use a trowel (hand shovel) to species may behave differently in this scoop up several ants at a time, along experiment. Any species is acceptable, with small amounts of soil. Bait, such as but ants found in or near human build- peanut butter or pecan cookies (“sand- ings are likely to be invasive species that ies”), also will attract some species of are effective at searching. Those species ants. Place the bait on a sheet of paper are especially good candidates for this or index card, and wait for the ants to investigation, certainly better than arrive. Use a zip-top bag or plastic con- species like harvester ants, which forage tainer with a lid to transport the soil or for single seeds and do not have a very bait and ants back to the classroom.

© 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 7. Collecting and Adding Ants to the Habitat BioEd Online Ants in Space 14 SAFETY ISSUES AND TYPE OF ANTS NEEDED Warn students that some ants, even RESOURCES FOR pavement ants, may bite or sting. Red be easier to transfer the ants from their IDENTIFYING ANTS imported fire ants, common in the original container to the habitat if you There are about 12,000 known spe- southern United States, form large refrigerate them for a few minutes first. mounds containing colonies with as cies of ants, but only about 50 that many as 500,000 workers and multiple But be sure to place them in the refrig- have been studied in detail. The queens. These ants are extremely erator, not the freezer. Ants become ant family, Formicidae, has 15 sub- aggressive and will swarm out of their very sluggish when chilled, and easy to families, of which Myrmicinae and nests to attack in large numbers. They manipulate. Work quickly because the Formicinae are the two largest. It is are not appropriate for this investigation. ants will start to scatter when they warm Harvester ants are found primarily in easy to distinguish between these drier regions of western and southern up. A soft bristle watercolor paintbrush two subfamilies by examining the North America. They have a painful can help to corral errant ants, and a structure, known as the petiole, sting, but harvester ants are commonly small paper funnel will help the ants which connects the thorax and supplied with commercial “ant farms” slide into the holding chamber. abdomen. Among ants of the used in classrooms or student experi- Once the ants are in the holding Myrmicinae subfamily, the petiole ments. These ants are not suitable chamber, quickly block the entrance by for the Ants in Space investigation, has two segments; the petiole in because they search individually and sliding the loading door (piece number ants of the Formicinae subfamily, has do not perform the coordinated group 4) into position. Be careful not to injure only one segment. Pavement ants search activities being studied. any ants when sliding the door shut. are in the Myrmicinae subfamily. The loading door should fit snugly, so At certain times of the year, it may the ants cannot escape. As an additional Many websites offer information that not be possible to collect ants. Since precaution, use a bit of tape to hold the can help you to identify ants. Listed ants cannot regulate their body tempera- door in place. below are just a few examples. ture, they cannot move when it is cold, The most important step for keeping • AntKey provides resources for and they remain inside their nests. You your ants alive is to give them water. identifying more than 100 inva- would have to dig deeply to reach them. Unless ants have larvae to feed (yours sive, introduced and commonly Do not bore into an ant colony, as this will not), they don’t require much food. observed ants from around the can be very destructive. Any carbohydrate, like apple slices or world. (www.antkey.org) pecan cookie crumbs (“sandies”) will • AntWiki lists all ant identification Transferring Ants to the Habitat meet their needs. Most ants can’t drink keys currently available worldwide. Build and assemble the ant habitat water directly, but can extract it from It also provides detailed descrip- before attempting to collect and transfer moistened cotton or paper towel. Place tions of ant morphology and the ants. a small folded square of paper towel terms commonly used in ant iden- soaked with water in the holding cham- tification keys. (www.antwiki.org/ ber. If you collect ants in the wild and wiki/Category:Identification_key) they seem to be dying, it is probably • Bayer Ant Identification Guide has from lack of water. Search Area 2 information about to the most Students may be concerned about the common ants and ant pests in the lifespan of their ants. Ants sold com- U.S. (www.backedbybayer.com/ Partition Door: Search Area 2 mercially and transported across state system/product_guide/.../Ant-ID- lines are older harvester ant foragers, Guide.pdf) Search Area 1 nearing the end of their lives. These ants do not thrive in captivity and usually die • The Mueller Lab at The University quickly. Ants that you collect from the of Texas has developed an online Partition Door: Search Area 1 wild (your nearby sidewalk) will do bet- key to identify ant species. The ter in captivity, because they are coming site also has a glossary and addi- directly from their natural environment. tional links. (www.sbs.utexas.edu/ Holding muelleru/AntOutreach) Chamber The ants may be fed pecan cookie (“san- Door Holding Chamber dies”) crumbs. At the conclusion of their with Ants observations, students may release out- You will begin by placing your ants in side any wild ants they trapped them- the habitat’s holding chamber. It may selves. n

