Protists (Various)
Objective: To observe and analyze various protist species. Hypothesis: We will be able to find and identify protists. Materials: light microscope prepared slides micropipette cover slips/slides protozoan culture Procedure: 1. Observe prepared slides at 4x, 10x, and 100x magnification. 2. Create wet mount slide using protozoan culture. 3. Observe at 4x, 10x, and 100x magnification. Observations: Euglena- fuzzy dots that look like small paramecium Amoeba- shaped like stars, blobs, not particular, colored pink, yellow, green, blue Paramecium- little pink things, kind of look like fish, or an eye Vortecella- Looks like a red branch, and seems like a crack Protist mix- Looks like a mixture of the amoebas and paramecium. Live Paramecium- Looks longer and skinner than the dead paramecium. Protozoa- We were unable to find anything. Conclusion: We were able to find, identify, and analyze the various protist species. Porifera (Sponge) The sponge is a basic grouping of cells. It has no central nervous system. To obtain oxygen, it uses diffusion at the cellular level. It obtains food by tiny particles drifting thorough it. A sponge's habitat is usually grounded. Sponge's do not move so their environment might not always be ideal. Sponges can share their living space with other marine life. This usually includes marine life living within or around the sponge. Each cells gets its nutrients individually, but they live and work together to function as one entity.It is as if the sponge uses a hive mind to live and grow into a successful being. Sponges are very important to sea life because they provide homes for other small animals that live in the water~ such as snails, sea stars, and shrimp. They also provide homes for tiny protists, which in return give the sponge food and other nutrients for the sponge to survive. Porifera Ecology: Many sponges provide habitats for other organisms such as snails, sea stars, and shrimp. Sponges can also form relationships with bacteria, algae, and plant-like protists which provides food and oxygen to the animal. In turn, the sponge provides a protected area where the other organisms can live. In addition, because sponges are often attached to the sea floor, they only receive low levels of sunlight. However these animals have developed spicules that focus and direct incoming light to cells below. This provides sunlight for other symbiotic organisms to carry out photosynthesis and also allows the sponge to survive in a wide range of habitats. Sponges are important aspects of aquatic ecology. They usually lie on the sea floor. Many of them are very large. Sponges are actually habitats for many creatures, such as snails, sea stars, and shrimp, due to their large size. These serve as examples of commensalism. Sponges will also house and form a bond with algae, bacteria, and some protists. Classes: When looking at the sponges, there are three main classes. The three classes consist of the Calcerea, Hexiactinella, and Demospongiae. Each of these therefore have there own distinctions that separate them. The Calcerea have spicules that are made from a specific material, Calcite, hence the name. The Hexiactinella have spicules like stars with six points, hence “hexa” in the name, meaning six. The Demospongiae have a different kind of skeleton, made of spongin, hence sponge in their name. These scientists really aren’t creative in their names, now are they? Cnidaria (Jellyfish) The jellyfish lab was our first real dissection lab. They have most importantly developed a method of not only movement but to catch prey as well. They also are some of the only animals in our planet to have a method to become immortal, as they can, if necessary, revert back to their polyp form. They have a stomach and a method to catch prey, in this they have moved up the food chain from the sponges. They have also developed tissue and specialized cells and organs, where as sponges are simply clumps of cells. As well as this, they have a more specialized body plan that allows them to do more than sponges, and be more evolution-wise advanced and adaptable to environmental changes. This body plan includes a thin bone structure, and two germ layers. Corals need a reasonable temperature, water depth, and light intensity to survive. In order to get these things, corals partner up with algae that supply these nutrients for them. But the human population has been damaging coral with pollution, etc. The act of coral bleaching is also damaging the algae that provides food for the coral. Cnidaria Ecology: In the past corals have been threatened by naturally occurring disasters. These disasters were not devastating enough to wipe out a family of coral. However, today it is a different story. Now the human population has accelerated and increased the risk of extinction for these corals. Examples of this include, recreational divers accidentally damaging reefs, mining and logging washing silt and other kinds of sediments onto the corals. Chemical fertilizers and insecticides are also quite dangerous. They cover the coral in a blanket of chemicals that suffocates them. Even if a coral is attacked by one of these harmful elements, it may survive, but it leaves the coral defenseless to other natural predators. They have multiple species but they all fall into one species class, Cnidarian. Jellyfish are exclusively marine, but some do live in freshwater. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for 500 million years. They are the oldest living multi-organ animal. Classes: In the phylum Cnidaria there are four main classes. These classes are Anthozoa (corals), Hydrozoa (calcified skeletons), Scyphozoa (jellyfish), and Octocorallia (more calcified skeletons, but are weaker in structure. The Anthozoa class is considered the most important because the polyps it produces are ready fossils that can be study later. Hydrozoans are one of the most diverse groups of Cnidarians. The more important species construct their skeletons out of calcite to disguise themselves as corals. The class Scyphozoa start as a grounded polyp though evolve into a free swimming medusa-like organism. Mollusca (Squid) The phyla Mollusca is a lot more complicated than the ones we have studied so far. Organisms in this phylum have three germ layers, an increase of 50% from Cnidarians and Poriferans. Mollusks also have bilateral symmetry, just like homo sapiens. The class cephalopod in this phylum contains organisms which have evolved primitive brains in their heads. Squids have also evolved kidneys to filter out toxins during excretion. Squids have a body cavity which more primitive organisms don't have. Squids can also breath through gills while previous organisms only breathed through respiration. Squids even have a closed