Viewing the Animal and Plant Behaviors at the Solar Eclipse

Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) held a unique activity in conjunction with the event of Solar Eclipse on Wednesday (9/3). The activity in the form of this small research aimed to observe how the animal and plant behaviors at the time of the solar eclipse. This small research was already started on Tuesday (8/3) as the observation at H-1. The observation was continued on the following day, at 05.30-09.30 WIB.

 

The department activities obtaining the accreditation A on all these courses were performed at several points around the campus of IPB. The objects observed were the bats in Bogor Botanical Garden, the roosters in Babakan Lebak residential, the bees and the crickets in Animal Cage of Department of Biology, the zooplankton in the artificial lake near Taiwan Technical Mission, and the legumes in Campus of Darmaga. Other than that, some environmental data such as humidity and light intensity were also recorded.

 

The person in charge of this activity was Dr. Windra Priawandiputra (Biosystematics and Animal Ecology), as the daily executive of Commission for Students of Department of Biology. Dr. Windra said that the solar eclipse event was the environmental stimulus which might affect the animal behavior. This was echoed by Dr. Rika Raffiudin, Physiology and Animal Behavior, that many studied the behavior of instinct in insects. This activity was special and unique because it could only be done over ten yearly, depending on the incidence of eclipse. 

 

Curiosity would change the ‘behavior’ of plants also forming the basis of legumes observed in this activity. This activity would see how the movement of the leaves of plants as the stimuli response to light. This was delivered by Dr. Triadiati from Plant Physiology and Genetics. The result of this small research activity was expected to provide an overview how to change the behavior of organisms around us which could be affected by a natural occurrence.***