he ant habitats for the ISS and the information will enable us to determine T classroom are designed to enable if the ants’ path shape and ground cov- students to compare ant behaviors—par- erage differed in the high population- ticularly searching behavior—in density, smaller search area and the low differently sized spaces. Each habitat population-density, larger space. on the ISS began with approximately One way to determine the thorough- 80 ants. For classroom observations, ness of the ants’ search is to trace their approximately 40 ants per habitat will paths. Place a sheet of transparent plas- be sufficient. tic (e.g., an overhead transparency) over Ants carry out complex search the habitat, and follow some ants with a behaviors without central control: no transparency marker. To get a value for single ant directs the movements of how random a path is, divide the ant’s other ants. Instead, each ant adjusts its route into steps of equal length, and search strategy based on its interactions measure the angle between successive with other ants. In combination, this paths. The more the angle changes (i.e., communication among individual ants the higher its variance), the more ran- produces the search and exploration dom the path. Shorter step lengths will strategy of the entire colony. produce more precise measurements. The pattern in which many ant To measure the amount of ground species search depends on the number the ants cover, use a sheet of transpar- of interactions each ant has with other ent plastic to make a grid matching the ants. When an ant encounters many habitat search space (the finer the grid, other nest mates, it is prompted to the more precise the measurement). search a small area thoroughly by mak- Place a dot in every square that an ant Pavement ants even will form ing many random turns. Conversely, enters. The more squares marked with symbiotic relationships with other exploring ants that do not interact dots, the greater the ground covered. organisms. In the image above, ants with many other ants tend to walk a The finer the grid, the more precisely eat honeydew produced by magnolia straighter path—a pattern that enables this approach measures the amount of scale insects. Photo © Sarah Vanek fewer ants to survey a larger area. Thus, ground covered. (www.bugwood.org). population density is one factor that Finally, to determine whether—and determines the exploratory pathways . how much—the ants’ behavior changed The Ants in Space experiment will between the higher- and lower-density investigate how thoroughly the ants search areas, compare the values for path search and how much ground they cover shape or ground covered. If the values in a higher and lower population-density are different, then the ants altered their environment. To evaluate the thorough- search behaviors according to density. ness of the ants’ search, we must observe The list below describes ways in which how convoluted or circuitous their paths student can observe, record and com- are in the smaller and larger search pare ant pathways. areas. To gauge the ground covered by • Informal observations. Allow the ants, we will measure how much of students sufficient time to watch the each search area they visit or the lengths ants and make their own observations of their pathways. In combination, this about the ants’ behaviors, before or

© 2014 Baylor College of Medicine 8. Planning and Guiding the Investigations BioEd Online Ants in Space 16 POTENTIAL INVESTIGATIONS after conducting an experiment to document search behaviors. Naturalist Behavior/Variable Possible Questions journals are an excellent tool with which students can record their Movement Does compartment size impact ants’ navigation pathways? impressions. A template for Naturalist Are the search pathways similar on the ISS and on Earth? Journals is available on BioEd Online. If not, how do they differ? Are the pathways circular or Usually, ants will not be active straight? unless something new has occurred Do the ants remain on the floor of the compartment, or on in their environment (e.g., when the the “ceiling,” or both? door from the nest area is opened, How fast do the ants move? Do they spend long periods and when the partitions between without walking? What is the ratio between the amount of Search Area 1 and Search Area 2 are time walking and the amount of time at rest? removed). Ants also will become Location Do the ants congregate in any particular area of the first more active if food is introduced into compartment? Track a particular ant using the grid. the habitat. What happened when the second compartment was • Ant-to-ant interactions. Cut a 5-in. opened? How did the ants distribute themselves between x 7-in. piece of overhead transparency the two compartments? film and tape it lightly over the ant Social interaction Do the ants make antenna-to-antenna contact? How often? habitat. Have students record each time two ants come together, using Do any ants avoid contact? overhead markers to place a dot in Survival rate Have any ants died? How long did particular ants survive? the square in which the interaction (Note: The ants you collect will be older worker ants, near- occurred. If there are many ants in ing the end of their life spans. Attrition is to be expected.) the chamber, have students observe a subset of squares (for example, two or When an observation is complete, will be the effects of gravity. Ants on four) and record the numbers of inter- students should mark the search start- the ISS will be living in a microgravity actions in the smaller area. ing point with an X. Have students environment, while ants in students’ • Dot Density. Cut a 5-in. x 7-in. piece use a different color marker for each investigations will experience the effects of overhead transparency film and tape observation. To analyze the pathways, of Earth’s gravity. (“Microgravity” is the it lightly over the classroom habitat. direct students to divide an ant’s term scientists use to describe the sensa- Have students document each square route into steps of equal length, and tion of weightlessness that occurs in an entered by an ant by placing a dot in measure the angle between successive orbiting space vehicle. For details on this that square. For example, if an ant paths. The more the angle changes effect, please refer to the “Microgravity” enters one square, crosses into a dif- (i.e., the higher its variance), the article at www.bioedonline.org.) ferent square, and returns to the first more random the path. This tech- When the investigation begins square, students would place two dots nique will enable students to compare onboard the ISS, ant images will be in the first square, and one dot in the the straightness and length