BIOG 1106 - The Invertebrates

Announcements:

• NOTE: You DO NOT need to complete the invertebrate lab objectives to attend lab or pass the lab quiz.
• As it says on page L19 of your Survival Manual, "Be prepared for a short quiz on the lecture material, text reading, and introductory sections for the phyla to be studied in lab (pp. L41-44, L61, and L68-71).
• Inverts Lab Practicals are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, March 10th and11th. Be sure you know when you are signed up and where you will be starting the test. Please arrive on time, once the test has started you will only be allowed to complete whatever portion of the test remains. You will not be allowed extra time or the opportunity to take the exam at a later time. Also, be aware that are absolutely NO MAKEUP EXAMS for the Inverts Lab Practical.
• The corrected Required Classification for the Practical Exam (page L32) can be found here.
• The dissection guide for the External Anatomy of a Whelk (page L45) can be found here.

Invertebrates Demo Pages:

Porifera	Cnidaria	Platyhelminthes	Nematoda	Mollusca	Annelida	Onychophora	Arthropoda

Is this the best evolutionary tree for these phyla? What data do you think this tree is based on?

Images of dissections with labeled anatomy (new!)

• Clam
• Crayfish
• Earthworm
• Squid
• Whelk

Invertebrates Lab News and Links:

• Furry Crustacean!
• Giant sea spider caught on tape. Watch the video.
• Colossal squid caught!
• BugWise
• First image of giant squid in wild!....and now caught on video! More squid vid
• Worm sperm - Even hermaphrodites fight the battle of the sexes.
• Giant squid grabs London audience.
• Lost Limb? Flatworm May Hold Answers. Researchers explore the planarian genome in search for regenerative treatments.
• Underwater Bipedal Locomotion by Octopuses in Disguise - the movies are the best part: mimicking a coconut; mimicking algae.
• Sea Hares Lose Their Lunch: Relatives of snails that live underwater protect themselves from predators by ejecting a chemical cocktail that tastes like a seafood platter, a new study shows.
• Save the Whale Eaters - unique biological communities thrive on dead whale carcasses in the deep ocean.
• Sea Slug Gives Clues to How Memory Works - listen via NPR online.
• Microsoft Recruits Sea Slugs - "We have been trying figure out how to get a computer to decide what is important and what is irrelevant," said the head of Microsoft Research's decision theory and adaptive systems group. "Well, it turns out that Mother Nature already does that very well."
• Bone-eating worms discovered on whale carcass - new species (Osedax) forms a symbiotic relationship with bacteria to convert fat and oil from bones into sugars the worm can use. More images.
• Medicines from the Deep Sea
• Butterflies Show Path to Cooler Chips - structure of butterfly wings may lead to new ways to control temperature during microprocessor production.
• Scientists use jellyfish DNA to detect cancer.
• Coral Family Strife: DNA sequencing triggers a major revision of the coral family tree.
• Mucus Good for the Local Economy: Slime excreted by coral boosts productivity for the whole reef.
• Octopus Arms Found to Have "Minds" of Their Own.
• Octopuses get erections: first soft-bodied animal found to have erectile tissue.
• Superannuated annelids: tube worms living 1,800 feet beneath the Gulf of Mexico live to be 250 years old!
• The Velvet Underground: Mixing characteristics of worms, caterpillars, and spiders, velvet worms are among nature's stranger curiosities.
• Blood substitute from worms shows promise: Haemoglobin from marine worm could replace red cells.
• Coral reefs worm their way up: Wonder-worms raise reefs by collecting corals.
• Sea creature confused for its lunch: Worm victim of mistaken identity reclassified.
• Coral reveals ancient origins of human genes: Invertebrate DNA raises questions about evolution models.
• Bacteria, not worms, cause river blindness: Microbes, not the nematodes that carry them, aggravate the immune system.
• New squid on the block: Deep-sea submersibles meet a six-metre squid. Image. Research paper.
• Super squid surfaces in Antarctic - specimen of the Colossal Squid found, may reach 20+ meters in length!
• Getting Ink - an interview with David Grinn about his search for the giant squid.
• Mimic octopus impersonates fish, snakes - long-armed octopus mimics poisonous creatures of the sea to avoid its predators.
• New species of predatory jellyfish discovered - Granrojo, "Big Red" is a strange, tentacle-less gelatinous blood-red cannonball between two and three feet across that floats through the deep ocean quietly devouring prey.
• The Myriad Worlds of the Invertebrates (Earthlife.net)
• Inverts used in medical research: leech, squid, sea slug, sponge, hoseshoe crab, jellyfish
• Inverts used in industrial research: bioengineered spider silk; genetically modified goats produce spider silk in their milk!
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) - source of a ton of cool marine invert research.