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Phylum: Porifera
Animal: SpongeAnalysis:1. Describe how water moves through a sponge.
Water flows into various ostrum on a spong and then flows out, up the osculum. 2. What important roles does water play in the survival of a sponge? Water flow is essential to the well being of a sponge. It is the medium through which they eat (filter feeding) and they use it as a medium to reproduce. 3. How do sponges reproduce? A sponge's collar cell will become a sperm cell and float out through the osculum, this sperm cell will hopefully meet with an amoebocyte (egg) and become a zygote of a new sponge. 4. What material(s) gives a sponge its support and structure? Spicules provide structural support for sponges. |
Pictures/Sketches: |
Phylum: Cnidaria
Animal:Analysis:
1. What type of life cycle do Cnidarians display and what is the function of each “generation” within the life cycle? Cnidarians have an alteration of generation life cycle. The polyp stage of a cnidarian reproduces through budding and lives on sea floors, it produces many medusa. The medusa is motile and reproduces sexually. The medusa spread their DNA 2. What is the difference between a cnidocyte and a nematocyst? A cnidocyte is the structure on a medusa's tentacles. These structures are abundant and house nematocysts. This structure is the "harpoon" which induces venom. 3. How does a nematocyst fire? When the trigger on the cnidocyte is activated the operculum will open and the nematocyst is fired which pumps venom into it's prey through it's coil. 4. In Obelia, describe the role of each type of polyp and the medusa. The polyp's role is to produce many medusa through budding and the medusa's role is to be motile, spreading their DNA |
Phylum: Platyhelminthyes
Animals: Fluke, Tapeworm1. A human tapeworm can be as long as 60 feet! How is this possible when the human intestine is only about 20 feet long?
This is possible because a tapeworm is very thin and will fold itself over multiple times increasing it's surface area. 2. What is the function of the hooks and suckers on the scolex? The fuction of the hooks and suckers are to latch firmly onto the intestine so that it is firmly set in place and not moved out. 3. In what ways is Clonorchis similar to Planaria? In what ways are they different? Similarities: Part of the phylum Platyhelminthes, similar structures (nerve ladder nervous system, flame cells) Difference: Different Classes Clonorchis - Trematoda; Planaria - Turbellaria, Clonorchis is parasitic whereas Planaria are free living 4. What do each of the germ layers develop into? They are triploblastic containing three germ layers: Endoderm: Innermost layer; Gastrointestinal tract, Lungs Mesoderm: Middle Layer; Connective Tissue, Respiratory, Circulatory, Muscle, Bone Ectoderm: Outermost layer; Sensory Organs *Note they are acoelomates 5. In what ways are flatworms more advanced than the cnidarians? Flatworms are more advanced because they are triploblastic, have a separate mouth and anus, show cephallization, have nerve ladders as opposed to nerve nets, and they have flame cells. 6. Name the characteristics of the phylum Platyhelminthes: a) Type of symmetry - Bilateral b) Body Plan - Triploblastic; Acoelomate c) Type of digestive system - Gastrovascular cavity with anus d) Type of nervous system - Nerve Ladder 7. Explain or define these terms: a) Hermaphroditic - Having both male and female reproductive organs b) Ladder-type nervous system - two vertical nerve lines with many horizontal connecting nerve lines (like a ladder) and anterior cephallization c) Flame cells - Excretory organ - kidney like d) Regeneration - Ability to recreate damaged body parts |
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Animal: Planaria1. List 3 characteristics of flatworms.
