Behavior of Termites Lab

Lab Overview:

Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Marge and Lisa Simpson... it's scary, but sometimes we find ourselves acting just like our parents... is it Nature or Nurture? Is it possible that we inherit our behaviors from our parents in the same way that we inherit the colors of our eyes and hair? Although people have been asking this question for a long time, new molecular techniques may now allow us to find the genes that control behavior! In this laboratory we will observe a simple behavior in a local species of termite (Reticulitermes flavipes), and formulate hypotheses about the cause of this behavior. We will then learn about and use some cutting-edge techniques to try to find one of the many genes that cause this behavior, and where and how this gene is expressed in the termite.