SQUID DISSECTION

        On Friday , our Biology 11 class was fortunate enough to partake in a squid dissection. It was very interesting and exciting. 
         The purpose of this goal was for us to further understand the anatomy of mollusks. I think dissecting the squid was a great choice because it is one of the more adapted kind of mollusks. A squid is much more fascinating than a snail. By dissecting the squid we got to see the organs and the structure in actuality rather than a diagram from the textbook. 
         By participating in this lab I was able to look at the external and internal anatomies of a squid. The external anatomy consisted of the funnel, tentacles, arms, eyes, the mantle and the fin. A squid also has a beak, which can be seen once the tentacles and arms are spread apart. The internal anatomy consisted of the ink sac, stomach, liver, anus, gills. Their is also a pen which aids in structural support.
         I enjoyed this dissection immensely. Since I was not able to participate in the earthworm dissection this was my first dissection of the year. It proved to be very exciting. The directions were simple and fun. I also enjoyed the pre lab labeling because it helped me be more aware during the actual dissection. Overall this dissection was a great experience. 
Discussion Questions  
 External Anatomy Questions:

1.  A squid has 8 arms and 2 tentacles. 

2. Both the arms and tentacles are used for grasping prey.

3. This picture shows the direction that water comes out of through the funnel.

This picture shows the direction of which a squid moves, which is both ways. 

4. Two external features that are adaptations for the squids predatory life are the beak and the suckers on their tentacles.

A) The beak is a great tool for attacking and killing the prey. The sharp beak is also used for ripping apart the food. 

B) The suckers and hooks are also great adaptations that the squid has for predatory purposes. The suckers and hooks can grab on to their prey, making it more efficient to catch them. 

5. The squid shares many traits with the mollusks. The main general traits of a mollusk are the foot, the mantle and the visceral mass. 

The foot has adapted into the tentacles and arms in the squid. 

The mantle is the dorsal body wall the covers the visceral mass. The visceral mass contains most of the internal organs. 

 Internal Anatomy:

1.  A squid has one pair of gills resulting in two gills in total.

2. The ink sac empties into the water jet. The function of the inc sac is to distract predators. The water jet is used for locomotion. 

3. The function of the pen is to give the body support. Without the pen a squid would not have a structure and thus have difficulties swimming.

4. Waste exits a squid through the anus. 

Worm Dissection

     Unfortunately I was unable to participate in the earthworm digestion. Seeing the parts of a worm in actuality,rather than textbook diagrams would have helped to increase my understanding of an earthworm anatomy.
     The main purpose of this dissection was to achieve a better understanding of an earthworm's organs and also the systems which it has. Such as the circulatory system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the excretory system and the nervous system. The lab was an opportunity to observe the internal and external structures of an earthworm. After this lab we would be able to name and identify the organs of a earthworm.
      We had just finished the chapter on annelids. Thus doing the lab was a great way to incorporate the textbook learning with a hands on dissection. The lab began with a identifying the dorsal and ventral sides of the worm. We also noticed the clitellum which is used in the reproductive system of earthworms. We then later looked at the five aortic arches (hearts) and find the nerve which are connected to the rest of its body. The next part of the digestion was the digestive tract. We took a look at the pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard and intestine. For the excretory system we found the nephridia that are found in each segment twice. We identified ovaries and testes for the reproductive systems of the earthworm
  By doing this lab we can take our level of the earthworm's anatomy a step farther. It has helped us understand where and why organs are located where they are.

  Discussion Questions:

 

1. The aortic arches are the organs which pump blood throughout the earthworm's body. They are also know as hearts, and a earthworm has 5. The fluid travels through the ventral blood vessels to capillary beds. The dorsal blood vessels is where the fluids collect and are transported back to the aortic arches.

2. The digestive tract of an earthworm consists of the pharynx, esophagus  crop, gizzard and intestine. The mouth is the first part of an earthworm's digestive tract. Then it goes into the pharynx, which pumps pumps the food into the esophagus (tube between pharynx and crop). The crop stores the food temporarily. The gizzard then grounds up the mixture and in the intestine digestion and absorption occur. 

3. The nerve collar consists of galngia above and below the pharynx. (Ganglia are masses of tissues with many nerve cells)The ganglia above the pharynx serve as the brain. There is a long ventral cord which has ganglion connected to each organ. 

4. The nephridia are the parts of the earthworm which are included in the excretory system. Nephridia are simple tube-shaped excretory organs which eliminate wastes caused from cellular metabolism. They remove waste from body fluids and carry it outside. A pair of nephridia can be found in each body segment.

5. You can know if an earthworm eats soil by looking at what  is in the digestive tract. You can also look at an earthworm's waste products to determine whether or not it eats soil.

6. The setae make the earthworm well adapted to it's environment because they help them crawl and anchor themselves firmly in their burrows. They also help the worm grip the soil making it difficult for it's predator to pull the earthworm out. 

7. The earthworm's digestive system is adapted for extracting relatively small amounts of food from large amounts of ingested soil because of it's gizzard. The gizzard is an organ which is used to churn food (ground into smaller pieces). 