- Free living - Eyespots - Nerve Ladder 2. What type of symmetry does this worm have? Bilateral 3. Where do planarians live? Fresh or Salt Water, Few found in moist soils on land 5. Measure your planarian: 10 mm. 6. Observe the planarian for five minutes. Does the planarian seem active or passive? How does it move? Does it swim or creep? Where in the dish does it spend most of its time? Make a current in the water with a pipette. How does the planarian react? Description; Movement: Swims, Moves Frequently, Very active Worm location: Likes the outer edge of the water Reaction to current: Compresses self, Shrinks 7. Is your planarian right or left handed? Left 8. Use a microscope and the light from the scope to design an experiment to test your planarian’s reaction to light. Describe your experiment. First turn off light, Allow planarian to settle, turn on light and observe reaction. Allow planarian to settle. Turn off light and observe reaction. Conduct your experiment to determine whether the planarian prefers light or dark. Preference: None Had little to no reaction to light and darkness. Write your conclusions. Make sure you answer the question: Does the planarian prefer a light or dark environment and include your reasoning. The planarian preferred neither light or dark. This is evident because it didn't react to either sudden change in light level. 9. Drop a piece of food into the petri dish with the planarian. Observe the planarian's reactions. It may take a few minutes. How does it eat the food? Where is its mouth? At first it ignored the food, however it evetually started to eat the food by everting it's pharynx. What is the name of the tube used for feeding in the planarian? Pharynx Planarians are hermaphrodites. Define hermaphrodite An organism with both male and female reproductive organs Planarians can also reproduce by regeneration. Define regeneration. The ability to recreate/reproduce a damaged body part. Is this method of reproduction sexual or asexual? Asexual Observe the two pieces of the planarian under the microscope. Obeservations: Anterior; Movement: Moved less frequently Posterior; Movement: Moved more frequently Make a prediction: How long do you think (in days) will it take for your planarian to completely regenerate? 1.5 days |
Phylum: Nematoda
Animal: Ascaris1. In Ascaris in which direction do the muscles run: vertically or horizontally? Vertically 2. What forms the lateral line in Ascaris? The reproductive system and excretory ducts 3. Is there any evidence of sensory organs in the Ascaris worm? No 4. In what ways is Ascaris adapted to a parasitic existence? Since an ascaris is a parasitic worm it had adapted to lack sensory organs as it is safe once in a host in which it relies upon for food, shelter etc. Although it is evident that is has other systems such as: a reproductive, simplistic digestive and excretory system 5. Describe the life cycle of Ascaris from egg to adult and back to egg. Eggs are found on unwashed vegetables. These eggs once ingested will make their way through the human digestive system to their intestines. They live in the human intestines and pass along their eggs to feces continuing the cycle. 6. In what ways are the hookworms similar to the Ascaris? They are similar because they are both parasites that reside in the intestine. As well they both lay eggs in feces. 7. How does Necator enter the body? How does it get inside the host’s intestine? A necator or hookworm will enter the human body in an interesting way. First it's eggs/larvae will be in feces of muddy or swampy lands, they will enter through an itch (causing microscopic opening) on a human's foot. Next it will travel through the circulatory system to the heart and then to the lungs. Once at the lungs the human will cough and then gulp, ingesting to worms through the digestive system to the inestine. 8. For the Trichina worm, how does it compare to Necator and Ascaris? Both Trichina and Ascaris worms are introduced from unprepared food (unwashed vegetables and undercooked meat.) The Necator and trichina worms are similar in a sense that they are both parasitic to humans. The Trichina worm differs from Necators and Ascaris' because it resides in a Human's muscles rather than the intestines. 9. How can Trichinosis be prevented? Thoroughly cooking meat, specifically pork and rat if you're feeling adventurous. 10. What germ layer is the roundworms’ pseudocoelom located between? Between the mesoderm and endoderm 11. What organs and organ systems are located in the nematode body cavity (pseudocoelom)? The reproductive system and intestines. 12. In what ways are the parasitic members of Nematoda different from their free-living relatives? The parasitic members seem degenerative due to lack of sensory organs; however they are in fact highly adapted to their life cycles as parasites. 13. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a parasite? Advantages: More simplistic, Well adapted to their environment, Don't waste energy doing major digestion Disadvantages: Rely on a host for nourishment and spread of DNA |
The Lovely Ms. Nickel Dissects an Ascaris |
Phylum: Annelida
Animals: Earthworm, Sandworm, Leech1. What is the name of the pumping organs of an earthworm?
Setae 2. In the earthworm trace the parts of the digestive tract through which food passes. Mouth->Pharynx->Esophagus->Crop->Gizzard->Intestines->Anus 3. Which parts of the earthworm serve as its brain? How are these parts connected to the rest of the body? An earthworm's "brain" is the Ganglion which is connected to the rest of the body through the ventral nerve cord. 4. Which of the parts of the earthworm’s body that you saw are included in the excretory system? Nephridia (excretes nitrogen wastes) - act as kidneys Anus - excretes solid waste/feces 5. How can you find out whether an earthworm eats soil? By the earthworm's cast 6. Among the earthworm’s structural adaptations are its setae. How do you think the earthworm’s setae make it well adapted to its habitat? The earthworm's setae's make it very well adapted to land as it makes movement through soil require minimal effort and efficient 7. How is the earthworm’s digestive system adapted for extracting relatively small amounts of food from large amounts of ingested soil? It's gizzard its very efficient at breaking down soil and food into tiny bits which goes through it's extremely long intestinal tract giving it optimum time for nutrient extraction. 8. What is the function of the nephridium? How does it complete this function? Removes metabolic wastes. Works in a similar fashion as kidneys. It removes wastes from blood. 9. How is the sandworm similar and different to the earthworm? Both are annelids with setae, anus, mouth, and nephridia. However the sandworm in aquatic whereas the earthworm lives in soil. As well the sandworm has simplistic appendages. 10. How is the leech designed to live as an ectoparasite? What are the similarities and differences between the leech and the earthworm? It's ability to latch onto animals from their outside with a powerful sucker-like mouth allows it to work extremely well as an ectoparasite. |
Earthworm:Sandworm: |
Phylum: Mollusca
Animal: Squid1. How are arm and tentacles similar and different?