of ant transmitted to Earth and made available second. Students should use a different pathways. on BioEd Online, free of charge, for color overhead marker pen for each • Video Tracing. Position a video anyone to use. What will your students ant they are observing. Teams of two camera over the habitat to create one study? What questions will they seek to or more students may work together or multiple videos of ant movements. answer? What behaviors or character- to make observations in different sec- Use one of several free tracking pro- istics will they compare between their tions of the habitat grid. grams to map the ants’ pathways. Earth-based ants and those living on • Tracing Pathways. Cut a 5-in. x 7-in. These programs, such as Bio-Tracking, the ISS? piece of overhead transparency film require certain computer configura- Sometimes, students must spend a and tape it lightly over the ant habitat. tions and the installation of several couple days observing several variables to Have students use overhead marker different free software products or devise an interesting question or pattern pens to trace the movements of indi- apps. to investigate. The table above provides vidual ants for short periods of time a sampling of ideas. n (30–60 seconds). Each student should Planning the Investigation locate an ant, position his or her pen Students should design their investiga- over the ant, and trace the ant’s search tions before obtaining ants. In all cases, pathway on the transparency film. the principal experimental variable

he Center for the Advancement off. For our nation to recapture global and high school students to NASA’s T of Science in Space (CASIS) pro- leadership in research and development, Kennedy Space Center Visitor vided financial support for the Ants we must invest in educating the next Complex and the Space Life Sciences in Space experiments and educational generation of Americans in STEM areas, Lab. This all-day event allows students activities. CASIS is tasked by Congress to prepare a future workforce capable of to interact with a NASA astronaut and and appointed by NASA to manage, competing in the international market. a research scientist selected by CASIS promote and broker research on board That is why CASIS has taken such a pro- to send their experiment to the ISS. the International Space Station (ISS). active approach to taking advantage of • Story Time From Space combines Additionally, CASIS strongly believes in the unique environment of the ISS. STEM literacy with simple science maintaining a robust education program demonstrations. The project includes intended to spark the creative and scien- CASIS Education Initiatives videotapes of astronauts reading select- tific minds of our nation’s youth. CASIS • CASIS is a sponsor of the BioServe ed stories from the cupola of the ISS Education seeks to 1) increase science, Ants in Space Mission. This experi- and conducting simple physics demon- technology, engineering and mathematics ment analyzes the interrelationship strations that complement the science (STEM) literacy for all students; 2) sup- between the interaction rate of a group concepts in the books. port teachers in improving STEM edu- of ants and the density of the group in • CASIS is a sponsor of the Student cation; 3) advocate the ISS as a STEM normal gravity conditions versus micro- Spaceflight Experiments Program, learning platform; and 4) excite K-12 gravity. This and related experiments which gives students across a commu- students about STEM-related careers. are designed to engage the K-12 com- nity the ability to design and propose CASIS is in a unique position to reach munity on Earth in near real-time ISS real experiments to fly in low Earth out to all U.S. students and convey the science. orbit on the ISS. excitement of the ISS by stimulating stu- • CASIS Academy.org is an interactive • CASIS is a sponsor of the SPHERES dents to engage in subject areas related learning website created to educate Zero Robotics Competition, a fun and to space science and its potential value middle school students about the ISS, flexible STEM curriculum for middle to humankind and for commercializa- and to pique their interest through school students. Over the five-week tion opportunities. From funding actual multimedia videos and features. The program, teams of students work with student research flight projects to creat- website incorporates breakthroughs program staff, MIT mentors and prom- ing interactive new mediums capable of resulting from ISS research, a tour of inent scientists to learn about program- inspiring students on the wonderment the space station and suggestions for ming, robotics and space engineering. of space and science, CASIS is a catalyst using the CASIS Academy.org in The best designs are selected for the for utilizing the ISS for the benefit of the classroom. competition to operate the SPHERES education-related activities. • CASIS is developing the National (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Why is there such an emphasis on Design Challenge, a national education Reorient, Experimental Satellites) satel- education from CASIS? Since the 1980s, campaign that provides educators and lites on the ISS. children in the U.S. have been falling their students the opportunity to design • CASIS is a sponsor of the NASA behind other nations in their understand- and implement an authentic research HUNCH Program, a partnership ing of science and mathematics. As youth experiment on the ISS, with standards- between high schools and NASA where get older, they report significantly less based curriculum that will model students design, build and implement interest and self-confidence in their sci- STEM best practices, and feature experiments in micro-gravity aboard ence ability. Children ages 6–12 report science and engineering practices as the ISS. a high level of interest and belief in their developed in the new Next Generation For more information about CASIS science abilities; by age 14, interest and Science Standards. Education, visit our website at self-confidence related to science drops • CASIS Academy Live brings middle http://iss-casis.org/Education.aspx. n