Invertebrate Station 1: Phylogeny

  1. Take a look at the Animal Phylogeny below. Remember that two species are more related if they have a more recent common ancestor and less related if they have a less recent common ancestor. Which of the following statements is true?
    • Vertebrates are more closely related to Echinoderms than they are to Arthropods.
    • Vertebrates are more closely related to Arthropods than they are to Echinoderms.
    • Echinoderms are equally related to Vertebrates and Arthropods
    • Arthropods and Echinoderms are more closely related than Arthropods and Roundworms

Invertebrate Station 2: Sponges

  1. Provide the common term and the Phylum name for the animal pictured above.
    • What is a commercial use by humans for these organisms?
    • Do these organisms possess true tissues?
  2. What is a tissue, in structural terms?
  3. Name four types of tissues in animals, and an example of a body structure where each tissue type might be found.

Invertebrate Station 3: Cnidarians

  1. To what Phylum does this animal pictured below belong?
  2. What type of symmetry does it exhibit?
  3. How does their symmetry differ from the organisms at Station 1?
  4. What is the feeding strategy of this type of animal (herbivore, omnivore, carnivore)?

Invertebrate Station 4: Molluscs

  1. To what phylum do the organisms pictured here belong?

2. What type of symmetry do they exhibit?
3. For each of the animals pictured above, list the group name.
4. When considering the groups listed above, what is different about their body structures? What is the same?

Invertebrate Station 5: Arthropods

  1. Which group of animals are believed to be the first to colonize land? When did this happen? 
  2. Take a look at the crayfish
    • To what phylum does the crayfish belong? Within that phylum, to what group does it belong?
    • The body consists of two parts: a cephalothorax, and abdomen. Where are the majority of sensory structures located?
    • Examine the abdomen. How many segments are present?
    • What is the benefit of the evolutionary adaptation of body segmentation? 
    • Examine the walking legs. How many joints are present on each leg?
  3. Take a look at the horseshoe crab.
    • Based on its physical features, to what group of invertebrates do you suspect it is the most closely related?
    • Now, if I were to tell you that they lack antennae, and that they have specialized sensory structures called pedipalps, which group do you think might be their closest relatives?

Invertebrate Station 6: Insects

  1. What adaptation in particular lead to the great success of insects?
  2. Which group of insects is most diverse? 
  3. Look at the “Butterflies of California.”
    • List three species that appear to exhibit aposematic coloration
    • What are bright colors often a warning against?
    • List two species that seem to exhibit cryptic coloration
  4. Look at “Insects in the Garden” and “Characteristics of Garden Insects”
    • List three prey species (ones that could be garden pests)
    • List three predators (beneficial “bugs” that could help reduce pests in the garden without the use of insecticides)

Invertebrate Station 7: Echinoderms

  1. What type of symmetry do these animals possess?
  2. What is the purpose of “Aristotle’s lantern?
  3. Watch the video of a sea star linked below. See if you can locatetube feet.
    • What is the purpose of these tube feet, and how are they “powered?”
  4. Below, draw a quick sketch of the sea star, including the tube feet. Include it with this worksheet, or scan and upload to Canvas


Navigation

Landing page: https://wendystjohn.summerlark.net/2021/04/27/animal-diversity/
Invertebrate Diversity: https://wendystjohn.summerlark.net/2020/11/08/animal-diversity-invertebrates/
Vertebrate Diversity: https://wendystjohn.summerlark.net/2020/11/09/vertebrate-diversity/