They're both appendages of the squid, however tentacles are longer and there are only 2 whereas there are 8 shorter than tentacle, arms that are in pairs of 2. As well at the end of tentacles there are sensory organs. 2. How are cephalopods similar and different to bivalves? Chephalopods are similar to bivalves because they both have a mantle, visceral mass, and "foot". However they are different because cephalopods have no calcified shell, are motile, have tentacles, and have more advanced senses. 3. Was your squid a boy or a girl? How did you determine this? Our squid was male because at the top of the head near the reproductive organs there was a milky liquid rather than a clear liquid found in females. 4. Trace the path of food through your squid. From the mouth the food is digested in the stomach into monomers and feces. Feces is excreted through the anus. Monomers are transported by blood to tissues. 5. Why are the brachial hearts so close to the gills? The brachial hearts are close to the gills to let oxygen get from the gills and through the respiratory and circulatory quicker/more efficiently. |
Phylum: Arthropoda
Animals: Crayfish, Grasshopper, DaphniaCrayfish Dissection:
1. How many pairs of appendages did your crayfish have? Our Crayfish had 13 pairs of appendages. 2. How do the mouth parts of a crayfish compare to the mouth parts of a grasshopper? A crayfish' mouth parts are similar to that of a grasshopper's because it uses maxillae to tear apart the food and mandibles grind the food. 3. How does the thickness of the exoskeleton around the joint compare with the thickness around the rest of the leg? The thickness of the exoskeleton around joints is significantly less thick, this is because the thinning allows for join movement. 4. My crayfish is a male. I know this because: his first pair of swimmeretes are modified as a copulatory organ 5. Why is there so much surface area on the gills of a crayfish? So that it can absorb a greater amount of oxygen maximizing and creating max efficiency. 6. Which appendage(s) is(are) used to(for): -sense- antenna/antennule, eyes -defend - cheliped, exoskeleton -move backwards - Walking legs or telson/swimmeretes -move forwards - Walking legs -swim - swimmeretes 8. How are arthropods more advanced than the other phyla that we have looked at thus far? They are more advanced because of their highly adapted exoskeleton, their ability to fly, low food intake, prolific prowess, and their small size. 9. Why are the insects so prolific while the crayfish are not? Insects are because of their small size and lower food intake whereas crayfish are larger disallowing them to breed at such a high rate. Grasshopper Analysis: 1.The sex of my grasshopper is: female I know this because: she had eggs and her tail split at the end. 2. What is the function (not structure!) of each of the mouth parts: Labrum: holds food Labium: chews and holds food Maxilla:chews Mandible:chews and pierces food Hypopharynx: helps swallow 5. Table in pictures 6. What have you learned from this lab about grasshoppers? About arthropods? That arthropods have quite specific mouth organs. Daphnia Analysis: Average BPM in Water: 164 Average BPM in Ethanol: 186 Did the ethanol increase or decrease the heart rate? It increased the hearth rate Would you classify the ethanol as a stimulant or a depressant? Stimulant |
Crayfish:Grasshopper:Daphnia: |
Phylum: Echinodermata
Animals: Seastar1. What type of symmetry did your seastar have? Pentaradial
2. How many arms or rays does your seastar have? 5 3. What is the upper surface of the starfish called? Aboral 4. What is the lower surface of the starfish called? Oral 5.On which surface are these parts of a seastar visible: a. Mouth - Oral b. Madreporite - Aboral c. Suckers - Oral d. Oral spines - Oral e. Eyespots - Aboral f. Ambulcaral groove - Oral 6. What part of the tube foot creates suction to open clams whenever the seastar feeds? The Ampulla 7. Why do the gonads sometimes appear larger? If the seastar is mature or in mating season the gonads will appear larger. 8. What type of skeleton, endoskeleton or exoskeleton, does the seastar have? Endoskeleton 9. What bony plates make up its skeleton? Ambulacrul Plates 10. What is the function of the pyloric caeca? They're two elongated branches from the pyloric stomach to the arms which aid in digestion 11. Where is the stomach of a seastar located? What can the seastar do with its stomach when feeding on clams & oysters? The seastar has 2 stomachs the pyloric and cardiac stomach which are on top one another in the center of the seastar. The seastar has the ability to evert it's cardiac stomach into slight openings of clams and oysters, release enzymes and digest them and then unevert its stomach and finish digesting the visceral mass of the oyster or clam. |
