Why are Woodlices like that?

Answer 1

Woodlice likes to live in dark,damp and dry places

Woodlice need moisture because they breathe through gills, called pseudotrachea, and so are usually found in damp, dark places, such as under rocks and logs. They are usually nocturnal and are detritivores, feeding mostly on dead plant matter. Woodlice then recycle the nutrients back into the soil. In artificial environments such as greenhouses where it can be very moist, woodlice may become abundant and damage young plants, such as ferns.

Woodlice are negatively phototactic - they move away from a light source. They have this ability because they possess light receptors (ocelli) that are sensitive to levels of illumination.

In their natural environment, dark places are normally damp places whereas bright places tend to be drier and warmer. Because woodlice need humid conditions as well as dampness, they will move towards dark places which tend to be humid.

In dry conditions, woodlice and other isopods tend to randomly wander about. However, when they reach a humid, damp environment, they become sluggish and congregate in large numbers, often displaying a total lack of locomotion.

This is of course a taxis response rather than a kinesis.

I think that covers the gist of it.

Experimental set-ups to demonstrate this phototactic response are not that difficult to devise. The simplest involve placing a dozen or so woodlice on damp kitchen towel in a high-walled petri dish or similar under normal room illumination. A piece of black opaque card, black cloth or aluminum foil is placed over the top of one half of the dish.

They Even go under stones to hide. even though the hate the sun but they come out at night and also....... they move in a very different place so we can't find them where they have gone. thank you.