Module #16 Flashcards
State the function of the yolk
YOLK - serves as nourishment for the developing embryo
State the 5 characteristics that set reptiles apart from other vertebrates.
- covered with tough, dry scales
- ectothermic
- breathe with lungs throughout their lives
- 3-chambered heart with a ventricle that is partially divided
- produce amniotic eggs covered with a leathery shell, most oviparous, some ovoviviparous
State the function of the ALLANTOIS
ALLANTOIS - allows the embryo to breathe
State the function of the ALBUMEN
ALBUMEN - destroys pathogens that can enter the egg as well as supplying water and amino acids to the embryo - also as a shock absorber
Reptiles have a growth-related characteristic in common with the arthropods. What is it?
They must both molt because their body covering is not living.
What are the two most important functions of reptile scales?
Reptile scales prevent water loss and insulate the reptile’s body.
These are the reptile orders that contain currently living reptiles:
Rhynchocephalis, Squamata, Crocoldilia, Testudines
Place the following types of reptiles into their appropriate order:
a. squamata ~Snakes
b. Rhynchocephalia~ tuataras
c. Squamata~ lizards
d. Testudines~tortoises
e. Crocodilia~alligators,crocodiles
f. Testudines~ turtles
State the 6 characteristics that that set birds apart from other vertebrates.
- endothermic
- heart with four chambers
- toothless bill
- oviparous, laying an amniotic egg that is covered in a lime-containing shell
- covered with feathers
- skeleton composed of porous, lightweight bones (not a characteristic for all birds)
Do all birds fly?
No. There are two orders of flightless birds.
A blood sample comes from the ventricle of an animal that is either an amphibian or a bird. How can you tell which?
If the blood sample has a mixture of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood, it comes from an amphibian. If it has only one or the other, it comes from a bird. Remember, a bird’s heart has four chambers, so oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood do not mix!
Which has a harder shell: the egg of a reptile or the egg of a bird?
A bird’s egg shell is harder because it contains lime.
You see some barbs from a feather. You have no idea whether they came from a down feather or a contour feather. Looking at the barbs under the microscope, however, you see that there are no hooked barbules. What kind of feather is it?
DOWN FEATHERS have no hooked barbules.
What type of feather (down or contour) is used for flight? What kind is used for insulation?
flight - CONTOUR
insulation - DOWN
What is a bird actually doing when it is preening?
When preening, a bird is actually OILING its feathers. The feathers need to be oiled regularly to keep the hooked barbules sliding freely along the smooth barbules and to keep the feathers essentially waterproof.
What is unique about a bird’s method of molting?
A bird’s feathers molt in pairs - one or a few at a time. This is different from arthropods and reptiles which tend to molt their whole body covering at once.