SubPhylum: Vertebrata
Animals: Perch (Osteichthyes)1. Are there any eyelids present? No
2. What is the name of these flaps on either side of the head? Overculums 3. What is their function? To cover the gills 4. How many fins/Functions of fins? Caudal: 1; Propulsion Dorsal: 2; Balance Anal: 1; Move away waste, Balance Pelvic: 1; Turning Pectoral: 2; Turning and Propulsion 5. How many layers of gill do you find? 4 6. Name and Function of #1 and #2 on Diagram? 1: Ventricle; Pumps blood 2: Atrium; Collects blood 7. What is the purpose of the kidney? Remove nitrogen waste from the fish's body 8. What is the purpose of the swim-bladder? To create buoyancy |
Animal: Frog (Amphibia)1. What is the function of the nictitating membrane?
Nostril like part of the frog, used for out of water retrieval of air 2. A frog does not chew its food. What do the positions of its teeth suggest about how the frog uses them? The position of the teeth suggest that it swallows it's food whole and they are there to hold their food. 3. Trace the path of food through the digestive tract. Mouth->Esophagus->Stomach->Small,Large Intestine->Out Cloaca 4. Trace the path of blood through the circulatory system, starting at the right atrium. Deoxygenated blood goes into the right atrium and oxygenated blood from the lungs goes into the left atrium, the blood then mixes in the ventricle and is pumped out. 5. Trace the path of air through the respiratory system. In through External nares/mouth->Internal nares->Glottis->Trachea->Lungs 6. Which parts of the frog’s nervous system can be observed in its abdominal cavity and hind leg? The spinal cord and muscular tissure. 7. Suppose in a living frog the spinal nerves extending to the leg muscles were cut. What ability would the frog lose? Why? It would no longer be able to use it's legs. This is because it would not be able to send signals from the brain to the spinal cord to the legs. 8. The abdominal cavity of a frog at the end of hibernation season would contain very small fat bodies or none at all. What is the function of the fat bodies? The function of fat bodies is for nutrient storage of hibernating frogs. They aren't for insulation as frogs are exothermic. 9. Structures in an animal’s body that help it survive in the environment are called adaptations. How do the frog’s powerful hind legs help it survive in water and on land? These large legs allow the frog to leap from surface to surface on land efficiently and swim powerfully. 10. During one mating, the female lays between 2,000 & 3,000 eggs in water and the male sheds millions of sperm over them. How do these large numbers relate to the frog’s ability to survive in water? They're in such large numbers because the sperm have to compete to fertilize the eggs, as well their must be a large population of tadpole to replace their previous generation. |
Animal: Rat (Mammalia)1. The sphincter is a circular muscle. Why is it this shape and what does it do? So that it can enable entry/exit to/out of the body. For example it can enable whether or not feces leaves the body.
2. Why is there a difference in the diameter and length of the small and large intestine? Food needs to stay longer in the large intestine for greater nutrient absorption therefore it is longer. 3. The liver is the largest organ in the body (after the skin), what are its functions? It's main function is to produce bile which aids in digestion. 4. What is the function of the spleen? To replace blood cells, metabolize hemoglobin and reserve blood. 5. What is the function of the diaphragm? To allow contraction/expansion of the lungs for greater respiration efficiency. 6. What distinguishes the atria from the ventricles? Atria are smaller as they do not require as much muscle for pumping, as well they receive deoxygenated blood rather than oxygenated blood. 7. Why is the wall of the left ventricle of the heart thicker than that of the right? It is thicker because it requires more muscle to pump blood to the entire body. 8. What do the kidneys do? They filter blood of waste like nitrogen that is later urinated. |