Squid Dissection

Every Friday my Biology class seems to be getting into the routine of doing a dissection. These hands on examinations are very enjoyable, espectially with such neat creatures. The goal of this lab was to investigate and identify the external and internal componenets of our squid to help us further learn about this animal. Looking at the external elements of this organisnm uplcose was super neat because I have only ever seen thhis type of a cephlapod in movies. After observing the external part of the squid we then proceeded to slice open the outer layer with a scalpel carefully avoiding puncutring any of the internal parts before spreading it apart. Locating the different internal components of the squid we were able to connect what we had learned in class with this Kinesthetic experience. For example we learned about the ink jet in class and how it allows the squid to camoflaouge and escape from predatory animals. During the disection we were able to find the ink jet on another group's squid and fully comprehend how it excretes the ink. Some other cool things we learned in class with the hlep of note packages and videos was that the squid has a highly developed brain and advance vision making it one of the smartes creatures in the sea.

These dissections have truly helped me understand more about these organisms and how they survive. They have made me realize that I am a hands on learner who needs to visualize lessons in order to comprehend them fully. Overall the dissection was worth while even though it turned the classroom into a smelly learning envrionment.. I can't wait to see what we dissect next!

1) The squid I dissected had 2 arms and 8 tentacles.

2) The arm is better for grabbing prey and holding onto them, as well as latching onto surfaces like cave walls.
Tentacles are shorter and quicker which is why they help more with locomotion.

3. Water comes out the back of the funnel propelling the squid forward.

4)Two external features that are adaptations for the squid's predatory life include tentacles which help the squid grasp things and feed on things. Another adaptation is the waterjet helps for proulsion and movement.

 

5) Suids and mollusks share a body cavity (colem) and botha re bilaterally symmetrical.

1) The squid has 2 gills. Marking them is the green arrows.



2) The inc sac empties into the waterjet. The function is to distract and escape predators acting as a defense system.

3. The function of the pen is to stabilize the squid when swimming. Without the pen the squid would loose its shape and eventually collapse.



4.Waste exits through the anus then the water jet..

Annelid Dissection

         On Friday I got to experience my first dissection in Biology 11. We were assigned partners and given a procedure package in which we were to follow while disecting the annelid. At first cutting open a former living creature somewhat disturbed me, however after I sliced the thin skin of the earthworm I was fascinated to discover the interior structures of this organism. Previous to this lab we had been learning about annelids in class and to follow up on the notes we were able to dissect this creature for a better understanding of the information in how earthworms live. The purpose of this assignment was to further learn about the internal and external structures of this organism and with a hands on experience like dissecting, this was achieved. This independent investigation in a neat learning environment helped me comprehend the key information in a precise way. I have learned to love dissecting, I think it is great benefit to our classroom learning and I hope to do this again soon!

1.The pumping organs of the circulatory system in an earthworm are the five aortic arches, or hearts.

via: Jordan Cameron

2. Food enters the mouth, which then goes to the pharynx, enters between pharynx and the crop - esophogus, broken down in the gizzard, then moves through intestine where it's body absorbs nutrients, then the waste is excreted through the anus.

3. Unfortuantely I couldn't get a close up of the brain. The earthworm's brain  is the ganglia above the pharynx (celebral ganglion) and it's connected to the rest of the body through the ventral nerve cord.

 

4. This picture is clearly representing the anus. The anus and the nephridia is the part of the excretory system that we saw when dissecting this earthworm.

5. This picture of the intesting clearly shows that the insides are brown. To find out if the worm eats soil Gabi and I cut the intestine open. We found exactly what was predicted.. Soil!

                             6. Setae help the earthworm move through the soil. Hardly any movement would occur without the help of the setae, also assist in feeling of soil and vibrations.

7. This is a clear picture of the earthworm's digestive tract. The earthworm takes in a mixture of soil and organic matter through its mouth. After moving through the pharynx and esophogus it's then temporarily stored in the corp. After this process in completed the mixture is ground up in the gizzard and then digested and absorbed by the intestine. The undigested material are excreted through the rectum and anus and become fertilizer.

8. After segment 32 Gabi and I observed the intestine and the anus, nephridia and blood.



9. Earthworms have bothe eggs and sperms making them hermaphroditic. Eggs exit through the female genital pores and the sperm goes through the male genital spores. When mating earthworms attach on to eachother and send sperm into one another. Earthworms have a clitellum which produces a sticky ring for fertilization.

Zoology WebQuest

Platyhelminthes

Genes: Prostheceraeus
Species: giesbrechtii
Family: Euryleptidae
Roses, Costa Brava, Spain is where you can find these beautiful flatworms, they grow around 30mm in length.

 

Genus: Pseudoceros
Species: ferrugineus
Family: Pseudocerotidae

Genus: Thysanozoon
Species: sp.
Family: Pseudocerotidae
Found in the red sea

Cnidaria

Specific name: Eunicella tricoronata
Common name: Sinuous sea fan
 Genus: Eunicella
Species: Eunicella tricoronata
This cnidaria is a vivid yellow-orange and has flattend and sinous stems of 7 to 10 mm wide.

Scientific name: Chrysaora sp
Common name: Frilly Mouthed Jellyfish
Genus: Chrysaora
Species: Chrysaora sp
Found in open water on the West coast to Port Elizabeth,
these jellyfish have 24 tentacles.

Scientific name: Anthostella stepensoni
Common name: Violet spotted anemone
Genus: Anthostella
Species: Anthostella stepensoni
Found througouht South Africa feeding on soft corals.

 

Porifera

Scientific name: Spheciospongia sp
Common name: Vagabond sponge
Genus: Spheciospongia
Species: Spheciospongia sp
These sponges can be found in the East coast of South Africa, they are found in depths from 10-30m



Scientific name: Haliclona oculata-1
Common name: Purple encrusted turret sponge
Genus: Haliclona
Species: Haliclona oculata-1
This type of porifera grow on the walls of subtidal reefs, they can grow up to 50cm across and 10cm high.

Scientific name: Ciocalypta penicillus
  Common name: White Pencil Sponge
Genus: Ciocalypta
Species: Ciocalypta penicillus
The White pencil sponge is a filter feeder and can be found in depths of 30m.