Vertebrate Dissection
Some of the similarities I noticed in between the vertebrates we did in the lab
were that they all had eyes, heart, appendages, kidneys, stomachs, and ears. The
functions of these parts were generally all the same as eyes were used for sight, heart
pumps blood, appendages are used for moving, kidneys used for filtering waste from
blood, stomachs for digestion, and ears for hearing.
Some of the differences I noticed among the organisms we did in the lab were
that the tails in turtles are used for reproduction while tails in rats are used for balance
and to brush away flies and other pests from their bodies. Another difference is that rats
have vibrissa which are sensory hairs that allow them to sense predators and prey
whereas the other vertebrates lack this structure. Pigeons have a hallux which is used to
grasp prey and grasping/perching onto surfaces. In addition, frogs have a nictitating
membrane which acts as a third eyelid and keeps the eye moist, protecting the frog’s eye
when it goes in the water.
I think the carapace and plastron turtles have relate to their environment because
it protects them from predators that could easily attack it without the shell since they
are so slow and their inability to run away. The hard shell protects their soft body from
getting eaten by predators. Also, I think the thumb pads male frogs have relate to their
environment and better enable them to spawn the next generation because their skin is
so moist and slippery, they need to be able to firmly grasp the female when mating.
Lastly, the beak in pigeons relates to their environment because their prey is generally
small like worms, seeds, etc. so they need something precise to be able to grasp it which
is why a beak is so favorable, helping it survive.