circulatory system which is more advanced than jellyfish as well. Mollusca Ecology and Classes: Members of the phylum Mollusca, known as mollusks, are soft-bodied animals that usually have an internal or external shells. Mollusks include snails, slugs, clams, squids, and octopi. These organisms are separated into three classes: Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Cephalopoda. Gastropoda is a class including pond snails, land slugs, sea butterflies, sea hares, limpets, and nudibranchs. All of these organisms are shell-less or single-shelled mollusks that move using a muscular foot on the ventral side. Members of the class Bivalvia have two shells that are held together by one or two powerful muscles. These organisms include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. The last class in this phylum is Cephalopoda - members of this class include octopi, squids, cuttlefishes, and nautiluses. Cephalopods are soft-bodied mollusks with a head attached to a single foot. This foot is often divided into tentacles or arms. This class is especially notable because its organisms have a concentration of nerves in the head. Annelids (Worm) The earth worm has only several organs that do a minimum range of tasks, unlike the jellyfish. Once cut open, it was very easy to identify the heart, seminal vessel, septum, and intestine. Earthworms have bilateral symmetry. Like squids, earthworms have the presence of organs. In the squid, they have a number of organs that is much harder to count, and their main body's structure are more complex. Also, the overall body plan of the sponge is more specific and complex, and it completes a larger number of tasks that the earth worm. However, the simple body plan of annelids helps to enable extraordinary efficiency in food transfer, where the other phyla transfer food noticeably slower. Annelid Ecology: Earthworms are important in nature. They were noted as far back as Greece. Aristotle called them the intestines of earth. Many Annelids spend their lives burrowing through soil aerating it and mixing it. The tunnels the worms make allow trails for water and plants to go through. They pull plant matter through the soil and they grind it partially digest and mix it. Earthworm feces is rich in potassium phosphorus, beneficial bacteria, and nutrients. Earthworms are beneficial to many creatures' diets, and the ecosystem would be harmed without them. Anthropoda (Grasshopper) This lab let us investigate the grasshopper, and learn a lot about how insects' digestive systems work. I found it bot interesting and convenient that the layout of the insect was very streamlined and simple . It looked very similar to the earth worm's main set up because they both have bilateral symmetry down the middle and it's really easy to follow. I believe it is also fair to point out that I had orzo salad for lunch that day, and as it turns out, grasshopper eggs bear a remarkable resemblance to orzo. Anthropoda Ecology and Classes: Members of the phylum Arthropoda, known as arthropods, are organisms with segmented bodies, tough exoskeletons, and jointed appendages. This phylum includes spiders, butterflies, shrimp, caterpillars,and lobsters, as well as many other creatures. These organisms include spiders, horseshoe crabs, ticks, mites, and scorpions. All of these organisms have mouthparts called chelicerae and two body sections, and nearly all have four pairs of walking legs. Insects and their relatives are in the subphylum Uniramia. These organisms have jaws, one pair of antennae, and unbranched appendages. Examples of insects are centipedes, millipedes, flies, bees, and ants. A major subphylum of Arthropoda is Crustacea. Crustaceans typically have two pairs of antennae, two or three body sections, and chewing mouthparts called mandibles. Examples of organisms in this phylum are lobsters, crayfish, and crabs. Another major subphylum of Arthropoda is Chelicerata. These organisms include spiders, horseshoe crabs, ticks, mites, and scorpions. Chordata (Perch) Fishes live in either freshwater or saltwater environments, depending on the type of fish. Some species are special can move from freshwater to saltwater and back to freshwater, such as sturgeon, salmon, and lampreys. Chordata Ecology: The perch live in water mostly small ponds and streams. They prefer areas with plenty of water vegetation for hiding. The perch often school together in deep water and at dawn and dusk come to shallow areas to feed. Chordates are both predators and prey to many organisms. Some chordates, such as mice, are prey for many types of larger organisms, while other chordates, such as lions, eats many types of smaller organisms. Chordates can be carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores. This diverse phylum is essential for the survival of our ecosystem. Perch mate and lay eggs in spring often attaching them to underwater vegetation or sticks. Young perch eat mostly algae and plankton when they grow they begin to eat aquatic insects and other small animals. Perches' predators include pretty much anything bigger than them that is aquatic and carnivorous. To be classified as a chordate, an animal must have, at some point in its life, a dorsal, hollow nerve cord, a notochord, pharyngeal pouches, and a tail that extends beyond the anus. Bullfrog (Chordata) [Amphibian] The bullfrog was our final dissection, and definitely the most complicated of them all. It's skin was slippery and moist, and the ligaments were tough to slice. It had blue colored organs inside because of the paint added to make it easier to identify. All species in this phylum have bilateral symmetry, and it is a very diverse phyla. At some point in their life, all chordates have pharyngeal slits, a dorsal nerve chord, notochord, and a tail. The frog lab and the perch lab were extremely interesting. Because the two species are larger than most animals I've dissected in the past, it was easier to tell what was what, but it was also a little bit more graphic, especially since each phylum we dissected slowly grew more and more similar to ourselves. Chordata Ecology and Classes: Frogs are classified into the amphibians group. They go from tadpoles and throughout time they grow different limbs and grow in size, from about an inch to 3 inches in the largest state of tadpole living. They are able to go from aquatic to land animals whenever they want. However, they lay their eggs in the water because the tadpoles need water around them in order to go from tadpole to adult frog. The frog's skin is able to absorb oxygen through it so that it can breathe underneath the water.They are classified into the family Chordate. The phylum includes vertebrata, which has mammals, amphibians, fish, and reptiles. This also includes humans. |