Today was filled with information and also excitement because we did a dissection of a starfish and a squid! We started out though discussing two articles with one of them being the one my partner and I discussed. The first talked about butterflyfish and the effect they have on coral loss, and the second article talked about the lack of information there is on mollusks. Before we went to the lab, we went over information on invertebrates. This includes things such as sponges, cnidarians, echinoderms, as well as many others. It was interesting seeing organisms inside each group and their similarities, but slight differences like in sea stars and brittle stars. After these quick notes, we left for the lab where we first started to dissect a sea star. At the beginning, I had a little trouble getting it opened, but after some pins and time, I was able to see all the interesting parts it had such as those from the water vascular system. Next came the squid, and it was a little bit harder. My partner and I worked together and were able to do a good job with the dissection. It was pretty strange seeing things like its tentacles and even inc sac up close, but it was also fascinating. We even tried to write with the squid’s pen, which is the remainder of the shell of its ancestors, and the inc sac, but it didn’t really work. In all, I enjoyed these dissections. What we talked about today very much relates to things we need to know for marine biology. Invertebrates make up most of organism diversity, and also, being able to perform dissections and analyze parts of organisms is a useful skill in getting a good understanding of certain creatures. Today was full of new things that I will use as we continue to discuss invertebrates tomorrow.