8. Beyond segment 32 is the clitellum. It is located from segment 32-37.  The rest of the posterior end has the intestine of the worm and the anus. The intestine has solid and liquid substances which is the food of an earthworm. 

9. Earthworms are hermaphrodites which undergo fertilization. An individual worm produces both eggs, in the ovary, and sperm in the testes. However it does not fertilize itself. When an earthworm undergoes they reproduction, the worms pair up and attach themselves together. The clitellum secrets a mucus into where eggs and sperms are released. The eggs are released by the female genital pores and the sperm from the male genital pores. After the egg and sperm are released the mucus slips off. Fertilization then takes place outside the body, but with the protection of the mucus ring. This mucus turns into the cocoon. 

Zoology Webquest

Phlyum: Cnidaria  

Species: Haliclystus Stejnergeri
Genus: Haliclystus
Class: Staurozoa

Species: C. fucescens
Genus: Chrysaora
Class: Scyphozoa

Species: Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Genus: Anthopleura
Class: Anthozoa

Phylum: Platyhelminthes 

Species: Bimarginatus
Genus:Pseudoceros
Class: Turbellaria

Species: Cf. Oligoglena
Genus: Planocera
Class: Turbellaria

Species: Solium
Genus: Taenia
Class: Cestoda

Pylum: Porifera 

Species: C. Clathrus
Genus: Clathrina
Class: Calcarea

Species: Lobularis
Genus: Oscarella
Class: Homosclerophorida

Genus:Clathiria 
Species:Basilana
Class: Demospongiae 

Aquarium Trip

       On Thursday we went on a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. I enjoyed this trip immensely. We experienced a Wet Lab, and go to explore the aquarium on our own as well.
The Wet Lab was a great interactive experience. We got to touch a lot of the marine invertebrates that we had learnt about in class.
       In class we had't really learnt about the crabs and snails. However we just finished learning about Cnidarians and Profera. Getting to touch the cnidarians was the best. It was my favorite station of the lab. The anemones were sticky and would curl their tentacles around my pinky. It was difficult to take back my finger but fun. The anemones were fascinating. Another fun animal to hold were the sea urchins. The most fascinating were the sea cucumbers. They felt slimy and gooey. We also got to do an interesting experiment with sea snails. We asked the question if they had a sense of gravity. After countless tests we were able to conclude that they do.They were only able to flip back over if they had a rock to assist them. Otherwise there was not enough momentum to do so. Since they were rocking we were able to conclude they do have a sense of gravity. 
        I really enjoyed the dolphin show because dolphins are my favorite animals. Penguins were another one of my favorites. The jellyfish were my favorite marine invertebrate. I like the Amazon Rain Forest exhibit. It was extremely hot but enjoyable.

        From this trip I have learned a lot more about marine invertebrates. Many can be found in waters near British Columbia. Not only did we learn about the animals we got to see them in their natural habitats which was a great way to learn about them. This field trip was not only fun but knowledgeable. I was able to take the information which we learned and then look into the tanks and identify the animals.

1. An anemone provides the clown fish with a home and gives protection from its predators. The clown fish in return cleans the anemone and also is able to lure fish which the anemone can prey on. 

2.They spend so much time cleaning their fur because clean fur better traps air. This way the can keep warm. 
3. Sea otters had a continuous population from Alaska to California before 1900. Sea otters were reintroduced from 1969-1970. 

5. Star Fish are my favorite marine invertebrates. I especially liked the blue ones shown in the picture above.  I find their ability to regenerate fascinating. This ability also helps them survive.

6. A Beluga, it's scientific name Delphinapterus Leucas. The Vancouver Aquarium has two belugas.

7. There were no potbelly seahorses at the aquarium. 

8. The Pacific Sea Nettle closely resembles the human nervous system.  The tentacles portray our nerves. The  head of the jellyfish could be looked as the human brain. All the nerves are connected to it. 

11. This is a Pacific Octopus. The white suction cups purpose is to grab on to rocks and  smooth surfaces so they can easily move. They are considered one of the greatest predators because of their ability of camouflage. (Picture from internet)

12. This is a steller sea lion. They eat a variety of fish , shrimp and squid. They do not need to drink water because the animals that they eat provide them with water.  Their food is swallowed a whole. 

13. This is a Caiman, it comes from Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay.

14. This crocodile is a greyish green color. A great way to stay hidden within its's environment.

15. The Aquarium's biggest fish is the Arapaima 

16. This is a vegetarian fish the tambaqui. They have strong jaws that crush nuts.

17. These are piranhas. They are mot dangerous to humans when we remove hooks from their mouths. 

18.Sharks have no bones in their bodies. They are made up of cartilage and their teeth of hard enamel.

19. This is a common blue striped snapper which was also found in the shark tank. Some more fish where the Redtail Butterfly fish and the Yellowface Angelfish.

Also in the shark tank there was a stingray. 

20. This is a Giant Red Sea Urchin. It's scientific name is Strongylocentrotus franciscanus.

22. This is a green sea turtle (Chelonia Mydas)

A photo I got from the dolphin show. (A pacific white sided dolphin)

These are the cute penguins!