Comparative Anatomy: Invertebrates
During our invertebrate anatomic comparison unit, we analyzed and dissected a variety of specimens from the phylums:
Porifera - Sponges
porifera |
Cnidaria: Jellyfish
medusozoa |
Annelida - Earthworms
lumbricana |
Mollusca - Squid
teuthida |
Arthropoda - Grasshopper
caelifera |
Reflection:
I really enjoyed this unit. I've always enjoyed dissections, so getting to dissect a plethora of species within a couple weeks was exciting. I learned a lot about each phylum through the research that we did before and after examining each species. For example, I was able to see that every animal had some type of symmetry -- whether radial or bilateral -- and different kinds of feeding mechanisms. By looking more closely at blood vessels, I was able to see which species had more centralized and advanced circulatory and nervous systems. It's amazing to see how each progressive phylum has such seemingly small differences that make it a completely different thing to study. My group was also really efficient and collaborated well; we split up jobs equally and rotated, so everyone had a chance to dissect as well as write up paragraphs, tables, and drawings.
I really enjoyed this unit. I've always enjoyed dissections, so getting to dissect a plethora of species within a couple weeks was exciting. I learned a lot about each phylum through the research that we did before and after examining each species. For example, I was able to see that every animal had some type of symmetry -- whether radial or bilateral -- and different kinds of feeding mechanisms. By looking more closely at blood vessels, I was able to see which species had more centralized and advanced circulatory and nervous systems. It's amazing to see how each progressive phylum has such seemingly small differences that make it a completely different thing to study. My group was also really efficient and collaborated well; we split up jobs equally and rotated, so everyone had a chance to dissect as well as write up paragraphs, tables, and drawings.