Ghost Mantis Genetics Experiment

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MantisGirl13

MantisGirl13

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[SIZE=.9375rem]After having an interesting debate on ghost colors with someone on a mantis discord, I think I have decided that I am going to spend the next few years working on a project/experiment that tracks ghost mantis genetics to figure out for sure whether or not it is genetics that determines if a female ghost mantis is green. If the experiment is successful, I'll write a paper on it in my junior or senior year of high school for my portfolio. Any input/ideas would be appreciated![/SIZE]





 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sounds really good @MantisGirl13. Writing up a nice paper like that looks great for a college portfolio. It really makes you stand out as I'm sure you already know. (I was in education for a little while and my girlfriend still is.) 

Good luck with that and definitely make a continuing post on here for it so we can track the progress with you!

 
Mantid-Tim said:
Sounds really good @MantisGirl13. Writing up a nice paper like that looks great for a college portfolio. It really makes you stand out as I'm sure you already know. (I was in education for a little while and my girlfriend still is.) 

Good luck with that and definitely make a continuing post on here for it so we can track the progress with you!
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Thanks! Yeah, that's what I'm hoping. 

I definitely will keep posting updates on here. I'm doing background research at the moment, and I can't start the actual experiment/observations until either my subadult males mature (they are taking so long compared to the girls) or I find someone with an adult male that I can use for breeding.

- MantisGirl13

 
I might broaden the scope some. Instead of solely focusing on if it appears genetics are the main cause, I would also test factors like temperature, humidity, lighting, and the colors used in the cages to see which of the following has the largest impact on what color a nymph ends up as an adult.

 
06858F11-CC1C-4CA3-B39B-31985B2D4F8C.jpeg

 
But how do you know that mantis genetics 🧬 are different than other living things?

in order for them to have colors even if   Color change Is determined by environment or diet they would need to have the color factor by genetics disposition. 
Even less likely would be that they use  chromatophores like a chameleon

so how or why do you think there is something special that determines color? 

 
craigbaker said:
But how do you know that mantis genetics 🧬 are different than other living things?

in order for them to have colors even if   Color change Is determined by environment or diet they would need to have the color factor by genetics disposition. 
Even less likely would be that they use  chromatophores like a chameleon

so how or why do you think there is something special that determines color? 
Click to expand...
because they have already experimented with this. First of all getting a green male is difficult, but even if a green male and green female breed the offspring doesn't seem to change. So we are trying to figure out what makes the offspring green. 

 
Krissim Klaw said:
I might broaden the scope some. Instead of solely focusing on if it appears genetics are the main cause, I would also test factors like temperature, humidity, lighting, and the colors used in the cages to see which of the following has the largest impact on what color a nymph ends up as an adult.
Click to expand...
That's the plan! 

- MantisGirl13

 
Krissim Klaw said:
I might broaden the scope some. Instead of solely focusing on if it appears genetics are the main cause, I would also test factors like temperature, humidity, lighting, and the colors used in the cages to see which of the following has the largest impact on what color a nymph ends up as an adult.
Click to expand...
No!!! If you want a well-replicated experiment, you need just a few treatments and a few measured response variables 

if you test just 2 states of 1 variable, you need to maintain at least 40 nymphs in otherwise identical conditions

you may have better success doing a literature review on mantis coloration or genetics than running a controlled experiment

I don't want to burst your bubble but the peer review process is really rough onna first time writer and you will want as airtight a paper as possible. I can access university database articles for you if you want

if you want to do a good study, you will want to have rearing containers that are painted 1 color or another and make sure the paint has a specific known color in wavelength. another possibility is having nymphs from females of 2 different colors and counting the offspring in each color category. the other issue will be in quantifying the color pigment of the mantises after the experiment. categorical data would be ok if you had counts for each and a good way of placing everyone in each category, but you may still have a hard time getting published. if the goal is simply to write something for a high school science project, you should be ok as long as you are clear on your hypotheses and how you're testing them. consult the literature beforehand regardless

 
mantisloverguy6000 said:
No!!! If you want a well-replicated experiment, you need just a few treatments and a few measured response variables 

if you test just 2 states of 1 variable, you need to maintain at least 40 nymphs in otherwise identical conditions

you may have better success doing a literature review on mantis coloration or genetics than running a controlled experiment

I don't want to burst your bubble but the peer review process is really rough onna first time writer and you will want as airtight a paper as possible. I can access university database articles for you if you want

if you want to do a good study, you will want to have rearing containers that are painted 1 color or another and make sure the paint has a specific known color in wavelength. another possibility is having nymphs from females of 2 different colors and counting the offspring in each color category. the other issue will be in quantifying the color pigment of the mantises after the experiment. categorical data would be ok if you had counts for each and a good way of placing everyone in each category, but you may still have a hard time getting published. if the goal is simply to write something for a high school science project, you should be ok as long as you are clear on your hypotheses and how you're testing them. consult the literature beforehand regardless
Click to expand...
I have several professionals including an accomplished entomologist assisting and advising me. I will have separate groups of nymphs to test all the possible variables that have been suggested to me. Each group will have 20-40 nymphs depending on how many I can acquire. 

- MantisGirl13

 
In my experience, ghosts usually turn greener when the humidity is higher, likely to blend in with healthy green leaves rather than dying brown leaves.

 

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