Station 1: Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
“STOMACH FOOT”
Gastropods can live in freshwater, marine, and land
environments.
Directions:
1.) Observe the snail! What does it look like? What parts are
soft or hard? TOUCH IT WITH YOUR FINGER!
2.) These snails and slugs move by producing MUCUS that
allows the snail or slug to travel over any surface. These
organisms also use their muscular foot to help propel them.
3.) Find the RADULA on the snail or snail diagram. This part
of the snail is used to scrape their food off of rocks or other
places.
4.) Draw a picture of the snail at your lab station.
5.) Watch the video of a snail moving across a surface, notice
the mucus!!
Station 2: Phylum Mollusca
Class Cephalopoda
“HEAD FOOT”
1.) Observe the squid and octopus! What does it look like??
TOUCH IT WITH YOUR FINGER!
2.) Draw a picture of the squid or octopus at your lab station.
3.) Can you locate the arms and tentacles of the squid?
***Think about the role of the arms and tentacles that are
used for eating/killing.***
4.) Cephalopods move by JET PROPULSION. This means the
squid will shoot out water through a siphon (can you find the
siphon on the squid???) to allow the squid to move in the
opposite direction.
*** Think about it, this way. String a fishing line through a
straw, and attach a filled balloon to the straw. Which way
would the air out of the balloon go? Which way would the
straw move?***.
5.) Squids have a unique adaptation where they can “INK” an
area. To help avoid predators, the squid has an ink sac that is
filled with ink. When a squid is in immediate danger, the
squid will expel the ink, leaving a dark cloud in the water,
allowing the squid extra time to escape.
Station 3: Phylum Mollusca
Class Bivalvia
“ TWO SHELLS”
Directions:
1.) Observe the scallops, clams, oysters! What does it look like?? TOUCH
IT WITH YOUR FINGER!
2.) Draw a picture of these organisms at your lab station.
3.) These organisms have two shells that are held together by powerful
muscles.
4.) Usually most bivalves are stationary, however, the scallop is able to clap
their shells together and swim! Others can use their muscular foot to
move within their stationary location.
5.) The muscular foot allows the clams, oysters, scallops, to anchor into
the ground, which ensures the space or habitat for the bivalve.
6.)Unlike the Gastropods, these organisms do not have a radula. Bivalves
are FILTER FEEDERS! These creatures can catch really small organisms as
they pass through the clam. (Think of a coffee filter – The water goes
through the filter, but the coffee grounds do not – These coffee grounds
would be representative of its food!)
7.) Everyone knows that pearls are inside of a Bivalve, but HOW ARE
THEY MADE?? A grain of sand will get stuck in between the muscular foot
and the shell. The bivalve will secrete a shiny substance that will over time
build up on the sand grain. After a few years, the sand grain with the shiny
secretions is a PEARL!
Station 4: Phylum Echinodermata
“SPINY SKIN”
Directions:
1.) Observe the specimens! What does it look like?? TOUCH
IT WITH YOUR FINGER!
2.) Draw a picture of the sea star or sea urchin at your lab
station. The ORAL side of an organism is the side with the
MOUTH. The ABORAL side of an organism is the opposite
side of the mouth!
3.) CHANGE QUESTION 1 – This question should read:
HOW DO SEA STARS REGENERATE?
Sea stars are able to regrow lost limbs. Can we do this?
4.) Most echinoderms are carnivores, meaning they eat
animals.
5.) As you will see in the Live Station, Sea urchins and sea stars
have TUBE FEET that allow them to move. These tube feet are
like suction cups.
6.)The TUBE FEET that help the sea star move are a part of the
WATER VASCULAR SYSTEM (disregard the blank in your packet) that moves
food, water, and removes wastes.
Station 5: Phylum Echinodermata
“SPINY SKIN”
Directions:
1.) Observe the specimens! What does it look like?? TOUCH
IT WITH YOUR FINGER!
2.) These organisms DO NOT have tube feet; therefore, the
brittle star moves by physically moving its limbs, and the sand
dollar uses its spines to dig into the ocean floor.
3.) Watch the videos of how these organisms move in their
environment!
4.) Remember, these organisms show RADIAL symmetry.
They produce mirror images when cut in any direction (Like
the spokes on a bicycle wheel).
5.) Echinoderms can regenerate lost limbs! If they lose a limb
for some reason, the animal (though very costly) can regrow
that particular limb!