Animal Phyla Dissections
During this series of labs we learned a lot about most of the different animal phyla, and how their bodies worked to help them survive. During this project we also learned a lot about how to dissect animals and I feel a lot more comfortable and experienced in animal dissections. Also while dissecting all the animals we could see how slowly the different animals got more and more complicated. For example through all the animals we could see the gradual development of lungs and various other internal organs.
Sponge Dissection
Sponges belong to the phylum Porifera. There are three subgroups of sponges. The glass sponges have a skeleton that consists of fragile, glass-like spicules that are made of silica. The demosponges are often vibrantly colored and can grow to be the largest of all sponges. The demosponges account for more than 90 percent of all living sponge species. The calcareous sponges are the only group of sponges to have spicules that are made of calcium carbonate. Calcareous sponges are often smaller than other sponges.
Sponges are important in the ecology and survival of numerous aquatic organisms. They are large irregular shaped things that make great habitats for snails, sea stars, sea cucumber, and shrimp. They live attached to the seafloor where they get a low amount of light. Scientists have figured out that the sponge has a spicule which acts as a magnifying glass and intensifies the light. This is how they have had the ability to survive in so many places.
Sponges are important in the ecology and survival of numerous aquatic organisms. They are large irregular shaped things that make great habitats for snails, sea stars, sea cucumber, and shrimp. They live attached to the seafloor where they get a low amount of light. Scientists have figured out that the sponge has a spicule which acts as a magnifying glass and intensifies the light. This is how they have had the ability to survive in so many places.
Jellyfish Dissection
The subgroups of the phylum Cnidarians are Scyphozoa, Hydrozoa, and Anthozoa. The subgroup Scyphozoa contains jellyfish, which are the most common Cnidarians. They are also known as “cup animals” and live most of their life as medusas. The subgroup Hydrozoa contains hyras and other related animals. Hyras are different from other Cnidarians because they lack the medusa stage. Finally, the subgroup Anthozoa contains sea anemones and corals. These creatures only have the polyp stage in their lifecycle.
The distribution of corals is determined by temperature, water depth, and light intensity. Hard corals that make up coral reefs require a high intensity of light. Coral reefs are being damaged by humans who are diving, mining, and bleaching. Scientists are concerned that many reefs around the world could soon be in serious danger.
The distribution of corals is determined by temperature, water depth, and light intensity. Hard corals that make up coral reefs require a high intensity of light. Coral reefs are being damaged by humans who are diving, mining, and bleaching. Scientists are concerned that many reefs around the world could soon be in serious danger.
Squid Dissection
Squids belong to the phylum mollusca, the largest marine phylum. Mollusca means shelled which is true for all of the species in this phylum except for the squid and octopus. The phylum mollusca includes the subgroups gastropods, bivalves, and cephalopods. The gastropods are made up of snails and slugs. The subgroup bivalve is made up of clams, mollusks, oysters, and scallops. The cephalopods are squids and octopi. Squids are not segmented, but have three body regions; the head, visceral mass, and a muscular “foot”. They reproduce by making an egg sack for their young. After mating, the male will usually die with the female shortly after. The average lifespan of a squid ranges from 1-2 years.
Squids and the rest of the phylum mollusca play many important roles under the surface of the sea. They feed on plants and prey on smaller animals to keep the environment’s food chain structure in check. They also “clean up” their surroundings by filtering algae and are a source of food for humans.
Squids and the rest of the phylum mollusca play many important roles under the surface of the sea. They feed on plants and prey on smaller animals to keep the environment’s food chain structure in check. They also “clean up” their surroundings by filtering algae and are a source of food for humans.
Earthworm Dissection
Earthworms belong to the phylum annelida, which means little ring. The other subgroups of this phylum include leeches and an assortment of segmented marine worms. Their bodies are divided into sections by setae. They are made of very complex organ systems that are special from the segments in their bodies. They get food by using a pharynx that contains two hard jaws, then the food travels through their digestive system then is excreted through their anus. They use gills to breath, and cilia which are little hairs to move through the dirt. Some of them produce sexually, but others such as earthworms and leeches are hermaphrodites and reproduce by attaching to each other and exchanging sperm.
The earliest Earthworms were noted all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Aristotle even called them “the intestines of the earth”because they are so important. Charles Darwin even dedicated a year to studying them, and he ended up writing a book just about Earthworms. They are very helpful to the environment for many reasons, first they are beneficial for the soil. They provide tunnels and airways for plant roots and water, and they are constantly mixing up the soil helping it decompose. Next they are a very good source of food for many animals especially birds, they help keep the food chain in tact
The earliest Earthworms were noted all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Aristotle even called them “the intestines of the earth”because they are so important. Charles Darwin even dedicated a year to studying them, and he ended up writing a book just about Earthworms. They are very helpful to the environment for many reasons, first they are beneficial for the soil. They provide tunnels and airways for plant roots and water, and they are constantly mixing up the soil helping it decompose. Next they are a very good source of food for many animals especially birds, they help keep the food chain in tact
Grasshopper Dissection
Grasshoppers belong to the phylum Arthropoda. Arthropods have few body segments and specialized appendages for different functions. The different subgroups of Arthropods are Crustaceans, Chelicerates, and Uniramians. Crustaceans have two pairs of branched antennae, two or three body sections, and chewing mouthparts called mandibles. Chelicerates, also known as spiders have mouthparts called chelicerae and two body sections, and have four pairs of walking legs. Uniramians, or insects, have jaws,one pair of antennae, and unbranched appendages.
Insects are known to have negative effects and having associations with destruction and disease. But that isn’t always the case. They contribute enormously to the richness of human life. They produce valuable products and are even considered a delicacy. Insects can communicate using sound, visual, chemical, and other types of signals. Most of their communication involves finding a mate. It can also be used to locate prey.
Insects are known to have negative effects and having associations with destruction and disease. But that isn’t always the case. They contribute enormously to the richness of human life. They produce valuable products and are even considered a delicacy. Insects can communicate using sound, visual, chemical, and other types of signals. Most of their communication involves finding a mate. It can also be used to locate prey.
Perch Dissection
The frog and perch belong to the phylum Chordata. Chordates are divided into three basic groups: vertebrates, tunicates, lancelets. Of these, the vertebrates—lampreys, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fishes—are the most familiar and are the group to which humans belong. All Chordates are vertebrates, and they have a bilateral body plan. At some point in their life, all chordates have pharyngeal slits, a dorsal nerve chord, notochord, and a post anal tail. These are the characteristics that show how similar the different subgroups of the Chordata are.
Some fish, such as lampreys and salmon, spend most of their life in the ocean but migrate to freshwater to breed. These kinds of fish are called anadromous. Other fish, such as European eels, do the opposite. These types of fish are called catadromous.
Some fish, such as lampreys and salmon, spend most of their life in the ocean but migrate to freshwater to breed. These kinds of fish are called anadromous. Other fish, such as European eels, do the opposite. These types of fish are called catadromous.
Frog Dissection
Below is a chart that we filled out about the different types of animal phyla. We got to research the different animal phyla so we could obtain a broader knowledge of the difference in the groups before jumping into our dissections.